A Vengeful Ex-Wife

Chapter 367 Showdown

Rosa had been under incredible stress for the past few weeks, but never had she felt more wronged than at that moment. In a raised voiced, she sniped at Colby, "That was all because of your affair with Maria Song! Otherwise, do you think I would be willing to leave my own daughter behind and come back here?"

At the mention of Maria's name, Colby was struck by a sudden thought. "Is it possible that Maria did this? What has she been up to lately?"

In fact, the same thought occurred to Rosa. "She went on a holiday with Norman several days ago, and James followed her there. James has already come back to H City, but nobody has seen her. I'm not sure whether she's back or not."

"Calm down. I'll send more people to look for Ines." He himself couldn't fly to the US immediately, so he entrusted his daughter's matter to a friend there. In addition, he asked someone to investigate Maria's whereabouts.

After attending a business dinner, James received a WeChat message from Maria.

He zoomed in the photo he had just received and saw the sleeping profile of a little girl.

His phone beeped with another message. "This is my daughter. Isn't she beautiful?"

James went back to check the girl's face carefully and replied, "So, is this girl your daughter with Colby or with Rosa?"

Maria pouted upon reading his reply. How could she have a baby with Rosa? Another question entered her mind. "How do you know who she is?"

James didn't hide anything from her. "At the moment, Mr. and Mrs. Zheng are looking for their child all over the US." Many people knew about the parents' desperate search after all, so it wasn't so

surprising for James to have heard about it.

'How well-informed this man is!' Maria thought.

She received Colby's phone call in the evening in the US, that is, morning in H City.

"Hello, Mr. Zheng, it's been a while."

"Maria, let's cut the bullshit. I heard that you're in the States." As it turned out, Colby had found out that she had flown to the US straight from her island getaway.

"Yes. I have a project in the country that needs to be checked," Maria answered in a roundabout way.

"If your men took Ines away, please don't hurt the child. I'm open to a discussion, if you want anything from me."

Maria pretended to be surprised. "Ah. So what I heard was true—that you were looking for a child. You're thinking that I did it?" She would never admit it.

"Didn't you?" Colby challenged her.

"Of course not. How could I do such a thing? I just happened to be in the US. Is that why you're suspecting me?"

Colby did not answer. She was right. On the second day after Maria's arrival in the US, Ines disappeared. If she didn't do it, who else could it be? However, he had no evidence, so a direct accusation was out of the question.

Maria blew away a non-existent speck of dust on her fingernail and continued in a gentle voice, "Mr. Zheng, you wound me. I don't even know what your daughter looks like. Besides, do you think I'm

someone who would hurt a child?"

Colby plastered on a fake smile. "It would be better if it wasn't you because I'm not going to let go of the person who took her away."

The threat in his voice was obvious, but Maria remained blithely uncaring. She replied unhurriedly, "Mr. Zheng, you still care about me so much."

'Care about you? I want to kill you!' he thought venomously. As for that issue with Peggy, her assistant, he could bet with certainty that Maria was involved in it.

On the third day after Colby's daughter had disappeared, Rosa flew back to the US.

As soon as she got off the plane, she received a call from a strange number. "Rosa."

At first, Rosa didn't recognize the voice of the caller.

"Who are you?"

"Who do you think?"

Maria asked. Rosa suddenly stopped in her tracks. She stared hard toward the horizon and hissed angrily, "So, it was really you who did it!"

"How does it feel to lose your child, Mrs. Zheng?"

Maria asked with a smile. It was horrible, of course. Rosa hadn't had a good night's sleep in the past three days due to nonstop worrying for her daughter's safety. "What did you do to Ines?"

"What's your hurry? It's only been three days, Rosa. I, on the other hand, have lost my child forever."

Rosa's breath started to come in short, rough pants. "If you hate me so much, just come at me! Leave Ines out of this!"

"What if I have already hurt her? You will never see your daughter again!" There was a chilling note of finality in Maria's voice.

Rosa's strength nearly failed her. "What have you done to my daughter?"

"What have I done to her?" Maria's loud laughter was harsh and grating. "What else can I do? My son is too lonely over there, so I killed her so that she can keep him company."

"Maria! You—" Rosa was so angry that her hands trembled, but fear for her daughter was quickly overcoming that emotion.

"Mrs. Zheng, please go back home. You can't ever see your daughter anymore. You won't even find her corpse."

Rosa couldn't give up just like that. "Maria, why are you putting all of the blame on me? You were also responsible for what happened!"

Hatred blazed in Maria's eyes. "Yes, I may not have been completely innocent, but I'm not guiltier than you! I won't let you go!" She wouldn't absolve herself of the guilt, either. She was Arthur's guardian, so she should also be responsible for the accident.

"Give Ines back to me, and I will apologize to you." Rosa tried to bargain with the other woman.

"Give my son back to me, and then I will do whatever you ask me to do." Maria could do anything, as long as Arthur could come back to her.

"Maria, no one wanted your son to die. It was an accident!"

"An accident?" Maria sneered. "It may have been an accident, but it could have been avoided! In the end, nothing prevented it from happening. Moreover, you let me take all of the blame! I took the blame for you for nearly ten years! Do you think I will let you go?"

All of her efforts in the last ten years had been focused on her revenge against them.

"So what? I have Colby behind me now, but what about you? James didn't fall for you ten years ago. What makes you think that he would do so now? Other than him, who else is strong enough to stand up to my husband?" In the first place, Rosa didn't think that a man like James would ever prioritize love over anything else.

"It doesn't matter whether he loves me or not. He's willing to help me, and that's enough. Besides, what makes you think that he hasn't fallen in love with me?"

Rosa took a deep breath, her hope giving way to desperation. "Maria, if you dare hurt even one hair on my daughter's head, I will end you!"

"Okay. Just wait and see!" With those foreboding words, Maria ended the call.

Immediately, Rosa saved the call log. She was about to put away her phone when someone slammed against her arm. The phone slipped out of her hand.

In the blink of an eye, the person picked up her phone and ran off with it. Everything happened too fast. Before Rosa could take a good look at the man, he was already out of sight.

"Help! I just got robbed!" shouted Rosa anxiously.

After searching all over, she finally found her phone beside a trashcan. However, it was already broken into pieces. Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

Rosa cursed Maria with every invective she could think of.

Her hand tightened around the broken phone, and her eyes flashed with anger.

Half an hour later, Rosa returned to her apartment. She was barely out of her car when the babysitter rushed over and handed her an envelope. "Ma'am, somebody left this for you."

Rosa tore open the envelope carelessly. A short tuft of soft hair was inside.

'This must be Ines' hair!' Rosa guessed in her mind, biting her lower lip. Her breathing became labored, and her chest ached like an invisible hand was crushing her heart inside.