Chapter 369
Standing Before Love
âIâm clearly better than Seanâyou know that now, donât you?â Tony casually gave Myra a sideways glance. She was taken aback for a short moment, but she quickly giggled in response to his words.
âAre you still troubled by the fact that I used to like Sean?â
He raised an eyebrow, but he was relieved when he saw the playful look in her eyes. He was afraid that Myra would still be sad over her motherâs video, but he realized then that it didnât take her too long to regulate her emotions.
âI wonder how some heartless, ungrateful woman rejected me multiple times for the sake of a useless man like him.â Tony pinched Myra on her cheeks. He still felt a hint of anger whenever he recalled how Myra had rejected him a few times in the past. He lowered his gaze before he bit onto her lips then. âI canât believe you even mentioned things about you enjoying a married life with Sean just for the sake of infuriating me.â
Tonyâs bite didnât seem to hurt Myra at all, for her gaze was still filled with amusement as she looked up at him. She then stuffed her face into his chest. âIt felt like I was stuck in a dead end back then. I canât even imagine how things would have turned out if you hadnât been there for me.â I would have probably been tortured by Lyla and Sean if I remained in that miserable marriage, wouldnât I? They would be happy, but I wouldnât.
âWhy did you fall for me, Tony?â A muffled voice came from the woman leaning against his chest. Tony was careful not to press on the baby in her belly as he shifted around while sighing. âI fell under your magic spell, and I couldnât seem to fix my gaze on any other woman after that.â As he uttered the last few words of his sentence, he pushed Myra slightly further away from him so that he could look into the womanâs warm and gentle eyes. He was thankful that Myra hadnât blamed him for his stubborn faults in the past, and he was glad that she didnât seem to mind about all the things that he had once been terrified to tell her about. Nothing mattered to him as long as they were together. âYou should bring me to visit your mother, Myra. You should introduce me to her, right?â
Myra blinked twice before she beamed and nodded. âYeah.â
â¦
The both of them headed to the Hart Group building. Myra hadnât planned to go to the office initially, but Tony insisted for her to follow him over as he said he wanted to bring her somewhere. He went through his usual documents and meetings in the morning, and Myra had some of her own work to do.
After they arrived at the company, Myra received numerous phone calls from a few of the Stark Groupâs board of directors. The Stark Group was in a critical condition, and Cameron was unable to provide anyone with a perfect solution. Everyone on the board of directors was therefore panicking, and they all came to a single conclusion. They decided that Myra might be able to do something since she was a large shareholder and a potential heir of the company. Myra was a powerful individual herself, and she had Tonyâs support, so the board of directors knew that they would feel safer if she was willing to help them out.
The shareholders on the board hadnât informed Cameron of their decision to seek help from Myra, for they simply proceeded with their plans. They seemed to have realized something after they saw how Myra hadnât stepped forward to support Cameron when the Stark Group was threatened. Furthermore, although Myra and Cameron appeared to get along on the surface, the board knew that they secretly had a hostile relationship with one another. The boardâs intentions were clear the moment they approached Myra for help.
âMiss Myra, weâve decided to host a shareholderâs meeting in response to the financial issues that the Stark Group is currently facing. We are proposing to have a new chairperson for the Stark Group.â
Finally, it was one of the most powerful individuals, a person who had once been Jennyâs subordinate, who informed Myra about this. This shareholder had engaged in multiple arguments with Cameron in the past, and he had already approached Myra once when she first returned to the Stark Group. He had already indirectly made the same suggestion in the past. Back then, Myra was reluctant to agree to anything and was too afraid to make any rash actionsâshe felt too uncertain about the situation then.
âIâm not going to go around in circles with you, Myra. Iâm sure Old Master Stark must have had a will, right? I believe he must have named you as the owner of the company. He allowed your mother to build the Stark Group, and he brought her up as a businesswoman in the past. After that, he handed his shares in Stark Group to you and even left half of the Ritz Carltonâs shares for you, so Iâm sure he must have planned to hand the company to you. Since the companyâs struggling right now, I believe your father no longer has the ability to lead the Stark Group, and I hope you take this chance to step forward just like your mother did in the past. You need to reinvigorate the business.â The man on the other end of the line spoke in a serious tone.
Myra paused for a moment after she heard what the man said. âI understand what you mean, Mr.
Baker. Iâll think about it.â
âAlright. I hope you come to a decision soon.â Myra massaged her temples after she got off the phone with the man. She hadnât gotten much rest in the past few days, and she felt especially drained whenever she thought about the companyâs matters. After some contemplation, she finally headed out of the lounge for a stroll. Right then, someone rang the bell to Tonyâs office, and Leo walked into the office moments later.
He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he directed his gaze, not to Tony but Myra instead.
âMiss Stark, thereâs a young lady called Olivia Stark who would like to see you,â he uttered with a rather thoughtful gaze.
âSheâs looking for me?â Myra was surprised. She was in Tonyâs office then, and any visitor who arrived usually asked for Tony. It was rare for anyone to visit the Hart Group in search of her.
âHold on. Mr. Clark, what did you say her name was again?â Myra narrowed her eyes.
âOlivia Stark.â Leo took a glance at his boss and quickly understood his bossâs intentions when he saw that Tony had nothing to say. âPerhaps you should come out and meet her, Miss Stark. She looks like sheâs only 12 or 13 years old, and I think she might have something important to talk to you about.â
âA 12 or 13-year-old girl⦠Olivia Starkâ¦â For some reason, Myra had a weird feeling about this. She instinctively turned to look at Tony. Tony had made his way over to her and reached out to hold her hand then. âWhat is it?â he asked gently.
âWhyâs this young girl asking for me?â Confusion gathered between Myraâs brows.
âYouâll find out when you go out and ask her about it.â Tony gave her a light-hearted chuckle.
âButâ¦â Myra wasnât sure if she was just overthinking, but she felt like the girl, Olivia Stark, might be related to her somehow. But my father doesnât have any siblings, and Olivia Stark⦠Her surnameâs Stark⦠She frowned a little as she seemed to realize something. Right then, she turned away from Tony as her face turned pale. âI donât want to see her.â
Tony felt sorry for her when he saw the pained expression on her face. He pulled her close and pecked her on her forehead. âI know what youâre thinking, and your guess is right. Oliviaâs your biological sister.
I think I owe you an apologyâIâve found out about their existence for a while now, but I havenât told you about it.â
ââ¦Why?â Myraâs voice was hoarse. Ever since she found out about Rachel, she felt like her heart had been scarred and would never heal. Rachelâs existence came as a huge blow to Myra and her mother, and it was the main reason Myra refused ever to forgive Cameron. Myra knew that Tony was well aware of this.
âOlivia and her mother seem to be victims as well, Myra. Your father is too much of a hypocrite, and it was too late for them when they found out about this. Olivia and her mother had been attempting to escape from your fatherâs grasp for a long while, but they only managed to get away from him last year.â Tony pulled her close and looked into her eyes as he was afraid that she would get angry.
âTheyâre victims as well. Furthermore, the mother has a brain tumor. Sheâs in her final stages of cancer, and theyâre suffering because they donât have much money.â
âWhy donât they have money? Didnât Cameron give them any?â Myraâs tone of voice was still rather hostile. She couldnât help but feel angry toward all the women who had been with Cameron. It reminded her of how Cameron had betrayed her mother, and how much her mother had suffered because of it!
Tony let out a long sigh and gave her a hug when he saw the look of distaste in her eyes. âI can just get Leo to send the young girl off if you really donât want to see her.â