Chapter 188
Myra felt something warm stir in her heart. Reaching out, she grabbed Tony’s hand, which was pretending to take things out of the cart, and interlaced her fingers with his. With a soft smile, she said, “I’ll just order them online for her. You don’t need to put any of the things you like back.”
Tony raised an eyebrow at her and replied with a wry smile, “That’s not good, is it?”
Looking at his insincere and almost sanctimonious attitude, she squeezed his fingers tightly. I’ve never seen a more shameless man than this guy. Exasperated, she said, “It doesn’t matter. We bought enough today anyway.”
Only then did he seem satisfied. He twisted his hand out of her grip to hold her hand instead while pushing the cart forward. She watched as the corners of his lips lifted in a subtle smile. It was hard for her to imagine this cold, indifferent man she had once known, and her heart softened even more.
Eventually, they reached the cashier to check out. Tony had always been impatient, but fortunately, not many people were in line. It didn’t take long before it was their turn.
Behind them stood a couple, seemingly in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. Even during the brief wait, they had exchanged kisses at least three times. Myra inadvertently glanced back before turning forward again, feeling a little uncomfortable. She normally wasn’t bothered by this sort of thing, but with Tony standing next to her, it made her feel oddly shy.
Noticing the pink flush on her cheeks, Tony glanced at her before looking around the store. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “Myra, let’s make a bet.”
“Huh?” Her ear felt ticklish as she turned her head, and in the process, her pink lips brushed against his. The soft touch sent a spark of electricity through him, making his eyes darken. She quickly pulled away, her voice low with confusion. “What kind of bet?”
“You’ll call my name out loud while we’re settling the bill later,” he said, his voice low with a trace of playfulness.
Her face flushed even more, and she glared at him. “What are you doing? We’re in a supermarket!”
He didn’t seem bothered by their surroundings at all. Instead, he focused intently on her, his eyes daring her to accept the challenge. “Will you take the bet?” His voice was calm, but there was a certain intensity in his gaze.
Myra suddenly realized bringing this shameless man with her to the supermarket was a huge mistake. She felt her scalp tingle under his scorching gaze and reluctantly agreed, “Sure, sure.”
He didn’t pull her back into his arms, but whispered beside her, “If I win, we’ll go to my place today. Okay?”
She stiffened, shooting him a suspicious glance. “Aren’t we living next door to each other? Is there really a difference?”
A faint blush crept up her face as she realized she had been expecting something far more scandalous. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief, though the thought of spending more time with him still made her nervous.
Tony brushed her hair aside, murmuring, “Not your apartment; the place I used to live in.”
“Oh.” Myra gave a nonchalant shrug. It doesn’t matter where we go. I’ve already promised to spend the afternoon with him, she thought. She nodded briefly, “Okay.”
A faint chill appeared at the corner of Tony’s lips, but Myra didn’t notice it. She wasn’t paying attention to the slight edge in his tone, too caught up in her thoughts. She was simply focused on the time they’d spend together, as long as there was a kitchen to cook in.
At the counter, Tony handed over a gold VIP card to the cashier. As Myra gathered her purse, she noticed him casually grabbing a box of Okamoto Ultra-Thin Condoms from the counter and adding it to the bill. Her face instantly turned beet-red.
Tony’s soft voice came from next to her. “Would you prefer the strawberry-flavored ones or the peach-flavored ones?”
“Tony Hart!” Myra exclaimed, her face burning with embarrassment. As she watched the sly curve of his lips, she swore to herself, Next time, I am never bringing him to the supermarket again. I won’t even step foot in this supermarket ever again…
After leaving the supermarket, Tony took the wheel. Myra, still fuming over his shameless behavior, ignored him throughout the ride. He occasionally glanced at her, raising his long eyebrows in a silent question. “Are you mad at me?”
She pursed her lips, her gaze fixed out the window. He chuckled softly but said nothing more. Not long after, his phone rang.
Glancing at Myra, who remained quiet, he mentioned offhandedly, “It might be Elliot or Leo. It’s nothing important. Besides, I can’t answer the phone right now while I’m driving.”
Although he claimed it wasn’t important, Myra knew that most of their calls were work-related. Though she remained silent, her body stiffened slightly. Tony’s lips curved into an even deeper arc in response.
The phone rang again, and this time, Myra’s patience wore thin. She turned toward him, glaring as he answered the call.
Almost immediately, a pleasant but impatient female voice came through the phone.
“Hey, Tony! I called you so many times. Why don’t you ever answer—”
Her voice was full of resentment and longing, practically overflowing with affection. It felt like a punch in Myra’s gut. She froze for a moment, not sure how to react.
“Hey, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you driving? Or, are you in a meeting?” the woman on the phone asked, her voice dripping with entitlement.
Myra glanced at Tony, who was still focused on driving, his profile cold and composed. She paused before responding into the phone, “He’s driving right now. Can I pass a message to him?”
There was a long silence on the other end before the woman’s voice turned haughty. “Are you his new assistant?”
“No,” Myra answered firmly.
“Then, who are you? Why do you have Tony’s phone?!” The woman’s tone became shrill, laced with fury.
Just as Myra was about to respond, the call abruptly ended.
“What’s wrong? Who was it?” Tony glanced at her, noting her flustered expression.
Looking at the Caller ID, she saw it was an unregistered number. She shook her head. “I don’t know. Some woman seemed to be looking for you. When she heard me answering your phone, she hung up.”
Her lip bit down nervously. That voice… it sounded so arrogant, and the way she spoke to Tony, so familiarly. Who was she? Myra couldn’t help the tight feeling in her chest.
Noticing her discomfort, Tony reached out and held her hand gently. “Why do you look so moody all of a sudden? Was she rude to you?”
Myra didn’t respond, instead focusing on the man next to her. “Tony, did you have a lot of girlfriends in the past?”
The question came out sharp, full of bitterness and jealousy. Tony was taken aback, a surprised laugh escaping him.
Myra watched his reaction, her cheeks flushed with shame. Elliot had told me that Tony never had a girlfriend before, but that can’t be right. His experience, his skills—it doesn’t add up. The realization nagged at her as she thought of the woman on the phone. Could she have been one of his past girlfriends?
The discomfort lingered in her heart.