Chapter 345
Standing Before Love
Kris hurriedly replied, âDad, Iâll go over to the Walton Group right away. Donât worry; Iâll definitely be able to convince Gideon to help you!â
Cameron nodded in response and he waved her off tiredly. Meanwhile, Kris nodded at Rachel and headed out of the door.
This is such an unexpected surprise! Iâve managed to ask for help from the Walton Group and Gideon already, but I just purposely wanted Dad to see Myraâs true colors. After he sought help from her and got rejected, it obviously further emphasized my willingness to help. This time, Gideon had agreed to Krisâ request without any qualms and she felt quite pleased with his performance too. Turns out that Gideonâs quite dependable during critical moments like these!
â¦
Kris made her way to the Walton Group and headed straight toward Gideonâs office under the guise of seeking help. However, just before she walked into his office, she was stopped in her tracks by his secretary who awkwardly said, âMiss Stark, Mr. Walton has a visitor in his office and itâs inconvenient for you to go in right now.â Kris noticed that she spoke in a nervous and careful tone; based on her experience in the corporate world all these years, she could tell from the secretaryâs eyes that there must be something else going on. Kris was just about to tell her to step aside when all of a sudden, someone from inside opened the door to Gideonâs office.
It was a woman who made her way out of the room and Krisâ face turned pale as soon as she saw that personâit was none other than Lyla.
Evidently, Lyla had seen Kris as well. Nevertheless, the former maintained a natural expression and walked out of the office with a cool and composed look as she headed toward the elevator where Kris was currently standing.
âStop right there!â At the moment, Kris had an ashen look on her face. There is no way I will be taken for a fool! As soon as Lyla had walked out of the room, Kris had noticed that despite the former being dressed properly, she had instinctively shifted her collar, revealing a reddish mark on her collarbone.
Moreover, there were too many creases on her dress, which was definitely unusual.
âLyla Fisher, youâre such a shameless woman! Not only did you go after Myraâs man, youâre now after mine too!â Kris yelled angrily at Lyla. Although the former didnât intend to spend the rest of her life with Gideon, she still couldnât accept the fact that he had publicly humiliated her by two-timing her;
furthermore, it was with Lyla of all people. This amounted to him giving her a tight slap on the face.
âMiss Stark, please mind your words! Iâve just come around to discuss something with Mr. Walton, so please be respectful.â Lyla commented casually.
âJust a discussion?â Krisâs voice turned shriller in response and she wanted to rush up to grab hold of Lylaâs clothes and slap her in the face. However, she was held back tightly by Gideonâs secretary. âMiss Stark, please stop it! Director Walton has come out.â
As soon as Kris heard her words, she turned around immediately; indeed, Gideon was currently standing in front of the doorway to his office, and he was staring at them with a cryptic look on his face.
Kris suddenly recalled that she needed his help with the problem with the Stark Group. As such, she didnât dare to make a fuss. Hence, she unwillingly calmed down and forced herself to stop going after Lyla.
âYouâd better watch out because I wonât let you off the hook!â Kris muttered under her breath. She then forcefully bumped into Lylaâs shoulder before walking toward Gideon.
Lyla, on the other hand, nonchalantly made her way toward the elevator and she acted as if nothing had happened. She then pressed on the button to go down to the basement parking and made her way downstairs.
Frankly, Krisâ words meant nothing to Lyla. She was already living in desperation so there was nothing else that could faze her. She no longer harbored any hopes to maintain her position as the Young Mistress of the Chase Family, but she would definitely keep a tight grasp on everything that belonged to her.
â¦
As soon as Lyla left the place, Gideonâs secretary naturally tried to keep herself out of sight.
Meanwhile, Kris bit on her lower lip nervously before walking toward Gideon.
She knew it was fairly normal for a man like Gideon to have one or two casual flings; moreover, they were not married yet. However, being aware of it was different from actually experiencing it in person.
She couldnât quite control her disgust upon realizing that this man had hooked up with someone else behind her back. Nonetheless, she was unable to confront him about this right now.
Just then, her eyes turned red-rimmed and her tears started falling uncontrollably. She took another few steps forward to stand in front of him and she bit hard on her lower lip. âGideon, you and Lylaâ¦â
âWhat youâre imagining did not happen between me and Miss Fisher. She was here as the representative of the Chase Group to discuss something with me, and we didnât even spend more than twenty minutes together before you arrived.â Then, he glanced at his secretary standing by the side.
She immediately nodded her head earnestly in response. âThatâs right, Miss Stark! Miss Fisher arrived slightly more than ten minutes before you!â
Although Kris was fully aware that the two of them were in cahoots to deceive herâthey didnât even bother to come up with a more plausible excuse and didnât even care whether she realized thisâshe had no choice but to endure this agony. She bit on her lip once again and raised her head to smile at Gideon. âOkay⦠I trust you, Gideon.â
Just then, Gideonâs expression was full of scorn and he revealed a half-smile at Kris. Almost instantaneously. he masked the contempt in his eyes and placed his arms around Krisâ waist before steering her toward the office. âWhy did you come all the way here? Donât worry; I promised you Iâd help solve Stark Groupâs problem so Iâll definitely keep my word. The Stark Group is your family business, so any problem faced by your family is mine too. How could I possibly stand by idly?â
At that moment, Kris felt quite relieved as soon as she heard his words. She tried hard to suppress her disgust and kissed him on his cheek. âWhen will you provide the funds to cover the budget deficit? Iâm sure youâre aware that my dadâs quite anxious and he hasnât been sleeping or eating properly due to this. A few companies are lying in wait to take advantage of this situation and heâs just worried thatâ¦â
âDonât worry.â Gideon forcefully pulled Krisâ body closer to his and he practically leaned on her. Kris was momentarily stunned by his move but soon after that, she looked at him coyly. âGideonâ¦â
âThe Walton Group has organized a company dinner tonight; weâve just relocated back to Bradfort City so we need an event to rub shoulders with the top dogs of the cityâs corporate circle. Can you accompany me tonight?â Gideonâs warm breath felt ticklish as it hit Krisâ neck.
Instantly, she felt her hair rise but she could only smile and nod her head in response. âOf course I will.â
In fact, Krisâ relationship with Gideon was a source of envy among her group of close friends.
Therefore, she definitely wouldnât miss this chance to turn up in public with Gideon.
Gideon continued to stare lovingly at her; all of a sudden, he swept her off her feet into his arms and made his way into the lounge.
Just then, Kris became conscious of her condition and her face turned as pale as a sheet upon that realization. She then said with a forced smile, âGideon, Iâm not feeling well todayâ¦â
âThatâs fine; Iâll be gentleâ¦â Gideon brushed off her concern.
Truth was, Gideon was not a gentle lover. Furthermore, he had some violent preferences but since he had said so, there was nothing that Kris could do to reject him. With a resigned sigh, she clenched her hands into fists.
â¦
Initially, Tony hadnât actually planned to attend the Walton Groupâs dinner party. He was well-aware of the outcome so he wasnât interested in attending, but Myra was quite keen about it. She wasnât worried that they would be thrown out of the place because Tonyâs attendance tonight would only serve to garner a positive response to the Walton Family, and everyone else would definitely jump to the conclusion that the Walton and Hart families had cleared the air with each other. Therefore, it would be quite foolish for the Waltons to forsake this opportunity.
Tony could tell that Myra was quite keen on it so he didnât want to disappoint her. As such, he mentioned his conditionsâshe was to stay by his side the whole time. After she gave her word, they bade farewell to Sebastian and Lisa and made their way to the Walton familyâs dinner party.
Indeed, everything was within Myraâs expectations. Gemma was absent from the dinner party, perhaps because she was still recuperating in the hospital. Besides Gemma, everyone else from the Walton Family was in full attendance. Of course, her âsisterâ, being Gideonâs fiancée, was present too. As soon as the Walton Family saw Tony and Myra enter hand-in-hand, their faces turned slightly awkward but everyone maintained their smiles and greeted them as the couple made their way into the ballroom.