Chapter 79 James Punishes Maria, Leaving Her with Nothing!
As soon as those words left his mouth, Mabel got scared. James was the type who really meant what he said.
Lately, James had been acting like he was going through early menopause, moody and unpredictable. She didn't dare provoke him.
Anyway, Maria still had a trump card in her belly.
As long as they had that card, they still had a chance to make a comeback.
Mabel quit while she was ahead. After cursing a few times, she left. No one noticed Gloria sitting in the passenger seat, who hadn't gotten out of the car.
She looked up at the two people in the yard. Maria was trembling with fear, looking as humble as dust. Where was that provocative attitude from when she sent those messages?
So she wanted to take her place?
Gloria would make her understand that even if she threw James in the trash, it still wouldn't be Maria's turn.
She pushed the door open and got out. James, who had been confronting Maria just a second ago, immediately turned and walked toward the car.
Maria hadn't expected Gloria to come in person.
Gloria wore a pearl-white cashmere coat, no makeup, her hair casually falling loose.
The moment she stepped down, sunlight fell on her flawless face. Her skin was radiant, her features delicate.
The cold wind blew, lifting her hair, creating a perfect atmosphere.
James walked over in a few steps and put his arm around her waist, shielding her from the cold wind. His voice was steady and caring, "Why did you get out? It's cold today."
"It's fine. I came to see the house."
James frowned slightly, "This house is dirty. If you like this style, I'll buy you a new one."
Gloria glanced at Maria, who stood silently to the side, and said coolly, "Then what about this house?"
"I'll have the agent list it at a low price. The money will go straight to your account. How does that sound?"
Maria carefully looked up. James, who had been so cold to her, was tenderly embracing Gloria.
He lowered his head, listening attentively to Gloria's every word, without the slightest impatience, his eyes full of affection.
So in their relationship, James was actually the humble one.
Gloria was like a treasure he held in his hands, which he carried so carefully, doting on her.
It was enviable to watch.
The burn marks from the cigarette on the back of her hand started throbbing with pain again.
Compared to his warmth and care, Gloria's expression was indifferent.
It reminded Maria of a noble goddess.
She was so ethereal and pure, worlds apart from someone like herself who struggled miserably in the dust.
Why? Why was Gloria Mrs. Williams while she, Maria, was just a pathetic wretch?
Didn't Gloria's current wealth and glory also come from relying on a man?
Gloria glanced at Maria's resentful face and replied in a low voice, "Don't give it to me. I find it dirty. Just donate it to charity."
Those words stabbed Maria's heart. Gloria would rather donate all the money than let her continue living there.
Gloria was truly ruthless!
All the furniture in the house came with it. Maria didn't have much of her own stuff.
Mostly jewelry, clothes, and the like.
She had taken advantage of her pregnancy to get plenty of benefits for herself. John hadn't reported the small stuff and had just agreed to it.
Those clothes weren't too expensive, just tens of thousands to a hundred thousand dollars. The most expensive one was a dress Gloria had ordered.
Now everything was thrown on the ground. Maria hurriedly tried to stuff things into her suitcase.
Gloria stepped on that dress. "Ms. Smith doesn't think that just because you stole my clothes, they're really yours now?"
In front of James, Maria appeared especially humble and didn't dare clash with Gloria.
"I didn't. Gloria, you must have misunderstood."
"Misunderstood?"
Gloria sneered, "When you wore my clothes, held my man's arm, and sent me photos, you didn't look like this."
James caught the key point, "What did she send you?"
These were all things Maria had sent to pressure her into divorcing. Maria thought someone as stubborn as Gloria would make a fuss with James and get divorced if pushed a little.
She never expected Gloria to come directly to confront her today, exposing Maria's true colors.
Thinking of what James had done to her before, Maria's face had already turned pale with fear!
She quickly rushed over and grabbed Gloria's arm, hoping Gloria would show mercy, "Gloria, don't make jokes like that."
"So in your eyes it's just a joke? Then I'll take it out and let everyone appreciate it, see if it's a joke or not."
Gloria took out her phone. Maria grabbed her hand, "Gloria, don't, please."
James had always thought Maria was timid as a mouse. He never imagined she had been doing things behind the scenes.
No wonder Gloria had cried so miserably!
Those cold eyes turned toward Maria, sharp as a knife. His thin lips coldly uttered one word: "Let go."
Maria panicked. James gave the bodyguard a look, and they dragged Maria away.
"Gloria, what exactly did she send you?"
Gloria opened the chat page on her phone.
James saw those provocative lingerie photos and the inflammatory words below. Scrolling up, there were also photos she had secretly taken while holding his arm when Willie was present.
So this was how she had been provoking Gloria behind the scenes!
James's fingers tightened around the phone inch by inch, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
Maria carefully watched James. His eyes were like the sea before a violent storm, so oppressive that Maria's heart raced.
It felt like an evil spirit was crawling up her back, scaring her until her whole body went cold, her hair standing on end.
She stammered, "Mr. Williams, let me explain."
A loud crash—Gloria's phone was viciously thrown at Maria's forehead.
The pattern on the phone case scraped Maria's skin, blood flowing freely.
The phone fell to the ground. Gloria kicked James in annoyance, "My phone!"
She had wanted Maria to suffer the consequences, but hadn't expected James to show absolutely no mercy toward Maria.
Gloria even had a feeling that if she weren't here, James would do something even worse.
Maria, who had been hit, didn't run away or resist. Instead, her knees went weak and she knelt down. Ignoring her bleeding head, she prostrated herself on the ground, trembling and begging, "Mr. Williams, I was wrong, I was really wrong."
Seeing her like this, Gloria felt no pleasure in kicking her while she was down.
She just felt disgusted.
To think she had once been upset over such a woman.
James grabbed Gloria as she was about to pick up her phone, his lowered voice unable to control its viciousness: "It's dirty. I'll get you a new one."
His eyes were full of hatred for Maria. He picked up Gloria's phone and looked at Maria, who kept apologizing to him.
She hadn't realized at all how much harm her actions had caused Gloria.
James could barely control his bloodthirsty impulses. He wanted to kill Maria!
But afraid of scaring Gloria, he had to restrain his anger.
Looking at the pile of things Maria had touched, he coldly ordered, "Sell the jewelry. Donate the money from that and the house sale together in my wife's name. As for this pile of clothes, burn them all."
John nodded, "Understood."
Many of those clothes were gifts from Mabel. If she had known they would be burned, she wouldn't have schemed to contact Mabel.
Every look James gave Maria was filled with disgust. "And the money I gave you before, hand it over."
Maria's eyes widened, "What are you saying? Wasn't that our transaction? You're breaking the contract. We signed an agreement."
Besides the few hundred thousand dollars she had gotten early on, there was the five million dollar compensation.
Now the house, clothes, and jewelry were gone, and James wanted to take back that money too.
Five million dollars meant nothing to him—less than a dress or a piece of jewelry he bought for Gloria.
A bodyguard found the contract in the room and handed it to James. Those slender hands methodically tore it up and casually threw it into the roaring fire.
Maria burst into tears, reaching toward the fire, "No!"
James looked down at her. Maria met those indifferent, heartless eyes. She felt like a filthy cockroach in his sight.
"Mr. Williams, how can you do this to me?"
James said coldly, "Based on what you did to Gloria, dying a hundred times, a thousand times wouldn't be enough."
Maria seemed to go crazy, a cold smile lingering at the corner of her mouth. "Mr. Williams, what loving husband act are you putting on now? Weren't you the one who wanted me to have a child?"
"If you hadn't had such thoughts, how would I have ended up here?"
"Now you're pushing me out to appease her, making yourself look completely innocent. What kind of man are you?"
James's fingers twitched slightly, his expression particularly sinister. But Maria stuck her neck out defiantly, "What? Do you want to ruin my face or brand me with more marks?"
Only then did Gloria notice the cigarette burn scars on the back of Maria's hand.
James had actually done this to her? Wasn't she still carrying his child?
Though she had some questions, Gloria wouldn't intervene.
James had created this mess himself. Let him clean it up.
She chose to watch coldly from the sidelines, not mentioning the child.
Taking back the money, burning the clothes, selling the jewelry and house.
When Maria was kicked out, she only had a broken suitcase.
The mansion, clothes, and luxury goods she had been showing off on social media just days ago had all turned to bubbles in an instant.
She looked angrily at Gloria sitting in the passenger seat, her eyes full of resentment.
Gloria spoke up, "Stop the car."
"Gloria, this kind of person isn't worth bothering with. I was blind before."
"I just need to say a few words to her. You don't need to get out."
With that, Gloria got out and closed the door. She walked up to Maria, who was crouching on the ground packing.
Years ago on set, when Maria was being bullied, Gloria had helped her out.
Back then, she only looked two-tenths like Gloria. Gloria helped her, and they added each other on WhatsApp then.
Later, she gradually got plastic surgery, debuting with the label of being the second Gloria.
Maria glared at her viciously, "You must be feeling pretty smug right now?"
Gloria looked down, her eyes showing no pleasure in victory, only indifference. "I take back what I said back then. Maria, you're nothing like me."
She had seen her own shadow from when she was an extra in Maria and helped her, only to have the farmer and the snake story happen to her.
This poisonous snake didn't appreciate her help or the job she introduced, but instead bit back, trying to replace her.
Maria was stung by those words. With James not around, she boldly cursed, "What makes you so high and mighty? You think I don't know? When you first entered the industry, didn't you sleep with directors too? That mysterious producer offered eighty million dollars a year to keep you—everyone in the industry knows. If it wasn't for that mysterious producer, how could you have won Best Actress? What are you pretending to be so pure for in front of Mr. Williams?"
Gloria slapped her hard across the face. She wouldn't explain to this idiot how she had reached the Best Actress position.
She only said coldly, "Maria, you're like a disgusting bug in the sewer that can't stand the light."
"Stay in the sewer where you belong. You still want to scheme against me? Just wait to be crushed to pieces!"
After saying this, Gloria let go of her and got in the car.
The Cullinan drove away. Maria grabbed John's sleeve, "John, please help me."
John kicked her away without mercy, "If I were you, I'd get an abortion before Mr. Williams finds out. If you keep hiding it, you won't even have your life in the future!"
Maria's eyes burned with madness, "No, this is my only chance to turn things around!"
Gloria, I have a child—what do you have?
One day, I'll repay you with interest for all the humiliation I suffered today!
The position of Mrs. Williams is mine, it must be mine.
John looked at her bloody head and twisted face, feeling vaguely uneasy.
But thinking of Mabel's threats, his thought of telling James was crushed again.
John said word by word, "You'll never turn things around. Mr. Williams won't love you. Even if Mrs. Williams died, his heart couldn't hold any other woman."
Maria's face showed a sinister expression. She said coldly, "He will. James will definitely fall in love with me!"