Chapter 232
Standing Before Love
âMyra wouldnât stop complimenting you on our way here, Uncle Tony. She said that youâre very well-
accomplished for your age and she complimented you for being handsome as well as kind! She also told me she likes you a lot and she doesnât care about Sean at all! Mom told me that the reason why Myra blushes every time she sees you is because sheâs head over heels for youâ¦â
Henry was rambling even as he ran away from them.
âCome back here, you little rascal!â Myra bellowed after him. Her face felt like it was on fire from all the things he had said and she cursed inwardly, Ungrateful little brat. I canât believe heâs doing this to me after he asked me to go shopping with him!
âNo!â Henry blinked at her with an impish grin on his face. âJust admit that youâre in love with my uncle, Myra! Thereâs nothing to be embarrassed about!â
âHenry!â She gritted her teeth. She hadnât realized how mischievous the boy could be and she wondered who had been filling his tender mind with all this nonsense.
âAre you angry?â Tonyâs voice sounded weird, as if he was trying to suppress his amusement.
âGo ahead and laugh if you want to!â Myra snapped as she shot an icy glare at him.
Sure enough, he no longer suppressed his desire and let out a low rumble of laughter.
His voice was deep and enticing, carrying with it something uniquely enigmatic.
It was a joy to see someone as graceful and chiseled as him break into laughter. Myra wasnât sure if she wanted to laugh along or drown in her own embarrassment.
Tony suddenly stopped laughing and leaned closer toward her to nibble on her earlobe. The warmth of his breath tickled the delicate skin of her nape. He quickly released her, but she was already burning from inside.
Worried that Myra would soon be enraged if this continued, Tony stopped teasing her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as he guided her forward.
Sean stepped out from the corner and his eyes were stormy as he watched the three figure strolling not too far away. He was acutely aware of the resentment and frustration that was building up in him.
His heart clenched with fury when he thought about what that kid had saidââShe told me she likes you a lot and that she doesnât care about Sean at all!â
When he saw how annoyed and irritated Myra had been, he was seized with a sudden urge to tease and cajole her. He did not want her to look at him as though he was the greatest nuisance in her life;
heâd wanted to make her look at him with the same love and admiration that she had for him. Could it be that I have been acclimated to Myraâs presence around me? Is that why I felt like that? Could it be that I have developed real feelings for herâhowever slight they might beâduring the course of our two-year marriage?
Sean closed his eyes briefly, overwhelmed by his own thoughts, before he turned and headed down to the basement carpark.
By the time Sean gave Lyla a call, he was already on his way back to the company.
âWhat?â Lyla demanded loudly, her shrill voice inviting disapproving looks from the other patrons in the cafe. Not wanting to cause a scene, she quickly lowered her voice and hissed unhappily into the phone. âWhat urgent thing in the company that requires your immediate attention? You told me youâd spent the entire afternoon with me, Sean. How could you abandon me halfway?â
She did not wait for him to answer and instead hung up angrily.
She wasnât stupid. In fact, she could be quite clever at times. Judging from recent incidents, all the signs were indicating that she was in a precarious position indeed. She could fall from the pedestal that was Seanâs heart at any given moment.
Eve had never gotten along with her and if Sean kept distancing himself from her like this, it would only be a matter of time before she lost her title as the Young Mistress of the Chase family.
Lyla was suffocating under the weight of her fear and panic when she caught a glimpse of two familiar figures walking past the cafe window.
It was Eve and she was with the same woman whom Lyla had seen the other day.
Lyla had not been able to see the woman clearly before and she only managed to see her side profile.
However, now that there was nothing obscuring her view, she could see that the woman was pregnant.
Eve, on the other hand, appeared to be doting on her. She was holding onto the woman even as they walked, as if she was terrified that the latter would get hurt simply by strolling in a mall.
At that sight, Lyla felt her heart plunge to her stomach. She had a bad feeling about this and without stopping to think, she hurried after them.
Nonetheless, she kept a safe distance away to avoid Eve seeing her.
She watched as they entered the same baby store that she and Sean had visited earlier. She noted that they had made a lot of purchases and she didnât enter the store until after they had paid and left.
Her face was grim as she walked through the door.
âHave you thought about what youâd like to buy, miss?â It went without saying that the sales assistant remembered her.
Lyla forced a smile. She hummed in response and said, âI have my eyes on that crib you showed me earlierâIâll take one in the boysâ style and another in the girlsâ.â
Upon hearing that, the sales assistant beamed. âCertainly. Is there anything else you need?â
âThatâs all for now. The rest will have to wait until after the nursery is done,â Lyla answered. She paused before she asked off-handedly. âI saw that the two ladies from earlier left the store with quite a haul. Is it because one of them is pregnant?â
The sales assistant had earned quite a hefty commission from the last two customers and she was still cheery about it as she answered, âThatâs right. The mother-in-law is clearly taking great care of her pregnant daughter-in-law. The baby isnât even born yet and sheâs already stocking up on all the baby products!â
Lylaâs face darkened when she heard the words âmother-in-lawâ and âdaughter-in-lawâ. She glared at the sales assistant and seethed, âDo you even know what youâre talking about?â
The sales assistant froze at the aggressive tone of Lylaâs voice. She explained warily, âThat was how the young woman addressed the madam, though. Furthermore, the madam was caressing the womanâs baby bump and saying something about âher golden grandsonâââ
Before she could even finish speaking, Lyla had already stormed out of the store with a sullen expression.
âH-Hey, miss! You still havenât paid for the cribs! Do you still want them?â
Lyla was no longer in the mood to answer since things were beginning to make sense now.
So, this is why Sean has been so distant with me recently and why there is an abrupt shift in Eveâs demeanor toward my pregnancy, she thought. Sean has a new lady now and he got her pregnant too!
However, she came to the realization that it wouldnât make sense if the lady was Seanâs newfound love interest. As far as Lyla could tell, the lady was at least four months into her pregnancy, which meant that he had been with her since before Lylaâs return!
Lyla bridled at this. It had only been a while ago when he proclaimed his love for her.
Her blood boiled and she bit on her lip so hard that she was close to drawing blood.
So, what in the world are Sean and Eve up to? From what I know, Eve wouldnât turn her back against me if the other woman is carrying a daughter. After all, itâs not a granddaughter she wants, which means the other woman must be carrying a son instead!
Lylaâs eyes widened at that and she felt dizzy as the blood rushed to her head. She stormed out of the mall and flagged down a cab. She gave the driver an address and before long, the car sped away from the mall toward Chase Headquarters.
As agreed, Myra and Tony would drop Henry back at the Hart Residence first.
Henry made his way from the car to the front door of the house before he turned to politely wave at them. âGoodbye, Myra and Uncle Tony. Thank you for shopping with me today, Myra, and Iâm really happy that you did.â
Myra reached out and ruffled the boyâs hair with a smile. âIâm really happy as well. Go on then. Itâs getting late.â
The little boy nodded as he hummed in response. Then, he turned to walk through the front door.
Meanwhile, Sebastian was standing at the side as he watched the scene unfold, a devious grin playing on his face. After a while, he lifted his hand and waved the two adults away, as though he was asking them to leave immediately.
They entered the car and as usual, there was a warmth in the atmosphere that eased them.
Tonyâs hand clasped over Myraâs left hand. His thumb gently caressed the back of her hand as he asked, âDo you like Henry?â
The ticklish sensation of his gesture made Myra squirm slightly. She wanted to pull her hand away, but he wouldnât let her. She glared at him before she answered, âI do. Heâs adorable and heâs really mature for his age.â
âThen, you should have one of your ownâa child, I mean,â Tony remarked teasingly as he let out a low chuckle. He made it sound as if childbirth was as easy as breathing.
Myra rolled her eyes in exasperation. âI canât just have a child at will, Tony. I need to get pregnant first before actually going through childbirth.â