Chapter 399
Standing Before Love
The next day, the sun was hanging high in the sky when Myra opened her eyes lazily. Tony was no longer with her in the room, but she took a sniff of the scent that heâd left behind on the comforter and smiled into the sheets contentedly.
As she stretched, she reminded herself that it was a new day; any day with Tony by her side was worthy to look forward to.
Time ticked by as Myra cleaned herself up just like always. She had woken up quite late today, and she felt a little embarrassed when she saw Old Master and Old Madam Hart downstairs.
Moreover, Myra wanted nothing more than to bury herself in a hole when the two elders gave her a knowing smile.
âCome, letâs eatâitâs getting late,â said the old lady as she smiled lovingly; she was getting more and more fond of this granddaughter-in-law of hers.
Nonetheless, Myra liked living with the Hartsâshe could truly feel the warmth of a family in this household. Even though she was still feeling embarrassed, she didnât want to drag on any longer and rushed over to have breakfast with the seniors!
The three of them chatted casually at the table; Myra told them some interesting stories of what had happened recently as they had a peaceful meal together.
From time to time, Myra still found herself not getting used to the warm way that the Old Master and Old Madam were treating her; it was all because theyâd been giving her the same love and affection as they gave Tony.
Soon, it was getting late and morning passed in the blink of an eye. Myra planned to visit the florist shop in the afternoon; at the same time, she was constantly paying close attention to the Stark Groupâs affairs as things wouldnât always go according to plan. However, she had much time on her hands as she waited for the result.
In the florist shop, Myra was getting help from the florist on some basic techniques when tending to the flowersâshe liked to take care of the gardening-related work around the shop. The shop was a place where she could feel relaxed and free, and it helped with her overall mood, making her feel happier and lighter.
When her phone rang with an incoming call from Tony, Myra was coincidentally thinking about the man;
the couple seemed to be in sync with each other.
âAre you at the florist?â Tony had a guess that she might be there. His voice was deep and magnetic on the phone and it was pleasant to the ear.
âYeah, we had a busy day too,â Myra said with a smile.
At the same time, the sweet memory of their passionate night flooded back into her mind; indeed, Tony had been too wild last night. Otherwise, she wouldnât have woken up so late today.
âRemember to prioritize your healthâdonât push yourself.â Myra was always flattered by Tonyâs tender voice whenever he expressed his concern for her.
âItâs just some simple tasks. Besides, exercising is also important during pregnancy, you know.â Myra was very proud of her labor today, so she didnât feel like there was anything wrong with that.
âOkay.â Tonyâs tone wasnât anything different from the usual. Nevertheless, it left a warm feeling in Myraâs chest, making her heart flutter with glee.
Following that, the line was silent for a moment; neither of them had anything to say until Tony was the one to break the silence.
âHave you heard about anything on that matter with the Stark Group?â After giving it some thought, Tony decided to tell Myra about the sudden change in the Stark Groupâs situationâthings were now different from how they originally were.
âWhat do you mean?â Myra had a feeling that something bad had happenedâthis couldnât be a good sign.
âI donât know where to start.â Tony sounded quite helpless. This wasnât something that Myra should be worried about to begin with, but from his understanding of her personality, it wouldnât be easy to explain himself once she found out that heâd been hiding the truth from her.
âIs there a problem with purchasing the Stark Group?â Myra tried to probe for an answer.
âMore or less.â Tony was careful with his words; he had no idea about the mysterious new businessman either.
Another family was intervening just after the Waltons had been dealt withâit was so sudden that Tony had yet to find out the newcomerâs identity.
âHowâs the Stark Groupâs current situation?â asked Myra worriedly. She couldnât lose her chance of acquiring the Stark Group; nothing must go wrong in every step of her pursuit.
âSomeone is purchasing a large number of the Stark Groupâs shares,â Tony answered calmly.
Just then, a deep frown appeared between Myraâs brows. She pondered for a moment before she asked, âIs it Sean?â She couldnât think of anyone else.
âNo, itâs someone called Matthias Locke.â As he spoke, Tony stared fixedly at the manâs photo printed on the document at his desk. He tried to recall the manâs identity, but he simply couldnât remember where heâd seen him before.
âMatthias Locke?â The unfamiliar name put a fear in Myraâs heart. She didnât have an inkling of who the name referred to, but what did it mean by the manâs sudden appearance?
âDo you have any idea who he is?â Tony was thinking that perhaps this man was related to the Stark Family.
Myra tried her best to search her memory, but even as she recalled the clients or collaborators acquainted with the Starks throughout the years, the name didnât ring a bell.
âHow old is he?â Myra wanted to know more about this man.
âHeâs around 30; heâs a young and successful businessman,â said Tony as he squinted, his eyes never leaving the photo of the man.
âHeâs so young⦠Who could it be?â Myra muttered to herself before she quickly asked Tony, âDo you have a photo of him?â
âHold on, Iâll send you a picture.â Tony immediately positioned his phone at the document to take a photo.
Myra knew very well how Tony handled thingsâhe was always particular with finding out the most about his opponents as he believed that it was the best way to succeed. That was why she asked for a photo of Matthias from Tony.
As Myra looked at the photo that Tony had sent her via Messenger, she fell into deep thought. The man âwho was wearing a pair of black shadesâlooked a little familiar, but she couldnât recognize him no matter how hard she tried.
The feeling of a thought slipping the mind was frustrating indeedâMyra couldnât tell if he was a friend or a foe. She also wasnât sure if this sudden change had anything to do with Cameron.
âWhat should we do about it?â A look of uncertainty hung over Myraâs face.
Tony hadnât thought of a countermeasure at the moment. Matthias had appeared out of the blue and his moves were slickâa huge portion of the companyâs stocks were already in his hands. In other words, things werenât looking good at all.
âWeâll see how it goes.â Tonyâs answer was quite ambiguous, but right now, their best move was to play the waiting game.
When the call ended, Myra started to worry about the Stark Group again. No doubt, a new storm was brewing just after another one ended; it was difficult to tell where things were going.
Myra spaced out for some time as she stared at the flowers in her hands. Her good mood was now ruined, and she could no longer enjoy her free time leisurely regardless of how she tried.
âWhat are you looking at, Miss Stark?â Sharonâs voice rang brightly from Myraâs side.
With that, Myra snapped out of her daze. She turned to the florist and smiled at her politely. âItâs nothing. Where were we?â
Myra had the habit of finishing whatever she started. Since she still had unfinished work on her hands, she didnât want her pleasant state of mind to go to waste; she decided to put the unhappy discussion in the back of her mind and continued the lesson with Sharon. At the very least, she could use the time to learn something practical.
Myra finally left the florist shop in the evening. Meanwhile, Tony was thoughtful as well; he drove his car to the front of the shop and waited for her so that they could head home together.
Myra felt a sudden boost of energy as soon as she saw Tony; to see his car being parked by the side was such a beautiful and welcoming sight to her.
âYou donât have to go out of your way to pick me up,â Myra said as she walked up to Tony. She would soon become a lazy, loafing woman who couldnât feed herself if Tony continued to spoil her like this.
âLetâs say I was on the way, then.â Tony opened the door for her like a gentleman as a slight smile graced his face. His eyes typically grew much softer whenever they were on Myra.
âYou canât always be on the way.â Myra stepped into the car. The evening breeze was gentle and the air was a pleasant temperature; it was unfortunate that they couldnât see the sunset.
âYou visit the shop a lot these days,â Tony said to Myra as he turned to face her after fastening his seatbelt.
âIt makes me feel at ease.â Myra put on a huge grin; she wasnât shy to express her appreciation for the florist shop that Tony had gifted her.
âAs long as you like it.â Tony stared at her with doting eyes as he caressed her cheek lightly.
The two never once mentioned Matthias throughout their ride. After all, things in the corporate world were never meant to be set in stone, so a few surprises here and there werenât unusual.
It wasnât until late at night did Tony bring up the topic of Matthias upon noticing that Myra wasnât falling asleep after some time.
âAre you worried about the Stark Group? Youâre still wondering about Matthias Locke, arenât you?â
Tony saw through Myraâs troubles right away. He wanted nothing more than to lighten the burden on her shoulders, but due to her persistence and personal reasons, he couldnât step in too much.
âThis is an odd battleâI donât know anything about him, but I bet he knows much about us,â said Myra anxiously. She felt that her opponent had the upper hand as he knew a lot more than she did.
âHow much of the Stark Groupâs shares does he currently own?â It was what Myra wanted to know the most.
Tony stared quietly at Myra; he couldnât tell for sure since he hadnât found out about it himself. It all happened too suddenlyâall eyes were on the Waltons just moments ago. Who would have thought that someone was acquiring the Stark Groupâs shares in secret?
âIâm not sure,â Tony replied truthfully.
âDo you think we should meet up with him?â Myra asked Tony for his opinion.
Tony glanced at Myra as his own thoughts lingered between his brows. He did reflect on whether or not they should meet with the man, but now that the question was blatantly asked, he was suddenly at a loss for words.
That night, they didnât come to a conclusion on how to solve the issue. Tony told her some things about Matthias, but the information came from indirect sources; its credibility was unknown either.
However, as it turned out, luck seemed to be on their sideâas they were considering their next step, an invitation from Matthias arrived at the Hart Residence.
Tony felt a bit strange when he received the invitation; indeed, nothing was impossible in this world, and no one knew what would happen next.
Since they were deciding whether or not to arrange a meeting with Matthias, the way he took the initiative to invite them actually made their job easier.
Apparently, Matthias was hosting a glamorous banquet in his mansion in three days, and Tony was cordially invited to attend.
With all things considered, the invitation seemed a little ill-willed, though. Myra read the words over and over again; she couldnât help feeling that the phrases didnât sound natural at all.
âWhat do you think, Tony?â Myra tossed the invitation aside. Sheâd heard some rumors regarding Matthias for the past few daysâit seemed like he was a strong-willed and decisive businessman.
âIt might be a trap, but Iâll attend it,â Tony said nonchalantly. He had a feeling that Matthias wasnât targeting the Stark Group, but the Hart Family instead.
âWill you be taking me?â Myra blinked at him as a smile played on her lips. It looked as though she was telling him a joke.
âHe invited us both. Tell me, am I taking you or not?â Tonyâs eyes darted to the invitation on the table;
he was curious whether the invitations were phrased the same way to Matthiasâ other guests, or the man had specially prepared it this way for them.