Chapter 291 Doubled Price
Chapter 291 Doubled Price
Inside the room, Gabriela was standing in front of the window and enjoying the scenery outside. Hearing the noise, she turned around.
"Good day, ma'am. Here is the fresh brewed coffee you ordered." RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only
Gabriela took a look at her coffee and asked, "Pretty soon, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Maria put the coffee on the table, stood up, and answered truthfully, "Your timing is quite good. When you came, I was making coffee. I'll bring it to you when it's ready."
Sure enough, as James' biological mother, Gabriela had many similar features to his, especially the emotions between her eyes and brows and her expression.
Gabriela looked at the woman in front of her, who acted neither humble nor pushy, and said in a calm tone, "You are the boss. Do you always serve the guests in person?"
"It's my pleasure."
The door of the private room was pushed open again. It was Summer who pushed the door open, and James followed her in.
He looked at the two women in front of him and told Maria directly, "Same as hers."
Maria rolled her eyes at him in an angle where Gabriela couldn't notice. James didn't want to go to so many high-end clubs or coffee shops, but had chosen her place. She wondered what he was doing.
"One moment, please." She turned around and left.
The door of the private room was closed. When he looked away, James saw that Gabriela was looking at him. "Have a seat," he said.
"She has been very popular in the financial circle of H City in the past two years."
Of course, James knew whom she was referring to.
"Sure." He didn't explain anything.
Gabriela sat opposite him, picked up the coffee brought by Maria, and smelled it. "Why did you ask me out today?"
"How does Mitchell Shen treat you?"
"Are you caring about me?" asked Gabriela with a faint smile, but her eyes remained serious.
"Cooper asked me to ask this question." If he wanted to know, he would have someone investigate it directly.
Gabriela looked at his face and said, "If you have anything to tell me, go ahead."
James nodded. "I found out what had happened that year when I investigated Judy. Nothing happened between you and Mitchell Shen at that time. Why do you admit to my father that you have cheated on him?"
"I just didn't love him anymore," said Gabriela indifferently.
"Do you still love Sebastian Xi?"
"Does that still matter?" Gabriela didn't intend to answer. "Did you ask me out because you wanted to know what happened between us in the past?"
James didn't answer but asked, "Who is Norman Shen's father?"
Gabriela didn't drink the coffee. She put the coffee mug back and said in the same tone, "Mitchell Shen."
"There are not many good days left for Judy. If you are willing to solve the misunderstandings with my father..." James meant to ask her to return to the Xi family.
"I don't want to," Gabriela refused bluntly.
James fell into the silence.
After a while, he asked, "What makes you so cruel to leave your two biological sons alone?"
"Mr. Xi, are you blaming me? I don't think you are a person who needs the family affection and maternal love." Gabriela sneered.
Everyone in H City knew that James was cold and arrogant. He treated everyone, including his family in the same way.
"I really don't need it."
Gabriela's heart skipped a beat, and her nails cut into her palms.
"You are the biological mother of me and Cooper. Although you didn't do your duty, you gave birth to two of us. If you don't lead a good life, Cooper and I will not just watch and do nothing."
"Do you want to be a dutiful son?"
"You can understand in that way."
Gabriela chuckled. "Mr. Xi, why didn't you and your brother do anything in the past years, then?"
"Judy had treated me and Cooper wholeheartedly before. She would rather abandon her own child for the sake of us both. Over the years, she had been working quite hard even without any contribution. It's not until now that I know she is not qualified to be a mother-in-law and a grandmother. And because she has evil thoughts since she has become a mother-in-law, the Xi family can't keep such a person any longer."
"Do I have to go back since she is not qualified? If she is not qualified to be a mother-in-law, can you guarantee that I would be?" Gabriela thought her son was quite ridiculous.
Right then, Maria knocked on the door and the two stopped talking for the time being.
She put the steaming coffee in front of James and left the room silently.
Gabriela noticed the look in James' eyes. As long as Maria appeared, he would not look at anyone else. But Maria didn't even spear him a glance.
She chuckled, "Are you going to remarry her?"
"No one can guarantee whether you are qualified or not. I asked you to come back for the sake that you are my biological mother. I don't want to interfere in the matter between you and my father. I just think it's a good opportunity for you to come back to our Xi family."
"I know. I will think it over." Gabriela stood up and was about to leave.
However, she was stopped by James, "Wait a minute."
She looked at him in confusion.
Looking at the cup of coffee across the table, James said, "You must drink some coffee. You didn't attend our wedding back then, but now you don't drink the coffee she made at all. Are you dissatisfied with her?"
Confused, Gabriela looked at the coffee and said, "I'm not interested in coffee, OK? Look at you, James! I haven't gone back to the Xi family yet, and you force me to drink coffee now. I'm worried about my status as the mother-in-law after coming back!"
Without saying a word, James picked up the coffee cup in front of him and drank some.
All of a sudden, Gabriela felt that everything was quite amusing. "It's okay for you to accommodate her mood. Why do you want me to accommodate her too? There were too many customers here who don't drink coffee or don't think she's good at making it... Is she so mentally fragile?"
"She isn't mentally fragile. I just think drinking a little is a respect for a barista," replied James flatly.
Upon hearing that, Gabriela was speechless. She knew that James was always a man of his own free will. Since when did he care about the feelings of a barista?
The man stood up and walked out of the private room to the bar counter to pay the bill.
When he came out, Maria was staring blankly at the door of their private room with a cup of coffee in her hands. As soon as James came out, their eyes met in the mid-air.
Maria was speechless. Fortunately, she was not eavesdropping at the door.
The man came to her, tapped his knuckles on the counter in front of her, and said, "On my account, please."
Maria gaped at him. She wondered when she had agreed to keep a bill payment account for him. "The bill payment? The price is doubled, then."
James stared at her and said, "Come to me with the bill at the end of this month."
Maria leaned forward and asked, "Your mother and you-
"Are you curious?"
It would be a lie if Maria said she was not curious. After all, she had known James for a long time. It was the first time that she had seen Gabriela and her son gathering together.
She didn't hide anything and nodded to admit.
The man stared at her with his deep eyes. "Come to my manor tonight. I'll tell you."
Maria's face immediately fell. Maria put down the coffee mug and began to work. "I'll double the price for HL Group's account. I'll take the bill to you at the end of the month. Take care!"
There was a slight smile in the man's eyes, but he did not leave immediately. He raised his chin to the display cabinet and said, "Make a set of seafood pizza and a sandwich for me. Send them to my office." Then he added, "Three times the price with the tip."
Maria was speechless. Could she tell him that she didn't care about such small money? Even three times the price would be less than one thousand.
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