Encountering a Billionaire in Remarriage

Maria Brown parked her motorcycle and rushed into the mall, takeout in hand. She spotted the Chanel store and made a beeline for it.

Her call to her boyfriend, Billy Jackson, had dropped, so she just waited at the entrance.

Their anniversary was coming up, and Maria was mulling over what to get him.

Billy had mentioned his old computer was making job hunting tough and hinted that a new MacBook would be perfect for his work.

Maria winced at the thought of the price and gently suggested a Lenovo instead, but Billy gave her the cold shoulder.

Noticing Billy hadn't spoken to her for days, Maria bit the bullet and clicked on the Apple laptop on the shopping page. Just as she was about to pay, her phone rang.

The payment was interrupted, and Maria walked over with the takeout. Handing it to the clerk who had ordered it, she was about to leave when a familiar voice caught her ear.

"Billy, I want this one. It's the latest Chanel collection. Don't you think it suits me?" a woman said.

"If it makes you happy, go ahead and buy it," a man replied.

"Billy, you're so sweet to me," the woman said coyly.

Hearing Billy's name, Maria instinctively turned around and quickly saw two familiar figures in the store: Vivian White, her bestie and her boyfriend, Billy.

Maria was momentarily stunned until she saw Billy take out a bank card and hand it to the clerk with a flourish. "Check, please."

Maria immediately recognized the card as hers. Furious, she strode over and snatched the card from Billy's hand before the clerk could take it.

"Maria, what are you doing here?" Vivian looked at her in surprise, a look of disdain flashing in her eyes as she saw Maria's clothes.

"Delivering takeout again? Must be exhausting. Unlike me, Billy buys me a bag when I'm unhappy. Jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous of you?" Maria shot back, both angry and annoyed.

Billy looked displeased. "Maria, if you're not jealous, give me the card and stop making a scene. Stop embarrassing yourself!"

Vivian pretended to persuade, "Billy, don't say that. Maria must be jealous because she knows you're buying me a bag. Maybe I shouldn't take it."

"No, I promised you," Billy said tenderly to Vivian, then turned to Maria with impatience. "Give me the card."

Maria sneered, "If you want to buy her a bag, use your own money. Stop flaunting with mine."

Seeing people around them starting to pay attention, Billy became furious and pushed Maria hard. "It's just some of your money, Maria. Why are you flipping out? If you're not ashamed, I am. If you won't let me use your money, then we're done."

Billy acted as if he was sure Maria wouldn't agree to break up.

Maria almost fell from his push but managed to steady herself. Hearing his words, she immediately agreed, "Fine, I've been waiting for this. I hope you two scumbags stay together forever."

Maria left the mall with the card, feeling a tightness in her chest. It would be a lie to say she wasn't hurt, but she wasn't too heartbroken either—to some extent, she felt relieved, as she hadn't wasted any money.

Thinking about the unpaid MacBook on her phone, Maria firmly clicked cancel.

Because of this incident, she had no mood to continue delivering takeout anymore. She rode her motorcycle back to her apartment, which she shared with Billy, a two-bedroom unit with each of them having their own room.

Maria had just cleaned the house yesterday. But as soon as she walked in, she saw snack bags tossed on the coffee table and the floor already dirty. Anger surged through her, and she stormed into Billy's room.

Even though they rented the place together, Billy hadn't paid rent since he quit his job three months ago. Maria was covering the rent all by herself; there was no reason to let Billy stay there.

Maria quickly packed Billy's stuff and found a newly opened pack of condoms in the drawer. There were ten in the pack, but only six were left. Since Maria and Billy hadn't been intimate, he must have used them with someone else. No wonder Billy wanted to buy Vivian a bag; they had been together for a while.

Maria was pushing the luggage out of the room when Billy and Vivian stepped out of the elevator.

"Maria, who gave you the right to touch my stuff? What do you mean by this?" Billy shouted.

Maria stood up, looked at the furious Billy, and pushed his luggage towards him.

Billy was startled and instinctively dodged, but Vivian wasn't as quick; the luggage bumped straight into her leg, causing her to clutch her leg in pain.

"Vivian, are you okay?" Billy quickly pulled the luggage away and angrily shouted at Maria, "Are you doing this on purpose? Hurry up and take Vivian to the hospital."

Maria was amused by his words. "Take her to the hospital for what? To check her stockings?"

Billy's face turned red with anger.

Vivian also glared at Maria hatefully. She clung to Billy's arm and looked at Maria. "Maria, since you and Billy have broken up, you should move out of this apartment. It's inappropriate for you to stay here."

Maria looked at Vivian and suddenly smiled. "I can move out, but he hasn't paid me rent for three months."

Billy looked impatient. "It's just three months' rent. My monthly salary is more than enough. I'll pay you back as soon as I find a job."

Maria wasn't falling for his tricks anymore and was about to refuse when Vivian spoke up. "I'll pay it for Billy."

'Just like Billy said, he is a graduate of a top school, earning between $6,000 and $6,500 a month. Three months' rent is nothing, and it will leave a lasting impression on Billy,' Vivian thought.

"Fine." Maria quickly collected the rent, and just as Vivian was about to kick her out, Maria took out another phone and called Billy.

Seeing the landlord's call on his phone, Billy answered with confusion. "Hello, do you need something?"

Maria's voice came from the phone. "Yes, I have decided not to rent out this place anymore."

Billy and Vivian finally realized what was happening, and Vivian's voice turned sharp. "This apartment is yours? Then why did you ask Billy for rent?"

Maria rolled her eyes at them. "Who rents a place without paying rent? Alright, I'm not renting it out anymore. You're on your own."

Billy wanted to say something, but Maria had already gone back to her room and closed the door.

Looking at the closed door, Billy suddenly felt a bit regretful for breaking up so hastily.

Maria had no clue about his thoughts, and even if she did, she would dismiss them with a scoff. Her strongest trait was that she would never reunite with an ex-boyfriend.

Then Maria packed her things before she went to the hospital.

In the ward, only Maria's sister, Molly Brown, was there. As soon as she saw Maria, Molly's eyes welled up with tears.

"What happened?" Maria asked.

Molly pulled her outside, her voice choked. "Maria, Mom's condition has worsened."