“I would like to take a month off, and this is my application. Please pass it to Director Hart later.” Ivy took a glance at her application form with listless eyes, and a wry smile tinged the edges of her lips for a split second, but she recovered her composure again very quickly.
At first, Leo was surprised, but he understood it quickly and breathed a sigh of relief silently. With a curious look, he asked, “Where are you going?”
Taking a deep breath, she answered, “I’ll just go somewhere, anywhere, for a vacation.” As though something came into her mind, she smirked and added, “Looks like I’ll be missing Director Hart’s wedding, so you don’t have to send me the invitation.”
Seeing how she appeared to be defeated, Leo couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her. Sighing softly, he asked, “Did you straighten out your thoughts?”
With a sarcastic chuckle, she said, “What else can I do besides coming around about it? Am I going to cling on to him?” Staring at her application form which she had placed on Leo’s desk, she smiled bitterly. “Director Hart won’t fall for me even if I cling on to him, and someone needs to retreat before I fall out completely with him and you. I have to admit that I’ve lost, and while it’s true that I lost to Myra, I can’t send them my blessings.”
“Ivy—”
“Don’t try to advise me. It’s not that I can’t get over it, but I’m just reluctant to let go.” At this point, her eyes had already turned red, and she spun around before heading toward the elevator. “I’ll see you in a month, Leo.”
Let’s meet up in a month, he thought, chuckling wryly in his heart as he watched her walk away. Hopefully by then, you’ll return to the Ivy you used to be.
…
After his meeting in the afternoon, Tony left the office with Myra, but they didn’t take the car and were taking a walk together instead.
The weather in autumn was cool, and there weren’t many pedestrians outside because it was working hours. Thus, it was comfortable to be walking on the streets.
“Are we going somewhere nearby?” Myra asked casually. “We’re not even taking the car.”
Holding her hand, he raised his brows and asked, “You don’t want to take a walk with me?”
“Don’t try to change the topic. I’m just curious,” she said, casting him a glare from the corners of her eyes.
He chuckled softly, his laugh charming and alluring. Since he was good-looking and stood out in a crowd, many people turned their heads at them as they walked along the streets, attracting looks of admiration and envy.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, they stopped in front of a retro-looking store. Many different types of expensive fresh flowers decorated the first floor of the store stylishly without overcrowding the place. The entire store was very retro, and it wasn’t so big. In fact, it wasn’t even obvious that this was a florist.
Situated in the heart of the city, the store was located on a street behind a high-end apartment. So there weren’t many people passing by, and they were mostly dignified people who did without turning to look in curiosity at the store.
When she reached the store with Tony, Myra instantly understood why he had brought her here. “You set up a store for me?” she asked, her eyes gleaming as she gazed at the fresh flowers.
“What do you think? Do you like it?” he asked in a whisper next to her ear.
His voice was deep, and his breath hot, tingling her as it sent blood rushing to her ears. Spinning around, she hugged him around the waist and exclaimed, “I like it very much!”
Chuckling softly, he placed his arms around her. “That’s great. I was worried that you’ll be bored staying in my office all the time, but you can come here if you do. There’s already a florist and security officer working here, so you can just stay on the second floor to do your stuff.”
Then, he led her into the store holding her waist, and sure enough, a florist was arranging some fresh flowers, and a security officer was sitting on a chair in a corner.
Seeing them, both the security officer and florist came over and greeted, “Hello, Director Hart.”
Composedly, Tony acknowledged them and pointed at Myra with his chin, saying, “She’s your boss from now onward, Miss Myra.”
“Hello, Miss Myra,” they greeted her.
Feeling a little embarrassed, she smiled at them and replied, “It’s okay. You don’t have to be bothered by us. Just do your job.”
Since they both had already been briefed before, they spread out and continued with their job while Tony brought Myra upstairs.
Upstairs had also been nicely decorated. Although it wasn’t spacious, it was very cozy. Thick carpet covered every inch of the floor and fresh, green plants could be seen everywhere as the sunlight poured through the balcony windows, giving the space a cozy and romantic touch.
“The workers downstairs have been briefed earlier. Without your permission, they won’t come up here to disturb you, and neither will they allow anyone here. Once I’m done with work, I’ll give you a call and come pick you up to go home together.”
The phrase “going home together” struck Myra as extraordinarily satisfying and warm. Touched, she smiled and said, “I love this place!”
It was clear that Tony had given it a lot of thought; without so many people around here, she wouldn’t be disturbed, but neither would she be isolated from the crowd. While this place was quiet, it didn’t feel lonely.
“So from now onward, will you be placing the orders for the fresh flowers in your office from my store, Director Hart?” Myra asked mischievously.
Bursting into laughter, he kissed her eyes which were crinkled from her smile and said in a serious tone, “Will you give me a discount?”
Pretending to hesitate, she then said, “Well, I’ll still have to show my respect to Director Hart, so I’ll give you a twenty percent discount. What do you think?”
“I’ll pay double the price so that the lady boss will do the delivery personally. What do you think?”
“In your dreams!” she said, casting him a look.
Then, he kissed her on the lips softly, as gentle as the wind. It was just a simple, lingering kiss, and he released her after a while.
Blushing, she buried her head into his chest, murmuring, “The happiness I’m feeling recently is so intense. It almost feels like a dream.”
“Yeah. If it’s a dream, then I’ll be waking up together with you,” he whispered, stroking her long hair.
Suddenly, his cell phone started ringing, and he picked up the call after glancing at the caller ID. Although Myra didn’t know what was said on the call and Tony’s expression remained the same, she saw a sharp light flashing in his eyes for a split second.
After he ended the call, she asked in concern, “What is it? Did something happen?”
His eyes narrowed as he replied, “The Walton Group recently just snatched two of Hart Group’s important projects.”
“What?!” Myra exclaimed, shocked.
Patting her assuringly on the shoulder, he said, “It’s alright. The Walton Family had just arrived in Bradfort, and they need to establish prestige and an image for themselves.” With this, many companies would approach the Walton Family. After all, the situation was a little unpleasant between the Waltons and the Harts previously, and the Waltons had to let people see what they were capable of, or else it would be difficult for them to get a firm foothold in Bradfort.
“Then what are you going to do?” There was some bad history between the two families, so had the Waltons decided to bring everything down with this? Having just arrived in Bradfort and offended the Harts, what made the Waltons so confident that their future undertakings would be smooth here?
“I’m not doing anything. Let them have it,” Tony replied calmly with raised eyebrows.
“You…” Her words trailed off as she scrutinized the man in front of her, having a hunch that he already had a plan in his mind as he wasn’t a man to be walked over.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine if the Waltons don’t play any tricks. But if they do, I don’t even need to intervene,” he assured with a soft smile and narrowed eyes. Leading her downstairs, he added, “You don’t have to worry about the Waltons. All you have to do is take care of your store quietly.”
Seeing that he seemed to have a clear plan of action, Myra stopped worrying because she knew that with his abilities, there was no way he would be the one to lose out.
…
In the hospital, Gemma could finally calm down recently, but her grandfather, Edward, had arranged a few blind dates for her.
