Standing Before Love (Myra and Sean)

As if feeling Myra's gaze on him, he flinched ever so slightly as he was holding the golf club. Turning to hand it over to an employee, he nodded at the middle-aged man next to him and headed toward Myra's direction.

Myra could see that he was coming over, but her eyes fell upon a woman standing beside him who was holding a warm towel in her hands.

The woman was no stranger to her; she was Belle Bridgers, the daughter of the middle-aged man standing next to Tony, Director Bridgers. She had just returned from studying abroad in the United States. Myra knew exactly what was going on from the way the woman's eyes twinkled as she looked up at Tony when he had holed the ball earlier. It was even a little uncomfortable to watch.

It wasn't until Tony arrived before her that she recovered from her thoughts. Looking at him, she asked hesitantly, "Am I... interrupting something?"

Tony stared back at her, his eyes steady.

He knew all too well about what had happened after she left his office in the morning. Her eyes were filled to the brim with hurt and misery, and he knew that she was here because she needed a favor. He said, "Since you're already here, it's pointless to say all that, Miss Stark."

She couldn't make out his state of mind from his tone. Earlier on her ride to the golf club, she was contemplating whether to discreetly ask for his help if he was in a good mood, but...

"Director Hart, I need your help for something. I received a call earlier at Hart Group—"

"Myra-" Tony interrupted before she could finish.

She froze. Tony's eyes narrowed, staring at her with an unreadable look in his eyes. Noticing the way she looked back at himself in shock, he explained, "I don't know if you've heard about this, but you can be quite boring sometimes."

Myra's expression stiffened a little as she chewed on her bottom lip, realizing that she was being watched by a beautiful, graceful woman from a distance.

She forced a small smile. "I guess... I really am interrupting something here. If that's the case... I'll talk to you some other day," she said and turned to leave, but the look of unwavering stubbornness was still written on her face.

"Can you play golf?" Tony's sudden query stopped her in her tracks.

Myra turned back, startled. Looking into his eyes, there was a hint of incomprehensible darkness which quickly disappeared. He reverted back to his usual, nonchalant demeanor. Seeing that she was unresponsive, he asked again, "Can you play golf?"

Myra shook her head.

Due to the longstanding resentment she had toward Cameron since childhood, she strongly hated every hobby that he had; naturally, she didn't want to learn any of them.

Tony shoved his hands in his pockets. Standing on the neatly trimmed grass, the gentle caress of the sunlight greatly complimented his charming appearance. He said softly, "Join me for some golf briefly, and we can talk about it later."

"But..." Myra tugged at her lips, glancing again at the woman who was now looking rather impatient. "I can't play..."

"In that case, you'll have to learn." Tony started walking back to the golf course. "Isn't it fair for me to boost my mood before hearing what you have to say?"

Myra watched as he went further and further away. She gritted her teeth. Then again, no one was as blunt and forthright as her when it came to asking for help! Before long, an employee came over and guided her to the changing rooms.

By the time she finished changing, Tony had already finished another round of golf. He was standing by the side, talking to Director Bridgers about something in hushed tones.

Belle, who was not far away, was staring at Tony admiringly with her perfect, round eyes. She handed him something to which he politely rejected, and she put on an annoyed pout. Myra's arrival instantly invited stares from the group of people.

Changing into a set of youthful sports attire, she suddenly went from a professional office lady to looking like a college student. Strands of hair which fell out of her high ponytail rested atop the visor on her forehead, highlighting the beauty of her eyes. Her glossy skin-clean from any residue of makeup-was fresh, dainty, and even a little flushed. As she walked past the people around, her face glowed a light shade of pink.

A trace of warmth surfaced in Tony's eyes as he took a glance at her petite little face. Then, he nodded at Director Bridgers. "Director Bridgers, I hope you don't mind my friend joining us."

Director Bridger's eyes curved cordially, fully aware of who Tony was referring to. His eyes cautiously darted to his daughter and back before he nodded with a smile. "Of course. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine."

Hearing her cue, Myra approached the group. She greeted the Director politely, "Director Bridgers."

The woman standing before the Director seemed familiar, but he couldn't recall her identity. Turning to Tony, he asked courteously, "May I know who..."

"She is Miss Stark, Senior Designer of Chase Group. She's also in charge of the design for Hart Group's Sunny Bay Project this time round."

"Ah, so that's why she looked familiar-it's Miss Stark, the great designer herself. I've heard that Miss Stark is unbelievably talented, unlike my daughter Belle who knows nothing." Director Bridgers tactfully mentioned his daughter and pulled her closer by her arm. The gesture which sounded like a grumble was contradicting the pampering look in his eyes. "Belle, Miss Stark is an excellent example for you." Belle, who was abruptly shoved in front of Tony, stole bashful looks at him. On the other hand, she was careful when it came to Myra as she eyed the latter warily.

Myra knew that she wasn't wanted there by the two. Despite feeling slightly uneasy, she answered, "You're too kind, Director Bridgers."

Probably sensing her awkwardness, Tony patted lightly on her shoulder. "You should go and get some help from the instructor. I have something to discuss with the Director here, then I'll come over soon." Myra quickly nodded and went to a quieter area after bidding farewell to Director Bridgers.

On the other hand, Tony watched as she left, wearing the faintest smile on his face.

Even though Tony had purposefully tried to maintain his distance with Myra, Director Bridgers could tell right away that there was something unusual going on between the two. This man was the director of Hart Group, after all! Remembering the reason he had invited Tony today, Director Bridgers was a little unhappy about where this was going. Nevertheless, he could only keep his thoughts inside and maintained all smiles as he continued the conversation with Tony. Masking his hidden intentions beneath a seemingly ambiguous question, he asked, "You seem to get along with that lady quite well, Tony. Are you two..."

The rest of the question was understood.

Tony didn't seem to notice Belle's expression, which had taken a dark turn after hearing her father. His eyebrows rose and a surprised look filled his face. "Was she being that obvious?"

Director Bridgers tensed at his response; he knew that Tony was messing around with him. Nonetheless, he couldn't admit out loud that the woman was being too obvious if he did so, wouldn't he be digging his own grave for intentionally taking his own daughter out to meet this man?

Belle noticed that her father wasn't pleased with the situation. However, she was already smitten by the man before her. Back when she had heard about Tony from others, she'd assumed that he was just another rich man who lived on inherited wealth. Upon seeing him in person today, she came to realize that none of those young masters from well-off families in Bradfort City could ever come close to this man. Moreover, seeing that Tony was well-respected even amongst the older generation of corporate bigshots was enough for her to fall in love with him. She quickly chimed in and said, "Dad, Miss Stark is a designer for Hart Group now; naturally, she has to respect her boss. Isn't it the same for you in our family business?"