As though absentmindedly, Leo shifted his body as he addressed Myra, thereby blocking Gideon’s line of sight.
No longer in the mood to try on the other dresses after seeing Kris in the atelier, Myra nodded and answered, “I’ll be wearing this one.”
Just as Leo was about to inform her that Tony was on his way, the stormy-faced man standing off to one side broke into an icy smirk. He then walked up to them with his arm around Kris’ waist and asked, “Mr. Clark, are you not going to introduce us?”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, his eyes fell on Myra.
Leo’s face was impassive when he heard this, and he was perfunctory as he addressed Gideon and Myra respectively. “This is Miss Stark, Director Hart’s fiancée; Miss Stark, this is Director Walton.”
Then, he turned to look at Gideon and said stoically, “Now, if you’ll excuse us, Director Walton. Director Hart is on his way.”
With that, Leo gave Myra a look and indicated for her to head toward the exit. However, just as they were about to leave, Gideon stopped them in their tracks as he said, “Miss Stark, I know my sister has offended you previously due to her own thoughtlessness, but I’m sure you are kind and gracious enough to let it slide. Nevertheless, I apologize on her behalf.”
Gideon’s voice was a soft and steady baritone and while it sounded pleasant, it lacked the definitive cold edge that was characteristic of Tony’s. Instead, he sounded smarmy, as though he was trying to hide something, and Myra couldn’t help but feel squeamish whenever she heard him speak.
Presently, she frowned and countered plaintively, “You overestimate me, Director Walton. I’m not quite as kind and gracious as you presume me to be, but your apology is accepted.” She knew that Tony had set aside Walton Group’s plans to enter the Bradfort City consumer market a while ago, and he had done so to teach the Walton Family a lesson. With that in mind, she decided to let the matter of Gemma’s scheming drop, as long as the girl stopped pestering her. After all, she still had social niceties to maintain and Tony had already stood up for her in his own ruthless way.
“Would you still like to carpool with us to the Ritz Carlton, Sis?” Kris chimed in, straightening in Gideon’s arms as she stepped forward and flashed Myra a smile. “I’m assuming Director Hart would be rather busy this evening. Besides, there’s still space in our car, so it would be no trouble at all for you to ride with us.”
Myra gave her a pointed look, then marched out of the atelier without sparing her another glance. When Leo saw that she was leaving, he hastily trailed after her.
Meanwhile, Kris watched as Myra proudly walked away, the smile on her face instantly giving way to a menacing grimace. It had not been easy for her to finally get the chance to gloat in front of Myra. She wanted the latter to know that she, too, had found a man who doted on her just as Tony doted on Myra. But all I got was a cold shoulder from that wretched woman!
“There’s nothing to be angry about, Kris. An arrogant woman like her would only suffer a much harder fall,” Gideon consoled, chuckling as he wrapped his arm around her slender waist once more. “Besides, smug as she is, she wouldn’t last long in the Hart household.”
As he said this, his gaze trailed over to where Myra was standing outside. His eyes flashed maliciously at the thought of how his plans were hindered after his own sister had failed to win Tony’s heart.
Kris, on the other hand, drew in a deep breath and leaned into his chest as she grumbled resentfully, “Do you see how she treats me now, Gideon? Dad doesn’t even want to concern himself with her affairs anymore! But don’t worry, Gideon—my father is extremely pleased with you. The Stark Group will be passed on to me and what’s mine will naturally be yours.”
Of course, you’re going to have to help me gain power over the Stark Group before you can share my victory, she added silently as an afterthought, and lowered her eyes as her gaze darkened.
Gideon gave an easy laugh before he abruptly tipped her chin up and leaned down to nibble her lips. “Don’t worry, Kris,” he murmured. “I’ll make sure that anyone who upsets you will be hurt by a hundredfold.”
Her eyes lit up at this and she hummed in response, moved by the sincerity in his voice.
…
Myra was still within the vicinity of the atelier when Tony pulled up in his sports car, thereafter stepping down from the vehicle and making his way over to her.
He was dressed in a black suit, beneath which he wore the pale blue shirt that Myra had bought for him. He finished off his look with a navy-colored tie, and he looked more handsome in that moment than he usually did. His features were flawlessly and intricately chiseled, and there was a glint of amusement in his dark, almond-shaped eyes. There was an elegant slope to his nose and his thin lips curved up into a playful smile as he assessed the woman before him.
“Beautiful,” he praised generously when he came to a stop in front of Myra.
She let out a small cough, flushing as she peered at Leo, who was clearly standing within earshot.
Tony narrowed his eyes as he cast Leo a meaningful look, his gaze dark and unreadable. Upon seeing this, Leo tapped his nose to show that he understood. He swiftly took the keys from Tony and handed over the keys to the Mercedes-Benz G500, thereafter jogging toward the silver-grey sports car that was parked by the curb.
When Leo drove away from the scene, Myra cast the man next to her a sideways glance. “I thought you would be busy this evening. I was going to ask Mr. Clark to tell you not to pick me up.”
“I’m afraid that’s not going to work out well for either of us,” Tony replied, chuckling lightly as he took her hand and guided her over to the bold Mercedes-Benz G500. “Grandpa made it very clear that I have to personally escort you to the banquet, and we have to make an entrance just on time. He wants us there a couple of minutes before the whole thing starts, and the rest of them will take care of everything else at the Ritz Carlton.”
“I’ve never seen a birthday boy not present at his own party before,” Myra mumbled, though she was beaming happily.
Meanwhile, inside the atelier, Gideon and Kris watched as Myra headed toward the car, her hand in Tony’s. After a moment of thought, Gideon turned to look at Kris curiously. “When did your sister start seeing Tony?”
Kris pursed her lips at this and answered flatly, “She claimed that it was after her divorce, but…” She trailed off and cast him a meaningful look, then continued, “You probably already know that she’s been together with Tony since before her divorce with Sean.”
“So it’s definitely before her divorce?” He narrowed his eyes at this information. If he were to look into the timeline of things, it had only been four months ago when Tony returned to the country. He had a hard time believing that the man would fall head-over-heels for Myra within such a short span of time. After all, Tony was a cold person, and he didn’t look like the caring and considerate type.
Then, Gideon pressed on, “Did you say that Lyla was the one who was behind their divorce?”
“That’s what she told me but I wouldn’t believe her if I were you,” Kris answered stiffly.
“True,” he agreed and nodded his head. “I heard that Sean released a statement in Myra’s defense but that’s an odd move on his part, judging from how tense things are between her and the Chase Family. It doesn’t look as if he has gotten over her.”
“I don’t know what she did to have these men drooling over her. What’s more absurd about all this is that they still worship her even though she’s made fools out of them!”
Kris had always been jealous over the fact that she could not win over Tony’s heart, and she blamed Myra entirely for it. But now that the Waltons are helping me, I’m going to have her thrown out of the company and the Stark Family!
When Gideon heard the way she had spat out her words, he narrowed his eyes as he took in the jealous look on her face. Deep down inside, he was scornful of her but he consoled her gently as he murmured, “We should get going. The banquet is about to start.”
…
As they drove over to the Ritz Carlton, Tony couldn’t help but glance at Myra every now and then, and his gaze would occasionally dart over to her purse as well. After catching him doing that several times, she could no longer suppress her curiosity as she asked, “What are you looking at?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you know what day it is, Myra?”
