James frowned slightly when he saw the call was from Anna Rivera's best friend.
This woman was in cahoots with Anna Rivera.
She acted as a mediator between him and Anna,
conveying requests that Anna found difficult to make herself.
For example, Anna needed money because she was broke.
Anna was sick and needed money for hospital bills.
Anna was in a bad mood and needed money...
When James was about to give up, this woman would also try to work on him.
Now that the two of them had completely fallen out, what else could she possibly say?
James answered the call with a chuckle, curious to hear what nonsense she had to offer.
"Hello, hello?"
Unexpectedly, an irritating voice came through the phone:
"James, I need to talk to you."
James's expression changed slightly, and he said coldly, "Anna Rivera?"
The three girls at the table, hearing him say a girl's name, all perked up their ears.
"It's me," Anna Rivera said, mustering her emotions in front of her friend. "James, we agreed to be together..."
Hearing her bring up the past, James immediately interrupted,
"Stop. I don't want to hear it. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up. Take care of yourself."
Anna Rivera said urgently, "Wait, just hear me out. I promise I won't bother you again after this."
James pondered for a moment. Even the worst people can have some good words as they die. He was curious to hear what this woman had to say.
"Fine, wait a sec,"
After speaking to Anna Rivera, he smiled apologetically at Shirley Taylor and said,
"I need to take this call outside. You guys go ahead and eat."
"Okay," Shirley Taylor nodded obediently.
James ruffled her hair and got up to leave.
"I bet that call is definitely from his ex-girlfriend," Bella said, arms crossed, glaring at James's retreating figure with a knowing look.
"Yeah."
Shirley Taylor gazed at James's back, responding faintly.
Although she worried that James might be a playboy, worrying wouldn't help.
She was powerless to change him.
Since she had chosen him,
all she could do was stay by his side.
"It's normal. Who wouldn't be tempted by a handsome guy who throws around millions?"
Asa, propping her head in her hands, also stared intently at James's back, sighing, "It would be strange if he didn't have an ex. Honestly, if it weren't for Shirley, I'd make a move myself."
Bella shot her a disdainful look and turned to Shirley Taylor, "Shirley, should we go eavesdrop? His tone just now sounded exactly like a bitch breaking up with someone. I bet he's discussing a breakup right now. Do you want to see his true colors?"
"I... I don't think that's a good idea. Brother doesn't want us to listen."
Shirley Taylor actually wanted to listen, but she was too timid to go.
"If you won't go, I will. I'm going to expose this jerk," Bella declared, getting up and quietly following him.
"Sister Li, wait for me~" Asa, seeing someone taking the lead, also followed,
leaving Shirley Taylor alone at the table, staring blankly with wide, unfocused eyes as the two followed James.
James, unaware of the two girls tailing him,
went outside to the courtyard, where his Rolls-Royce was parked nearby.
He got in, turned on the air conditioning, leaned back in his seat, and comfortably said to Anna Rivera,
"Go ahead, I'm listening."
Anna Rivera, having think her emotions, began slowly,
"Can we just be okay? I know you still like me; I can feel it..."
James interrupted her again coldly,
"Is this what you wanted to say?"
"..." Anna Rivera was taken aback. Seeing that James wasn't swayed by her soft approach, she got a little angry.
Usually, James would bend over backward for her. Now that she had swallowed her pride to apologize, he was being ungrateful.
Overwhelmed by emotion, she couldn't help but retort,
"Do you think I want it to be this way?"
"I'm a girl. What's wrong with wanting a better life?"
"I wanted to be with you too, but you couldn't give me what I wanted before. What was I supposed to do?"
James was silent for a moment after hearing this.
He couldn't fathom who had given this woman the audacity to say such things.
She had taken his money and was now biting the hand that fed her, blaming him for not giving enough?
What kind of upbringing produced such shameless thinking?
Were women born to be pampered,
while men were meant to grovel at their feet?
"So? Now that I can afford it, I'm obligated to give it to you?" James sneered.
He had lost all patience and didn't want to waste any more words.
If she said one more unreasonable thing,
he would block her number.
But unexpectedly, she apologized.
Anna Rivera said sincerely,
"I'm sorry, I was wrong. Can we start over?"
James was silent.
...
Meanwhile, Asa, who had followed Bella outside, saw James get into the Rolls-Royce,
and her eyes turned into hearts.
Although it was normal for someone who could throw around three million to drive a car worth tens of millions,
actually seeing such a luxurious and imposing Rolls-Royce was still a shock.
She desperately wanted to get into that car and experience its lavish interior.
She'd do anything for it.
Bella, however, showed no reaction to the Rolls-Royce.
She led Asa toward the car.
Suddenly, a large man stepped out and blocked their path.
"I'm sorry, miss, this is my boss's car. You can't go near it."
The two girls exchanged surprised glances.
They had wondered why this big oaf was sitting at the entrance eating fried rice earlier.
Turns out, he was James's bodyguard.
Bella wasn't one to give up easily.
She thought for a moment, then grabbed Jay Johnson's arm and wheedled,
"Uncle, I'm just a little girl. I won't do anything to your boss. Please let me pass."
Her cute, spicy image and coquettish demeanor usually melted any man's resolve.
Unfortunately, Jay Johnson wasn't an ordinary man.
He shook his head slowly and mumbled,
"The boss is on the phone. Please don't go near."
Seeing that the soft approach didn't work, Bella turned to Asa and whispered, "You go left, I'll go right. We'll go around him. See who he catches. If he grabs you, scream assault."
Asa's eyes darted around nervously. She hesitated and said, "That's not a good idea. It'll leave a bad impression."
"Whose side are you on? Who cares about leaving a good impression on a jerk like that?" Bella said angrily.
"Come on, what if he really likes Shirley? Let's not make trouble."
Asa didn't dare to act rashly, afraid of offending such a powerful man.
"That's exactly why we need to listen to what he's saying, so we know what kind of person he is," Bella argued.
Asa didn't dare to offend this fierce young lady either, so she reluctantly agreed,
"Alright, alright, I'll distract the big guy and try to buy you some time. You go listen."
Then, she walked straight up to Jay Johnson and, in front of everyone, threw herself into his arms, shouting,
"Brother-in-law, if my sister sees you bringing me here to eat, won't she be mad?"
They were standing not far from the entrance, and her loud voice caused passersby to stare.
Even the guests inside the restaurant craned their necks to look.
Jay Johnson froze, his face turning beet red. He tried to push her away,
completely unaware that another girl had quietly slipped past him from behind.