Chapter 37
Just when Myra thought today might be the worst day of her life, Tony suddenly released her, and she was left standing there, unsure why he had let go. His face had darkened, and his eyes were smoldering with a fire she couldn’t quite understand.
As the shock of the moment wore off, Myra’s face turned crimson. Without Tony’s steadying hand, her body felt weak, and she nearly collapsed. Just as she was about to fall, a pair of hands reached out, grabbing her waist, steadying her.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stand. The hands on her waist released, and she found herself standing on her own again. But she didn’t dare to look at Tony’s face. Her teeth clenched in frustration as she quickly decided to leave the room.
“Miss Stark,” Tony’s calm voice stopped her. He was facing away from her, but she could still hear the huskiness in his tone. “You should think carefully next time. You can’t just walk into a bachelor’s room like that.”
Myra’s heart pounded in her chest. She knew Tony misunderstood her, but she was too embarrassed to explain. Her nails dug into her palm as she rushed out of the room, trying to keep her head down.
As she passed the door, she saw Meow, who had been watching the entire scene. The dog’s innocent face made her flush even more. She couldn’t escape the embarrassment fast enough.
Behind her, Tony watched with a contemplative look in his eyes. He raised his hand, lightly caressing his lips, as if to trace the lingering memory of the kiss she had unintentionally left there.
At first, he hadn’t known why Myra had come to find him, but the sight of the lunch box had made everything click. He suspected it was Leo’s idea to send her. He had gone along with it, though it seemed to have turned into more than he expected… and now, it seemed he was the one who had ended up suffering.
Meow whined, pulling Tony’s attention back to the dog. Tony chuckled, the corners of his mouth curving up. As he scratched Meow’s head, the satisfaction was clear in his smile.
Meanwhile, Myra was outside, still shaken by what had just happened. She hurriedly took out her room key and fumbled with it, her hands trembling as she tried to unlock the door. After several attempts, she finally managed it. She rushed inside, locking the door behind her before leaning against it to catch her breath.
Her lips still carried the faint taste of Tony’s mint-and-tobacco scent, and before she could think more about it, she rushed to the bathroom. She squeezed toothpaste onto her toothbrush and scrubbed her teeth with a fury. She couldn’t shake the image of Tony from her mind. Why couldn’t she stop thinking about that cold, handsome face?
After rinsing her mouth, she scrubbed at her lips, trying to erase the feeling of his kiss. Her skin tingled, and she stopped only when it began to hurt.
Myra collapsed on her bed, eyes closed in frustration. She couldn’t believe what had happened.
The meeting was nearing its end. Over the past three days, the two companies had kept their new ideas under wraps, preparing to present them at the last possible moment. The secrecy meant that no discussions had been made, leaving Myra to focus on anything but the work at hand.
After what had happened on the first night, Myra didn’t leave her room after 8:00 PM. She steered clear of Tony, trying to suppress her emotions whenever they crossed paths. Luckily, Tony seemed to have returned to his usual cold self, and the awkwardness from that night didn’t come up again.
On the third night, the Hart Group hosted a banquet for their higher-ups, with Myra and the two senior employees from the Hay Group in attendance. Naturally, Myra had to be there too.
At the banquet, it was clear that someone had arranged the seating, as Myra ended up sitting on one side of Tony with Sasha on the other. It looked like an attempt to make business discussions easier, but Myra couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to it.
Since that night, Myra had intentionally avoided Tony. Whether it was a misunderstanding or not, his behavior had crossed a line, and she couldn’t stop feeling uneasy.
As she sat quietly next to him, she couldn’t help but watch as Sasha and Tony engaged in a lively conversation. Over the past few days, their relationship seemed to have evolved from polite exchanges to genuine camaraderie. They were even planning golf games and ski trips together.
When Tony lightly agreed to play golf with Sasha’s father, Myra’s brows furrowed in discomfort.
Seeing her expression, Tony raised an eyebrow, while Sasha noticed the shift in Myra’s mood. Sasha’s smile grew wider as she turned to Myra. “Myra, you should come with us too. The more the merrier. Besides, my dad hasn’t seen you and Sean in a while. You can join us and catch up with him.”
Sasha emphasized the word together, throwing a glance at Tony to gauge his reaction.
Myra wasn’t surprised by Sasha’s attempt to probe their relationship, but she wasn’t about to make things easier for her. “No need for that,” Myra replied with a tight smile. “You and Mr. Hart should have fun.”
Sasha’s grin widened, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “What are you talking about, Myra? My dad wants to play golf with Mr. Hart, but I don’t even know how to play. I’ll just watch the two of them enjoy themselves.”
It was clear to Myra that Sasha had an agenda, and the tension between her and Tony wasn’t helping. But Myra wasn’t ready to give Sasha any more fuel to fire her suspicions. She just kept silent, trying to ignore the growing discomfort in her chest.