Chapter 5 

James and Mary stayed at the scene to help rescue other victims.

"Hey, are you Mr. Williams?"

A tall guy in a suit and sunglasses suddenly approached them.

James sized him up. The guy looked like a professional bodyguard, which made James wary.

Could Brian have sent someone to get revenge? He couldn't think of any other reason.

"Who sent you?"

Sensing James's hostility, the visitor hurriedly explained, "Mr. Williams, Ms. Lee sent me. She is tied up at the hospital and couldn't come herself, so she specifically asked me to bring you this as a thank you."

So it was Olivia. She was at the hospital with her daughter, which made sense.

"No need for gifts. I didn't save her for a reward," James declined. Olivia had mentioned she'd do anything for whoever saved her daughter, but that wasn't his intention.

"Mr. Williams, Ms. Lee insisted I deliver this. If you don't accept it, I can't report back to her," the bodyguard said, practically forcing a sealed wooden box into James's hands.

James nodded. Since the man was so insistent, he might as well accept it.

The rescue operation finally ended by dusk, with the cooperation of the crowd, police, and firefighters.

When James got back to the car, he found Mary already there, looking exhausted.

Seeing James approach, Mary said, "James, stop dawdling and get in the car."

Mary's tone had softened. Although she thought James saving Sophia was a fluke, at least he had the heart to help, which changed her view of him a bit.

"Why are you suddenly in a hurry to take me home?"James asked once he was in the car. Normally, Mary wouldn't care if he came home or not, let alone pick him up herself.

Mary glanced at the time and frowned slightly. "Seriously? Today is my dad's fiftieth birthday, and you forgot?"

James slapped his forehead. Mary had reminded him before, but he'd been so focused on repaying debts that he forgot about his father-in-law Charles Smith's birthday.

"Guess you forgot to buy a gift too," Mary continued, sighing. "Great, there's no time now. We'll have to give a joint gift."

James's eyes lit up. He had indeed forgotten to prepare a gift, but he had one right in his hands.

As for the wooden box Olivia sent him, he hadn't had a chance to open it, but since it was from Olivia, it was bound to be something special, perfect for a birthday gift.

"Mary, I think you should get rid of that necklace," James said, recalling the previous topic. "We almost had an accident earlier. It must be cursed. If you keep wearing it, more bad things will happen."

"Are you saying those victims died because of me?" Mary's face turned icy as she snapped, "The necklace was a gift from my mom. Are you saying she wants to harm her own daughter?"

James felt awkward. He had advised Mary to distance herself from the person who gave her the necklace, not knowing it was from her mother.

"She might have been tricked too..."

Before James could finish, Mary glared at him. "Don't bring this up again, or I'll really get mad!"

James felt helpless. He had to find another way to deal with the evil spirit attached to the necklace without upsetting Mary.

And it couldn't wait. The necklace was extremely malevolent, constantly draining Mary's luck. If not dealt with soon, she would face another life-threatening situation in a few days.

Ten minutes later, Mary parked the car in front of the Phoenix Hotel.

A banner outside indicated that the Smith family had rented the entire hotel to celebrate Charles's fiftieth birthday.

"Abigail and her husband are here too. Just follow my lead and keep quiet. Don't embarrass me." Mary's tone was cold. Despite her indifference, she was the most considerate towards James in the entire Smiths.

Mary grabbed a gift box from the back seat, and James followed suit with the wooden box Olivia had sent.

"What's that in your hand?"

Mary hadn't seen Olivia's delivery, so to her, James was holding an ordinary wooden box.

"It's a gift for Charles."

"My dad's fiftieth birthday, and you bring a shabby box?"

Already running late, Mary didn't want to waste time making James put the box back. "My gift is enough. Keep your box to yourself and don't give it away, got it?"

James shrugged. He'd play it by ear.

James followed Mary into the banquet hall, which was filled with relatives. Three large round tables, each seating over a dozen people, were set up.

Abigail and her husband, Christopher Clark, were already there, but Charles and his wife, Addison Moore, hadn't arrived yet, much to Mary's relief. Guess they weren't that late after all.

"Mary, you're finally here," Abigail greeted warmly. "It's Dad's fiftieth birthday. How could you be late? Mom and Dad dote on you, but you shouldn't take advantage."

"Abigail, we had a bit of an incident on the way."

Everyone chatted with Mary, ignoring James as if he were invisible.

James didn't mind. Being ignored was better than being ridiculed.

But not everyone wanted to leave him alone. Christopher approached and patted his shoulder.

"James, it's Charles's fiftieth birthday. What gift did you prepare? Show us," Christopher, another son-in-law of the Smiths, asked, always finding ways to trouble James.

He did this partly to elevate his own status by belittling James, but more importantly, because he had originally aimed to marry Mary. However, due to a fortune-telling incident, he lost out to James and settled for Abigail.

"Mary and I..." James began, recalling Mary's warning about their joint gift, but Christopher cut him off.

"James, you weren't going to say you and Mary prepared one gift together, were you?" Christopher taunted, anticipating his response. "You live off Mary, and even the birthday gift has to be from her. You're quite the son-in-law!"

James's brow furrowed. If he didn't produce something, he'd be a laughingstock.

He didn't mind being mocked, but it would also embarrass Mary.

"Of course, I prepared a gift. Here."

James held up the wooden box. Despite Mary's warning, he had no choice now.

"James, it's Charles's birthday. Couldn't you at least wrap it nicely instead of using a shabby box?"

Christopher stepped forward and snatched the box. "Let me open it and see if the contents are as shabby as the box."

Mary stomped her foot in frustration. She had told James not to give it, but he didn't listen.

Being laughed at by relatives was one thing, but presenting an unworthy gift to her parents would be humiliating.

"It's even sealed. Were you afraid of being embarrassed and sealed it on purpose?"

Christopher tore off the seal and opened the box.

Inside was a small bottle with "Brewed" engraved on it, sealed with a wooden stopper. It looked unremarkable.

Christopher picked up the bottle and shook it, finding it contained some liquid.

"James, you brought a cheap bottle of booze for Charles's birthday?" Christopher continued to mock. "Do you know who Charles is? He's tasted the finest wines. You think this no-name liquor will impress him?"

James was stunned, not by disappointment, but by shock, as he recognized the origin of this small bottle of liquor.

"James, let me show you what a real gift for Charles looks like."

Christopher took out a gold-trimmed box and revealed an antique bottle.

"Everyone, take a look. This is an antique bottle I bought at an overseas auction. It's one of a kind!"

The Smith family's relatives gasped. Even a damaged antique bottle could be worth tens of thousands of dollars, and this flawless piece could fetch over a million.

"Christopher, it's the thought that counts, not the price," Mary said, trying to defend James, regretting she hadn't made him leave the box in the car.

"Mary is right, but I don't see any thought in James's gift," Christopher pressed on, showing the bottle to the relatives. "Can anyone see any thought in this?"

Everyone shook their heads, pointing at James.

"Where did you find this junk? How shameless to bring it as a gift."

"Throw it away. Who'd dare drink this no-name liquor?"

Mary's face turned red with shame and anger as she pinched James's waist and whispered, "I told you not to bring it. Why didn't you listen?"

"Mary, my gift might be simple, but at least it's genuine," James said, glancing at Christopher's bottle. Raising his voice, he added, "It's better than Christopher's fake antique."

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