Very soon, the car pulled up outside a high-end atelier.
“Miss Stark, Director Hart has a couple of things to attend to but he will be here soon. He asked that you dress however you like.” Then, Leo added, “He also mentioned that he loves it no matter how you dress.”
He repressed a cringe as he said this and he coughed to try to hide his embarrassment.
Director Hart’s been openly affectionate these days, he mused to himself. Gone is the imposing man whose looks could freeze an entire room.
Upon hearing this, Myra flushed and hummed in response, then hastily marched into the atelier. She was getting used to how blatant Tony could be.
As she entered the atelier, she was enthusiastically greeted by the manager and the small team of sales assistants.
They had seen her as soon as she got down from the car, and given that Tony and Sebastian had personally asked them to serve her well, they dared not leave a bad impression.
The young ladies who worked in the atelier couldn’t help but look upon Myra with envy and admiration.
While there had been plenty of discussion that surrounded her before this, the final conclusion was that Myra had divorced an accomplished man, thereafter finding herself an even better catch and having the Hart Family acknowledge her as one of their own. Most women had never seen such luck in their entire lives. Her narrative was made all the more sensational when it was revealed that her new man was a legend in Bradfort City—every woman in the city saw him as the man of their dreams.
“Miss Stark, the dresses that Director Hart picked from the latest collections have been flown over from Milan and we have laid them out for you. We will tailor the dress to your size after you’ve chosen one that you like,” the manager informed dutifully with a courteous smile.
“Thank you,” Myra answered with a nod as she proceeded to browse through the dresses.
Tony had chosen dresses that he knew would be to her liking. After assessing each of the dresses, she finally picked out her favorite.
The one-shoulder dress was ankle-length and made of soft cotton, and it had a figure-hugging silhouette. The white bodice featured delicate cloud applique while the rest of the dress was periwinkle. The bodice glimmered where a narrow strip of crushed diamonds ran diagonal from the right shoulder all the way to the waist, adding a feminine and graceful appeal to the design.
In a few hours, she would be attending Tony’s birthday banquet in this dress, and he had told her last night that he would officially then announce that he was in a relationship with her.
In a relationship, indeed. The both of them had only known and dated each other for three months, but it felt as though it had been years. What astounded Myra the most was how much they behaved like an old married couple—there were days when one look was all it took for them to understand each other’s thoughts.
She was giddy with anticipation and nervous at the thought of what would happen tonight. Her fingers tightened as she clutched the dress and walked into the fitting room.
Before long, she came out of the fitting room and was surprised to find that another woman had entered the premises while she had been trying on the dress.
The woman was dressed in an elegant evening gown that accentuated her slender figure, and she held her head high so that the exquisite pearl necklace she wore was on full display.
She turned, causing Myra’s brows to furrow when she saw that the woman was none other than Kris.
Upon seeing the frown on Myra’s face, the manager awkwardly explained, “Miss Stark, you were meant to be the only customer in the atelier today, but…” She trailed off, her gaze darting over to where Kris stood in her sophisticated get-up, and cleared her throat uneasily. “Miss Kris said that she is your biological sister and that she’s only here to say hello to you.”
Everyone in upper-side Bradfort City knew about the strife within the Stark Family, and it was no secret that the two Stark sisters did not get along well. The manager had not wanted to let Kris into the atelier, but the latter had been dismissive of her and insisted on entering the premises. Unable to hold her off, the manager had no choice but to let her through the doors.
However, as the air around them grew thick with tension, she was beginning to regret her decision to allow Kris entry in the first place.
Myra, on the other hand, looked around the boutique and saw that Leo was nowhere in the vicinity, which explained how Kris was able to come in without causing a scene.
With that in mind, she turned to address the manager with a smile. “It’s alright.” After all, it wasn’t as if the woman could do anything about this situation, either.
Then, she turned to look at Kris icily, her smile disappearing as she countered stoically, “But I should clarify that I do not have a biological sister, so please don’t refer to yourself as such, Miss Kris.”
Meanwhile, a bright and gloating smile had been tugging on Kris’ lips ever since she locked eyes with Myra. Her smile grew even more dazzling after she heard the latter’s snarky retort and instead of getting angry, she said pleasantly, “There’s no need to be so harsh with your words, Sis. It’s your boyfriend’s birthday, after all. Have I mentioned that I’ll be going to the Ritz Carlton to wish my brother-in-law a happy birthday as well?”
Having said that, she burst into giggles and the exquisite dress she was wearing shimmered under the light.
Myra, on the other hand, frowned. Sebastian was very protective of her and ever since he found out about her strained relationship with the rest of the Stark Family, he had cut off all ties with them. She was also certain that her family had not been invited to this evening’s celebration, but Kris had made it very clear that she was going to attend Tony’s birthday banquet.
As if reading her mind, Kris explained haughtily as a pleased look flashed across her features. “Oh, that reminds me—I must introduce you to my boyfriend. He’s the general manager of Walton Group and according to him, he happens to be close friends with Tony. I guess that means I’ll see you at the party, Sis.”
Coincidentally, just as Kris was done speaking, a man dressed in a meticulous suit and leather shoes walked over. He stood tall and carried himself with an imposing grace; he had such fine and delicate features that he looked almost pretty.
Myra could be wrong, but she felt as though the man had been eyeing her since he stepped through those atelier doors. It was merely a brief look that meant nothing, but she found herself feeling squeamish nonetheless.
She looked up and met the handsome man’s gaze. There was an unreadable look in his eyes as he sauntered over to where Kris was, then pulled her slender frame into his arms.
“Kris, have you said hello to your sister yet? We could let her carpool with us over to the Ritz Carlton,” he suggested, leaning close as he breathed into Kris’ ear. There was a roguish smirk playing on his thin lips and a playful glint in his eyes.
Kris coquettishly hit him on the chest, but she flashed Myra a smug look as she muttered in protest, “We should control ourselves in public, Gideon, before everyone starts laughing at us.”
“What’s there to laugh about? I’m just admiring how beautiful you look in this dress.”
Meanwhile, Myra surveyed the bickering couple in front of her impassively. It had only been a while ago when she suspected that Kris and Gideon were dating, but she hadn’t expected to be right about it.
Could they really have fallen for each other? A smirk tugged on her lips as she hadn’t forgotten about Kris’ previous fling with a certain Mr. Fuller.
While Myra wasn’t sure what Kris was trying to achieve by dangling her newfound relationship in front of her, she couldn’t care less about it. But just as she was about to turn around, Gideon glanced at her in amusement and said, “You must be Kris’ sister—Miss Myra. I hear that you’re engaged to Tony. I’ve heard so much about you, and you are as graceful as they say you are. You make a great match for Tony, even if he does come off as cold and dismissive. I wonder if we—”
However, he was cut off mid-sentence when Myra brushed past him and Kris to make her way out of the atelier.
Gideon’s face darkened at her indifference.
Presently, Leo was coming into the atelier after getting off the phone, and his expression grew grim when he saw the scene before him. He hurried over to Myra and asked, “Miss Stark, have you picked out a dress?”
