Chapter 194
Kris felt the fury building up inside her. She had hoped to quickly win Tony over, but he turned out to be far more complicated and elusive than she had anticipated. She couldn’t understand his mind.
“But Myra is currently managing another project…” Kris continued to resist, but desperation crept into her voice. “Dad, you know Myra only returned to the Stark Group to reclaim her shares. If she becomes the general manager, what if she starts taking control of the company?”
Cameron’s face darkened, though only slightly. He quickly turned away. “Kris, I know what you’re thinking. A man like Tony Hart isn’t going to be satisfied with just one woman—he understands the differences between them. Myra has been pushed aside by the Stark Family for years. Meeting him was a stroke of luck, and for him to help her was her own doing. But this sort of ability won’t last long.” He paused for a moment, a mocking smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “That kind of power… it will probably fail once Hilliville falls into his hands completely. But you, Kris… If you want to stand beside him, you’ll need to learn patience.”
“Dad, stop beating around the bush! At the end of the day, you just want to throw Myra into Tony’s bed!” Kris’s face twisted in anger. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. “Just this morning, you encouraged me to pursue Tony romantically…”
“That was before I knew Myra was already ahead of you, that she was already in a relationship with him.” Cameron’s voice softened, his concern for her clear. He had always doted on Kris, but he knew the situation was shifting. “Since Tony likes Myra, what’s the harm in giving her to him? In the end, she’ll be discarded just like that time with Sean. It won’t be any different.”
“But—”
“No more buts,” Cameron interjected, the frustration growing in his voice. “Leave now. Organize the data and hand it over to Myra. The Elsinore Garden Project needs to succeed. Failure is not an option.”
Kris’s face went pale as her emotions spun wildly. Seeing her father’s dismissal, she stormed out of his office in a fury.
Behind her, Cameron’s expression hardened as he reflected on the situation. He had underestimated Myra, thinking that his offer would have more weight. But now she had a powerful ally in Tony. “By the time she realizes she’s been deceived and left with nothing, it’ll be too late for her,” he muttered, shaking his head. “And even if I make her the general manager, it’s just a title. The Stark Group will always be under my control.”
He recalled the words Myra’s mother had said years ago, and a dark expression passed over his face. Closing his eyes, he tried to push the thoughts away.
Kris returned to her office, her anger bubbling over as she swept all the documents off her desk. Her assistant, hearing the chaos from outside, wisely chose not to interfere, already familiar with Kris’s volatile moods.
Not long after, the elevator doors opened, and Rachel, dressed gracefully, stepped out, carrying two thermos flasks with a smile on her face. Her assistant’s shoulders visibly relaxed at the sight of Rachel. “Mrs. Stark, I’m so glad you’re here.”
Rachel raised an eyebrow at her assistant, noticing the concern in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Miss Kris has been throwing a tantrum since returning from President Stark’s office. Please, go in and talk to her.”
Although Rachel was known in the Stark Group as the wife of the CEO, many employees viewed her favorably because of her gentle nature. She didn’t engage in conflict and had earned respect for handling even the most difficult situations with grace.
Rachel smiled warmly at her assistant. “Kris is still young, and she’s going through a tough time. I’ll go in and talk to her now.”
The assistant, still a little anxious, nodded. “Thank you, Mrs. Stark.”
Rachel smiled again before heading into Kris’s office. She took one look at the mess on the floor before her expression shifted. Her gentle demeanor disappeared, replaced by a more serious one. “What are you doing, Kris? Your assistant mentioned that you’ve been upset ever since coming back from Cameron’s office. Did you get into a fight with your father?”
Seeing her mother, Kris couldn’t hold it in anymore. Her eyes welled up with tears as she poured out her frustrations. “Mom, I finally found a man I liked, but Myra just had to take him away! And Dad just let her! He’s going to make her the general manager and give her the Elsinore Garden Project that I worked so hard on! It’s not fair!”
Rachel’s brows furrowed as Kris’s words hit her. “Who is this man?” she asked, her tone sharp.
Kris glared at her, frustration evident in her voice. “Who else? Tony Hart! Director Hart of the Hart Group!”
Rachel’s eyes widened briefly before she regained her composure. She glanced at Kris, who was clearly distraught, and placed the thermos flasks on the desk, where only a few stray papers remained. Opening one of the flasks, she poured out some chicken soup and handed it to Kris. “Drink this. It’ll help you calm down.”
Kris could smell the familiar soup, her favorite, but her appetite had disappeared in the wake of her rage. “Mom, how can you ask me to calm down at a time like this? Myra’s a b*tch! She’s more of a slut than her mother was! She just got dumped by Sean, and now she’s with Tony! And Dad is going to give her everything! He’s going to make her the general manager and transfer the Elsinore Garden Project to her! How am I supposed to calm down?”
Kris’s voice cracked as she continued, tears streaking down her face. “Dad doesn’t even care about me. This morning, he told me to go after Tony, and now he’s letting Myra take everything. He’s always been more focused on her!”
Rachel’s expression tightened, her patience wearing thin. “Don’t you dare say that about your father!” she hissed, lowering her voice. “What have I taught you all these years, Kris? Don’t fight with Myra. Don’t take what’s hers. If she wants something, let her have it.”
“But why? I’ve given in to her for over 20 years. Do I have to step aside for her for the rest of my life?” Kris’s voice cracked with despair. “I don’t want to live like this, Mom.”
Rachel’s tone softened, and she placed a hand on Kris’s head. “I didn’t ask you to endure forever. But you can only achieve greater heights with patience. Have you forgotten how I got to where I am?” Her eyes flickered with something dark, a memory flashing through her mind, but it quickly vanished. “Kris, those who seem to have everything now are often the ones who end up with the most brutal downfall. Look at Myra’s mother. You know what happened to her, right?”
Rachel’s eyes narrowed with an icy edge. “We still have a trump card. Don’t forget that.”