They drew a collective sigh of sympathy for the two Hart brothers. They’ve fallen far too deep.
Presently, Tony had a lazy grace about him after he had teased Myra. He had shed the cold and curt demeanor with which he had addressed Gideon previously. Myra, on the other hand, was blushing furiously all the way down to her neck. She stomped her foot in frustration and she looked as though she was about to say something, but decided against it when she remembered that they were not alone. Feeling resigned, she glared at him mutely instead.
Elliot interjected with a chuckle as he joked, “We could always turn a blind eye if you want to beat him up, Mrs. Hart.”
Myra was at a loss for words and she flushed at the teasing remark. Tony was pleased to see the effect he had on her and he chuckled in a low tone. He eyed the others insouciantly as he pulled her into his arms, holding her head against his chest as he said, “Alright, alright; stop teasing her.” He knew that she would die of embarrassment if the teasing went on.
The others gave him looks of disbelief. You were the one who started it, they thought in unison. They shrugged this off and before long, they resumed their cheerful banter.
While this was happening, Kris and Gideon were lingering within earshot after they had walked away from the group earlier, which meant they had overheard the loving exchange between Tony and Myra.
Tony and the rest of the Hart Family had been devoting their time and spirit into taking care of Myra since finding out about her pregnancy. They were protective of her and indulged in her comfort, as though broadcasting to the entire Bradfort City that she was the apple of their eyes.
On the contrary, Kris’ own pregnancy was kept secret and she had to be extremely careful not to break cover. In fact, she needed to get rid of the child as quickly as possible. She couldn’t help the bitter resentment that surged through her as she thought about the vast difference between her condition and Myra’s. However, there was no outlet for her to vent her frustration.
Hence, she took a deep breath and braced through the pain that felt like it was tearing her apart from the inside out. Outwardly, she smiled at the guests in front of her. As she did so, she was unaware of the tall, handsome and affable-looking gentleman who was presently walking into the banquet hall.
Myra, on the other hand, had noticed the man’s presence from where she stood. Her eyes widened at the sight of him and she hastily tugged on Tony’s sleeve.
“What is it?” he asked and when he lowered his head to look at her, she could see the glint of amusement in his eyes.
Still tugging on his sleeve, she pointed toward a nearby corner of the hall. “Look over there—isn’t that Hayden?”
It wasn’t too long ago when she told Tony about Kris and Hayden. Myra was aware that they were lovers and she knew Kris was having an affair with him despite her relationship with Gideon. However, she didn’t expect Hayden to show up at the Walton Family’s banquet this evening.
A knowing look flashed in Tony’s eyes and he swiftly clasped Myra’s hand in his as he said, “So it is. It’s not surprising that Hayden’s here, though. The Fuller Family are a renowned family in Bradfort City, after all.”
“Mr. Hart!” She stepped on his foot and said accusingly, “Don’t act dumb; you know what I’m talking about!”
She blinked when she saw the wicked amusement in his gaze, then glanced over at Elliot, Philip and Lucas, all of whom seemed to be buzzing in anticipation. Tony hadn’t wanted to attend the banquet until she forced him to, but what about the rest of the men? The three of them had practically grown up with Tony and surely they disliked the Walton Family just as much as he did. So are they here at the banquet because of… Her thoughts trailed off as she looked at Hayden, who was tucked away in the corner with a baleful look in his eyes as he surveyed the festivities around him. She drew in a deep breath and demanded, “Can someone tell me what in the world is going on here?” She sensed that something was off but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Estelle, however, was slightly more insightful than her bewildered friend. “These men are a bunch of scoundrels!” she declared with an exasperated huff as she rolled her eyes. She darted away from Shawn and skittered over to Myra, her gaze following the latter’s to where Hayden was standing not too far away.
“You know how you told me that Kris is still secretly seeing Hayden?” she began earnestly, narrowing her fox-like eyes as a clever gleam flashed in them. “How interesting, indeed! Could it be that Kris is actually pregnant with his child? I don’t know how she convinced him, but it can’t be easy for him to see the love of his life with another man. He’s probably here because he can’t stand the secrecy anymore.”
Upon hearing this, Myra grew thoughtful. She remembered Tony saying that the Walton Family would never invest in the Stark Group, which meant that this evening could see an interesting turn of events later. Now, Myra was wondering just what might happen.
Meanwhile, it was just like Estelle had said—Hayden could no longer stand seeing the love of his life being paraded around as someone else’s fiancée. He loved her with an all-consuming passion, and it had already taken a toll on his patience when Kris had refused to meet him on all those previous occasions. He knew that she was with Gideon now and everyone knew her as the latter’s fiancée. Hayden had his suspicions, but he would have no answer until such time that he heard the truth from Kris herself. He was well aware of her ego and her ambitious plans to own Stark Group. As such, he believed her when she had told him that she was only putting on a show with Gideon, but that didn’t stop him from getting wildly jealous when he saw her with another man.
In particular, he had noticed her erratic behavior recently. Not only had she bought a pregnancy test kit, she had also gone to the hospital for a check-up. At the thought of what the doctor had said, he grew ecstatic. Kris is pregnant with my child! My child!
He had decided that he was going to make her give up on her plans to use the Walton Family as a stepping stone. After all, he was the younger son of the Fuller Family and though he could not truly become head of the family, he could still promise her a carefree and indulgent married life. Besides, he didn’t necessarily have to rely on his family now that he had someone else to help him. If Kris wanted to have a company of her own, then he would set it up for her. Once I have his help, everything will work out for me.
However, he caught a glimpse of Gideon and Kris as soon as he arrived at the banquet. While he wanted to believe that the couple was only putting on a show like Kris said, he couldn’t help the anguish that tore through him when he saw them. His heart twisted even more as he watched her walk around in seven-inch heels, greeting guests and downing glass after glass of wine. His face grew grim at the sight of this.
While Hayden was staring at Kris darkly, she was completely oblivious to his presence. She was numb from the pain that was wreaking havoc in her lower abdomen and she was feeling drowsy from all the red wine she had drunk.
She forced down another round of drinks, and the guests cheered her on merrily as they praised, “Director Walton, your fiancée drinks with much gusto! You’re a lucky man, indeed!”
She could only smile at their compliments. But the smile on her face was growing more dazed as she downed several more drinks, and her head felt like lead. It was as though someone had stuffed her brains with cotton and the noise around her sounded faraway at times.
Gideon appeared to be saying something in her ear but she couldn’t make out the words. Kris’ vision suddenly went dark and she thought she saw somebody run toward her before she blacked out. The same person pushed Gideon aside and caught her before she collapsed onto the floor.
Presently, Gideon was thunderous as he eyed the man who had rushed out of nowhere. “Who are you? Kris is my fiancée; don’t you think you’re overstepping your boundaries here?”
It was bad enough that Kris had fainted so disgracefully during such an event, but it was even more humiliating for Gideon when a random stranger had pushed him aside to catch her as she fell.
When Hayden heard Gideon’s accusatory tone, his face darkened instantly. How could he make her drink so much when she’s already looking pale and sick?
“Who I am is none of your business. All you need to know is that your relationship with Kris is over as of right now,” Hayden barked icily, then pursed his lips as he looked at Kris, who was unconscious. Just as he was about to carry her up in his arms, a fist suddenly came flying toward him, punching him on the right side of his face.
The punch came hard and fast as it cracked across Hayden’s face, and he toppled onto the floor with Kris in his arms.
