Tony was worried that Myra might regret or feel guilty over something, and he wanted to make sure that she didn’t feel that way. Olivia is her sister, after all. I’ve run an investigation on Olivia and her mother’s personalities, and they are much better than Kris and Rachel. I wouldn’t have told Myra about Olivia otherwise. But I can’t do anything if Myra rejects this idea; I’ll just have to find another method to deal with that matter.
He placed an arm around her shoulder as he gave Leo a look. “You can send our lunch to the lounge. We’ll eat here. I’ll also need you to deal with the young girl outside.”
“Okay.” Leo nodded and turned to head out while Myra and Tony strode over to the lounge. Right before they stepped foot into the lounge, Myra halted her footsteps. Her expression was one of conflict and indecisiveness. She bit onto her lip before she looked up at Tony. “Are you saying that they didn’t know who Cameron was in the start? That Cameron had lied to both of them?”
Tony froze for a moment, but a hint of amusement quickly flickered across his gaze as he nodded. “Yeah. Cameron approached them under the disguise of a regular man, and he even had a child with that woman. I’m sure of this because I looked into this case myself.”
“Did you say that the woman’s brain cancer is in its final stages?” Myra took a deep breath.
“That’s what the medical reports have indicated so far. But the woman still doesn’t know about it—I guess the girl must have hidden it from her mother. She’s probably here today to ask you for help,” he replied.
Myra clenched her fists and pressed them into the sides of her thighs as a series of complicated emotions filled her gaze. I’d feel like I’m betraying my mom if I helped Olivia and her mother, but… Myra heaved a long sigh. “Fine. I’ll go out and meet her.” She wouldn’t have felt compelled to do anything if it hadn’t been for the fact that the woman had brain cancer. She wouldn’t have cared about the quality of their lives at all. However, the thought of them hiding from Cameron while struggling to pay for their medical fees…
“Maybe I won’t go out at all. Just give her the money and tell her… to go back and take good care of her mother.” Myra changed her mind after some more hesitation.
Tony burst into laughter when he saw how conflicted she looked. “Olivia came today, mainly because she wanted to ask for help for her mother’s expensive medical bills. You don’t need to see her if you can’t bring yourself to do it—I’ll just get Leo to wire her the money needed. I’ll also tell Olivia to contact Leo if she needs anything else. How does that sound?”
“…Good.” Myra lowered her gaze. She felt like all her thoughts were still jumbled up.
Tony gently massaged her temples as he led her into the lounge. “You were on the phone for so long this morning. Who were you talking to?” He was worried that Olivia’s appearance would ruin Myra’s mood, so he attempted to shift her attention away.
Myra simply shook her head when she thought about the calls she had been on that morning. “It’s just a few of the Stark Group’s shareholders. They’re asking to re-elect the chairperson of Stark Group, and they are all supportive of me taking over.”
“What do you think about that?” Tony smiled.
Myra frowned a little. “There’s no use. Even if we combined all of our shares, we still wouldn’t have enough to go against Cameron’s power.”
“This is all temporary,” Tony uttered in an oddly calm voice. Myra didn’t sense anything odd about his words, and she nodded when she assumed he was trying to cheer her up. “I know. We’ll see how many of the Stark Group’s shareholders switch over to my side as time goes on.”
Tony stroked her hair fondly. “You should get some rest after lunch. I have a meeting in the afternoon, and I want to bring you somewhere once I’m done.”
She thought about this for a moment before she pulled out the key that had been in her purse. “Is this the place that you’re bringing me to?” she asked as she swung the key in between their faces. He held onto her hand and kissed the back of it, all while fixing his gaze on Myra’s dark and twinkling pupils. “Yeah.” He smiled.
“You’re really getting naughtier nowadays, Tony. Isn’t it just a normal place? Why are you acting all secretive and mysterious? Are you giving me a villa or something?” She eyed the key. It was the only possibility she managed to think of.
He raised his eyebrows as a curious expression formed on his stunning face. “Do you want a villa?”
“I was just making a random guess. Why don’t you tell me where we’re going?” she asked.
Joy seemed to leak out of Tony’s gaze as he gave her a wide grin before leaning in toward her. “Why don’t you kiss me? I might tell you the answer if you do.”
She pouted for a moment as she considered his offer. Right then, a figure reached closer to her, and a kiss was planted on her lips before she even realized it. “That didn’t count because you weren’t the one who kissed me. You’ll know where we’re going once we get there later,” he said with a cheery grin.
She eyed the man in front of her. He’s getting sneakier and sneakier these days. He just enjoys fooling around with me, huh!
…
Olivia felt herself getting nervous as she stood alone in a small meeting room. She had Myra’s phone number saved in her phone, but she felt the need to talk to Myra in person. She heard that Myra was usually in the Hart Group’s office, so she decided to visit her here.
Initially, the front desk had rejected Olivia’s request to give a call to Tony’s office, but she then bumped into a man who claimed to be Tony’s assistant. He was the one who brought her up and left her in the meeting room. She felt anxious about the visit, especially since she and Myra shared the same father. Their awkward relationship with one another was the reason she felt ashamed to see Myra. However, her mother couldn’t afford to wait any longer, so she had no choice but to return to Bradfort City and seek Myra for help. Olivia would be out of ideas if Myra refused to help her.
Instead of sitting down, Olivia paced back and forth in the room as she waited for Myra. She hastily spun around when she heard a noise from the door, but the person outside wasn’t Myra; it was the man she had bumped into earlier.
“Did she…” Olivia’s voice was hoarse as she glanced at Leo dejectedly. “Did she… not want to see me?”
Leo gave her an apologetic smile. “Miss Myra’s a little occupied right now, but she told me to hand you this card. The pin number is six 6s, and there’s enough money in it to pay for your mother’s fees. Also…” Leo held out his name card along with the bank card. “This is my number. If you need more money for treatment, or if you need any help with the hospital, you can just give me a call.”
Olivia was a smart girl. She immediately understood that Myra was unwilling to see her since Myra had sent the money over without coming out herself. She felt a surge of disappointment as she took the cards from Leo. “Thank you…”
“No worries. You should give her some time. She only found out about who you are today.” Leo gave her a kind smile.
Olivia looked up in one swift motion as she stared at Leo with an alarmed look on her face. “You know who I am?”
He laughed when he saw how she had become as alert as an animal in the jungle. “Don’t worry. I simply followed my boss’s orders to do some research on you and your mother. We don’t have any ill intentions; we’re only doing this for your sister.”
She froze for a moment before she lowered her head again. “I’m sorry…”
“Don’t worry about it. You’re going back into town, aren’t you? I’ve already prepared you a ride that will send you directly to the hospital.” The same, gentle smile was still spread across Leo’s face.
“No, no. It’s fine. I can just take the bus.” She was ashamed by her own hostile reactions when she heard that Leo had been thoughtful enough to get her a ride.
“It’s no big deal. The faster you get back, the sooner you’ll be able to go and take care of your mother, right? Also, President Hart has suggested shifting your mom over to Glendale Hospital in Bradfort City. He’ll pre-inform the hospital about your mother’s case,” Leo uttered in a warm tone. The young girl in front of him was only 12 or 13, yet she seemed too mature because of all the things she had experienced from a young age. She didn’t look like the young, innocent child that she was supposed to be.
“Well… I… Thank you so much.” Olivia couldn’t find a way to reject him. It was true that her mother was waiting for her in the hospital right then, so she nodded in agreement to Leo’s words after some contemplation.
…
After getting one of the staff members to send Olivia out, Leo returned to his desk. From where he sat, he watched as Ivy stepped out of the elevator. She looked worn and disheveled, as if she hadn’t slept the whole night. Dark bags had formed under her eyes. She paused for a moment when she saw Leo, and she then placed a leave application form on his desk.
