Chapter 375
Standing Before Love
âCanât you cover that up, Tony?!â
His eyes were dark and brooding when he stepped outside; they looked clouded and dull from being enclosed in the shower for an extended period of time. Along with that, a complicated smile tugged at the corner of his lipsâ¦
âDidnât I give you the towel? Do you expect me to cover up with my dirty clothes?â The man smirked lazily at Myra.
Myraâs face turned a deeper red and she was about to turn around; she didnât notice the hint of slyness that flashed across the manâs eyes when he removed the towel from his face. Immediately after that, he swiftly extended his hand and grabbed the woman, shoving her back into the shower with him. He then slammed the door shut behind them in the process and pressed Myraâs back against the closed door.
The air was hot and humid with residual steam in the bathroom. Meanwhile, the temperature seemed to be rising rapidlyâit was getting hotter and hotter with every passing second.
She bit down on her lip as she raised her head, and the manâs eyes were unbelievably ominous when they met hers. A hint of tenderness surfaced in his eyes as he noticed her gesture.
âMyra?â Tonyâs low and magnetic voice played in her ears. Then, he dipped all of a sudden and kissed her.
â¦
By the time it was over, Myra had long since fallen asleep. The man carried her to the bed before leaving the bedroom. As he picked up his ringing phone, he noticed that he had already missed a few calls. âHello?â
Elliotâs voice rang excitedly from the other end. âYouâre finally picking up, Tony.â
âYeah, howâs it going over there?â Tonyâs voice was quite draggy and hoarse as he spokeâhe sounded like a leopard enjoying the sun after a scrumptious meal. Elliot seemed to have picked it up right away, so he clicked his tongue disapprovingly before he said, âHow inconsiderate of you, Tonyâyouâre being lovey-dovey with Myra all the time. Have you thought about our feelings?â
âAre you saying that you donât like Tilly anymore?â Tony was a little sarcastic with his tone. âI guess I should give Myra a heads upâTilly is her closest employee in the company, after all.â
âStop, Tony. I was just kidding. You and Myra should do what you want every single dayâlovey-dovey or not! Whatever you do, please donât take it out on your buddy here; I spent a great deal of effort to finally have a chance with a woman, so if she leaves me, Iâd really need a shoulder to cry on!â Elliot wailed in a panic as soon as he heard Tonyâs words.
Tony smiled slightly at his flustered reaction. He then responded with a nonchalant hum as he subconsciously retrieved his packet of cigarettes and lit one up. Ever since he found out that Myra was pregnant, he only smoked a cigarette when he had an intense craving; when he did, he would make sure that she wasnât around.
Wisps of smoke which floated heavenward from the tip of the cigarette looked like smooth, premium silk; it fogged up Tonyâs vision a little as he stared ahead.
During such times, Elliot would usually suffer another round of evil teasing from Tony. This time, however, he was surprised to find that his buddy had let him off just like that! Elliot thought to himself that Tony was probably in a very good mood after having a great time!
Elliot pursed his lips; it was a pity that his hopes were still far from reality. How nice itâd be if Tilly has just a fraction of Myraâs gentle personality!
Even though Elliotâs thoughts were full of complaints, a smile played on his lips. Nonetheless, there was nothing he liked more than Tillyâs flustered and angered demeanor whenever she defended her own stance. Itâd make her look like a spiked up cat who was about to launch her attackâElliot couldnât help but tease her at the sight of it!
âI actually called to talk to you about the Waltons, Tony.â However, Elliot suddenly realized that theyâd gone off topic in the heat of the moment! He then continued, âThe Waltons are getting much bolder. We have intel regarding the smaller companies that the Waltons have started againâtheyâre planning to collaborate with the Lincoln Familyâs successor. Sadly, Ernie has no clue about the Waltonsâ true intentions. In fact, he even went on a blind date with Gemma. From the looks of it, the two families will probably tie the knot in an arranged marriage.â
âThat sure sounds like the Waltons.â Tony exhaled slowly as smoke escaped from his mouth. He narrowed his eyes slightly, for he was none other than the first person the Waltons had come to in hopes of setting up an arranged marriage. Then, Tony let out a sudden scoff and said, âHereâs our final moveâweâll start with the Lincolns. Since the Waltons have proposed a marriage, theyâre definitely going to please the Lincolns in order to earn their agreement. Remember thisâI want concrete evidence to ruin them once and for all.â
âGot it!â Indeed, the corporate world was a battlefield; no gunpowder and grenades were involved, but it was much more brutal and intense than an actual war. Tony only had one chance to do it rightâif the Waltons were able to get away with their crimes this time, he wouldnât be able to come this close to exposing them again!
Elliot responded to Tonyâs instructions with enthusiasm. As he did so, he felt his body burning up with excitementâit had been such a long time since he was able to go all out on a job. This was nothing like their ordinary businesses in the past, for this could directly affect the rise and fall of an entire family business. If Elliot were to mess up, he could trigger huge economical changes in Bradfort City!
âThereâs also the Stark Groupâ¦â After one problem was resolved, Elliot moved onto the next topic of discussion. In particular, Cameron and the mother-daughter duo were truly difficult to deal with. Elliot hesitated before he said, âShould we continue to pressure the shareholders?â
âYeah, let Hansen handle it. He doesnât have a lot of the companyâs stocks, but heâs quite well-
respected nevertheless. Heâs one of us nowâheâs already told Myra on the phone. Things will be a lot smoother with him on our side.â
âAll right! These smart guys are the best,â Elliot said with a laugh.
Tony seemed to have more to say after that, but the bedroom door opened in front of him suddenly.
He was on the phone outside just by the door, and when he heard it open, he instinctively cast his eyes toward the room. Myra was wearing a set of cotton pajamas which was suitable for the fall weather.
She stood by the door, looking drowsy from her sleep. Then, she rubbed her eyes lazily with one hand and leaned against the door frame with the other. She stared at Tony with half-opened eyes and asked croakily, âAre you on the phone? Itâs late, so why arenât you sleeping yetâ¦â
Tonyâs heart instantly softened at the sight of Myraâs sluggish state. He returned to his call and told Elliot hastily, âIâll leave the rest to you.â Then, he hung up without another word and walked over to Myra. After just a few steps, he was suddenly reminded of the cigarette in his hand. He quickly discarded it into a nearby trashcan before he walked past her at the door and headed into the bedroom.
âArenât you tired? Why are you up?â Tonyâs voice was soft, and it sounded like he was putting a child to sleep.
Myra mumbled, âYouâre not here, so⦠I canât sleepâ¦â
Tony jolted for a moment before a tender warmth filled his eyes. Then, he got into bed with Myra and kissed her forehead before he pulled her close into his arms. âGo to sleep. Iâm here.â
âOkay.â Myra snuggled up to the man. A wave of sleepiness quickly washed over her, and she was sound asleep in no time.
â¦
Ever since Kris was hospitalized after breaking ties with the Waltons, she had become a lot more meek and reserved. Rachel hadnât visited her at all since she was still unhappy with her, whereas Cameron obviously didnât have the time to do so. Apart from that, people from the Walton Family were naturally reluctant to see her. If Hayden hadnât dropped by almost every day, she wouldâve felt like she had disappeared from the face of the earth.