“Can’t you cover that up, Tony?!”
His eyes were dark and brooding when he stepped outside; they looked clouded and dull from being enclosed in the shower for an extended period of time. Along with that, a complicated smile tugged at the corner of his lips…
“Didn’t I give you the towel? Do you expect me to cover up with my dirty clothes?” The man smirked lazily at Myra.
Myra’s face turned a deeper red and she was about to turn around; she didn’t notice the hint of slyness that flashed across the man’s eyes when he removed the towel from his face. Immediately after that, he swiftly extended his hand and grabbed the woman, shoving her back into the shower with him. He then slammed the door shut behind them in the process and pressed Myra’s back against the closed door.
The air was hot and humid with residual steam in the bathroom. Meanwhile, the temperature seemed to be rising rapidly—it was getting hotter and hotter with every passing second.
She bit down on her lip as she raised her head, and the man’s eyes were unbelievably ominous when they met hers. A hint of tenderness surfaced in his eyes as he noticed her gesture.
“Myra?” Tony’s low and magnetic voice played in her ears. Then, he dipped all of a sudden and kissed her.
…
By the time it was over, Myra had long since fallen asleep. The man carried her to the bed before leaving the bedroom. As he picked up his ringing phone, he noticed that he had already missed a few calls. “Hello?”
Elliot’s voice rang excitedly from the other end. “You’re finally picking up, Tony.”
“Yeah, how’s it going over there?” Tony’s voice was quite draggy and hoarse as he spoke—he sounded like a leopard enjoying the sun after a scrumptious meal. Elliot seemed to have picked it up right away, so he clicked his tongue disapprovingly before he said, “How inconsiderate of you, Tony—you’re being lovey-dovey with Myra all the time. Have you thought about our feelings?”
“Are you saying that you don’t like Tilly anymore?” Tony was a little sarcastic with his tone. “I guess I should give Myra a heads up—Tilly is her closest employee in the company, after all.”
“Stop, Tony. I was just kidding. You and Myra should do what you want every single day—lovey-dovey or not! Whatever you do, please don’t take it out on your buddy here; I spent a great deal of effort to finally have a chance with a woman, so if she leaves me, I’d really need a shoulder to cry on!” Elliot wailed in a panic as soon as he heard Tony’s words.
Tony smiled slightly at his flustered reaction. He then responded with a nonchalant hum as he subconsciously retrieved his packet of cigarettes and lit one up. Ever since he found out that Myra was pregnant, he only smoked a cigarette when he had an intense craving; when he did, he would make sure that she wasn’t around.
Wisps of smoke which floated heavenward from the tip of the cigarette looked like smooth, premium silk; it fogged up Tony’s vision a little as he stared ahead.
During such times, Elliot would usually suffer another round of evil teasing from Tony. This time, however, he was surprised to find that his buddy had let him off just like that! Elliot thought to himself that Tony was probably in a very good mood after having a great time!
Elliot pursed his lips; it was a pity that his hopes were still far from reality. How nice it’d be if Tilly has just a fraction of Myra’s gentle personality!
Even though Elliot’s thoughts were full of complaints, a smile played on his lips. Nonetheless, there was nothing he liked more than Tilly’s flustered and angered demeanor whenever she defended her own stance. It’d make her look like a spiked up cat who was about to launch her attack—Elliot couldn’t help but tease her at the sight of it!
“I actually called to talk to you about the Waltons, Tony.” However, Elliot suddenly realized that they’d gone off topic in the heat of the moment! He then continued, “The Waltons are getting much bolder. We have intel regarding the smaller companies that the Waltons have started again—they’re planning to collaborate with the Lincoln Family’s successor. Sadly, Ernie has no clue about the Waltons’ true intentions. In fact, he even went on a blind date with Gemma. From the looks of it, the two families will probably tie the knot in an arranged marriage.”
“That sure sounds like the Waltons.” Tony exhaled slowly as smoke escaped from his mouth. He narrowed his eyes slightly, for he was none other than the first person the Waltons had come to in hopes of setting up an arranged marriage. Then, Tony let out a sudden scoff and said, “Here’s our final move—we’ll start with the Lincolns. Since the Waltons have proposed a marriage, they’re definitely going to please the Lincolns in order to earn their agreement. Remember this—I want concrete evidence to ruin them once and for all.”
“Got it!” Indeed, the corporate world was a battlefield; no gunpowder and grenades were involved, but it was much more brutal and intense than an actual war. Tony only had one chance to do it right—if the Waltons were able to get away with their crimes this time, he wouldn’t be able to come this close to exposing them again!
Elliot responded to Tony’s instructions with enthusiasm. As he did so, he felt his body burning up with excitement—it had been such a long time since he was able to go all out on a job. This was nothing like their ordinary businesses in the past, for this could directly affect the rise and fall of an entire family business. If Elliot were to mess up, he could trigger huge economical changes in Bradfort City!
“There’s also the Stark Group…” After one problem was resolved, Elliot moved onto the next topic of discussion. In particular, Cameron and the mother-daughter duo were truly difficult to deal with. Elliot hesitated before he said, “Should we continue to pressure the shareholders?”
“Yeah, let Hansen handle it. He doesn’t have a lot of the company’s stocks, but he’s quite well-respected nevertheless. He’s one of us now—he’s already told Myra on the phone. Things will be a lot smoother with him on our side.”
“All right! These smart guys are the best,” Elliot said with a laugh.
Tony seemed to have more to say after that, but the bedroom door opened in front of him suddenly.
He was on the phone outside just by the door, and when he heard it open, he instinctively cast his eyes toward the room. Myra was wearing a set of cotton pajamas which was suitable for the fall weather. She stood by the door, looking drowsy from her sleep. Then, she rubbed her eyes lazily with one hand and leaned against the door frame with the other. She stared at Tony with half-opened eyes and asked croakily, “Are you on the phone? It’s late, so why aren’t you sleeping yet…”
Tony’s heart instantly softened at the sight of Myra’s sluggish state. He returned to his call and told Elliot hastily, “I’ll leave the rest to you.” Then, he hung up without another word and walked over to Myra. After just a few steps, he was suddenly reminded of the cigarette in his hand. He quickly discarded it into a nearby trashcan before he walked past her at the door and headed into the bedroom.
“Aren’t you tired? Why are you up?” Tony’s voice was soft, and it sounded like he was putting a child to sleep.
Myra mumbled, “You’re not here, so… I can’t sleep…”
Tony jolted for a moment before a tender warmth filled his eyes. Then, he got into bed with Myra and kissed her forehead before he pulled her close into his arms. “Go to sleep. I’m here.”
“Okay.” Myra snuggled up to the man. A wave of sleepiness quickly washed over her, and she was sound asleep in no time.
…
Ever since Kris was hospitalized after breaking ties with the Waltons, she had become a lot more meek and reserved. Rachel hadn’t visited her at all since she was still unhappy with her, whereas Cameron obviously didn’t have the time to do so. Apart from that, people from the Walton Family were naturally reluctant to see her. If Hayden hadn’t dropped by almost every day, she would’ve felt like she had disappeared from the face of the earth.
