“Thank you, Mr. Clark.” Eve heaved a sigh of relief while packing up the soup that she brought with her, ready to go back home. Before leaving, she smiled at him gently. “Do come visit me sometimes.”
“Definitely.” Leo nodded with a subtle smile. “Thank you, Mrs. Chase.”
“It’s nothing. In fact, I should be the one thanking you!” Now that Eve was satisfied, she chuckled when she saw the thermal lunch box he held. “I didn’t know you cook for yourself. You’re a fine young man.”
However, Leo merely shook his head, his response seemingly indicative of something else. “I didn’t make this. Somebody else did, and she was the one who delivered this to the office. I am merely handing this to the designated recipient.”
“Oh, then it must be someone’s wife who delivered this. He’s a lucky man.” Eve could smell the rich aroma of the soup despite the relatively short time they spent conversing with each other.
On the other hand, Leo wore a knowing smile while replying, “Yeah. He sure is a lucky man.”
After a few more exchanges, Eve left. It wasn’t until she was gone that Leo entered Tony’s office with the soup that Myra made for his boss. Tony could observe Leo and Eve’s conversation from the TV screen in his office. When Leo came in, he arched his brow before giving praise. “Good job.”
It was rare for Tony to compliment him, so he was smiling when he handed the soup to Tony. At the same, he didn’t forget to flatter Tony either. “This is the soup that Miss Stark wanted me to pass to you. Mrs. Chase was saying that you’re lucky to have Miss Stark as your wife!”
Seeing that Tony was wearing a faint smile, Leo heaved a sigh of relief. Tony’s mood had been unstable as of late, so he had been giving his subordinates a hard time. Fortunately, Myra’s soup seemed to be a miraculous cure that was able to soothe him. Then, the internal phone on Leo’s desk outside suddenly rang. Hence, he went out to take the call. After spending some time talking over the phone, he re-entered Tony’s office to inform his boss respectfully, “Mr. Hart, you have a call from the registry. Miss Lyla Fisher would like to meet you.”
In the meantime, Eve’s compliment was still being replayed on the screen in front of Tony. When he heard what Leo told him, he narrowed his eyes before replying indifferently, “Tell her to come up.”
Then, he switched off the screen before lighting a cigarette. Soon enough, his fine features were shrouded by the smoke. “Has Myra left?” he asked all of a sudden after Leo told the registrar to let Lyla come up.
Leo gave him a nod. “She left after getting out of the small office.”
“Then she would have definitely bumped into Lyla.” Holding his cigarette between his index finger and middle finger, Tony tapped it on the ashtray to get rid of the ashes, all the while wearing an uncaring expression. “Do you think she might be jealous if she knows that I’ll be meeting Lyla?”
Even if she has been delivering soup to your office, it doesn’t mean she fancies you to the point of getting jealous over another girl meeting you. However, I’m fairly certain that she would be unhappy to see Lyla here. After mulling over the situation, Leo nodded calmly. “Of course she will be.”
Tony lifted his head abruptly to stare at Leo as soon as he heard what the latter told him. Later on, as if he had read Leo’s mind, he squinted at Leo. Feeling slightly guilty, Leo moved to take his leave. “Mr. Hart, I have other matters to tend to, so I’ll be leaving first.” After that, he fled the scene without waiting to hear what Tony had to say.
Meanwhile, Lyla was tidying her hair at the registrar. She was wearing a sky-blue, ankle-length dress, and a matching set of heels that accentuated her slim and tall figure. Her long, wavy hair was tied up in a bun, leaving two strands of hair in the front. Having put on a light but delicate makeup, she seemed refined. Apparently, she was in a good mood on this day.
Even though things were only progressing at a moderate pace on Sean’s side, she knew she had succeeded in attracting his attention, which to her, was something worth celebrating. On the other hand, she would also be becoming Tony’s ally, so people of the upper class society in Bradfort City would have to be careful while dealing with her.
With that in mind, she observed the lady at the front register demurely while holding onto her sunglasses. The registrar was in turn, quite agitated by it. After the phone call ended, she turned to face Lyla delightedly, “Miss Fisher, Mr. Clark informed me that the president will be waiting for you upstairs.”
“Thank you,” she replied politely with a lilt in her voice. The registrar nearly asked her for a photo and an autograph, but she managed to stop herself and quickly waved her hand to show Lyla the way upstairs. Without a word, Lyla left for the elevator, and then pressed on the button with an arrow that was pointing upward.
She took her time to tidy up her hair again when she was waiting for the elevator. Soon enough, the doors of the elevator opened with a chime when it arrived at the ground floor. Both of the women who stood inside and outside of the elevator respectively were startled upon seeing each other.
Myra’s countenance shifted into one of indifference when she ignored Lyla and stepped out of the elevator. However, when she brushed past Lyla, who was entering the elevator, the latter bumped her in the shoulder.
“Lyla Fisher! What are you doing?!” Myra whipped around to observe the seemingly harmless woman.
Letting out a chuckle, Lyla asked, “Do you still remember your promise to me when I left?”
Myra’s expression darkened. Back when Eve forced Lyla to leave Bradfort City, Myra had met up with Lyla to inform the latter that she would never stand between Sean and her, nor would she marry Sean during her absence. However, she relented when Eve begged her, or rather, she broke her promise to Lyla by marrying the man whom she also loved.
You’re the one who failed me, so you shouldn’t be blaming me for being hard on you!” Lyla declared with a grim look on her face before entering the elevator. After that, she pressed on the button to close the door, leaving Myra alone outside, which somehow gave her a good mood.
Upon seeing the doors of the elevator closing slowly, gradually blocking Lyla’s figure out of view, Myra clenched her fists. When she passed by the front register, she heard one of the registrars asking the other one, “What relationship do you suppose Lyla Fisher shares with the president?” The ambiguous tone prompted Myra to slow down in her steps.
“Hm, I think there must be more than meets the eye! He used to have Mr. Clark turn everyone down after all, so the fact that he allowed Lyla to go meet him is suspicious! Furthermore, he has to attend another meeting later on.”
“Yeah, I think so too! Actually, I think they’re a pretty good match. Think about it! Lyla Fisher’s public image in these recent years has been rather good. She’s so elegant and classy since she can play the piano. Also, I’ve heard that she likes to do charity. Add that to her beauty and humility; don’t you think that she’s a perfect match with our president?”
Myra couldn’t help but stop in her tracks while an odd emotion rippled within her. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it felt uncomfortable. Is Lyla perhaps Tony’s crush that he mentioned in the interview that day? But he knows about my feud with Lyla, so why would he act like we are acquaintances under such conditions? Her mind was all muddled up. Biting on her lip, she hurriedly left Hart Group.
Compared to her frazzled state, Lyla was in a much better place. It was as if she could already see herself marrying Sean after he declared his deep love to her in an attempt to have her stay by his side.
