Chapter 3 I Heard Miss Stark Was Married?

• Myra stiffened slightly at the warmth that radiated from his palm. "Director Hart..." she muttered but trailed off awkwardly.
• There was nothing uncommon about accidental stumbles and shoves in an elevator and she ought not to overreact, but his hand...
• He had not bothered to spare her a glance until he turned his head and saw that he was still holding onto her waist. He briefly gazed at her before retracting his hand; his face was still as impassive as before.
• He secretly clenched his fist to feel the palm which had touched Myra's waist. The secret action was invisible to anyone else It seemed that he was still tasting and cherishing the feeling as he touched her.
• It was as though everyone in the elevator was holding their breath. Since no one was saying anything, Myra decided to keep quiet as well until the elevator arrived on their floor.
• Upon exiting the lift, Tilly cast a wistful look at the closed doors and brought her hand up to her chest as though she needed to calm herself. "Like I said—dreamboats like him are meant to be admired from afar. I don't think my heart can take it if I were to stand close to an iceberg like him everyday."
• Myra managed a small smile, but the image of the man's piercing gaze as he turned to look at her flashed in her mind. She shook her head before she led Tilly toward the Project Department in Hart Group.
• Meanwhile, the elevator continued to make its way up the building. When it arrived on their floor, the other men hastily shuffled out.
• Leo, Tony's secretary, pressed on the button that was designated for a higher floor. He then turned to look at Tony, whereupon he suddenly squealed in surprise.
• Upon seeing Leo's expression, Tony followed his gaze and glanced down at his white shirt. A pale lipstick stain had been embossed on his shirtfront, looking very much like a pale rose in bloom.
• "Director Hart..." Leo trailed off as he anxiously eyed the man. As Director Hart was a germaphobe, women were not even allowed within a one meter radius of him, let alone stumble into his hug like the lady earlier.
• Tony seemed impervious as he looked at him and ordered, "Go and find out what those two women are doing here in Hart Group."
• "What about your shirt, sir?"
• Tony ignored him as he grazed his thumb over the lipstick stain on his shirt. With an inscrutable look on his face, he walked out of the elevator.
• A speechless Leo watched as Tony glanced at his own hand with what appeared to be an almost wistful expression. He thought about how Tony told him to hold the elevator doors earlier on and something amazing suddenly clicked in his mind. Who were those two ladies earlier?
• Given that it was Myra's first time presenting the initial draft to Hart Group, she did not think that she could exclude other competitors yet. After greeting Logan, who was the project manager, Tilly and she returned to Chase Group.
• She thought it would take at least a few days to receive a response from Chase Group, but to her surprise, she got a call from manager Logan that afternoon.
• On the other line, Logan sounded courteous as he said, "Miss Stark, Director Hart will be personally in charge of the Sunny Bay Project. He has seen your draft and he would like to meet you to discuss the details of this project."
• Upon hearing that, she was stunned. There are numerous projects under the Hart Group—how did the director end up being in charge of the Sunny Bay Project?
• "Mr. Logan," she began, then paused for a while before she continued from where she left off. "Thank you for your time and consideration, Mr. Logan. Please allow me to return the favor on behalf of the Chase Group."
• The moment Mr. Logan heard her reply, he was worried that he could have misled her and quickly answered, "You don't have to. Mr. Clark just happened to tell me that Director Hart would be free tonight. Don't let this opportunity slip away, Miss Stark."
• The Sunny Bay Project was under the Hart Group development and it was a hot topic since the beginning of the year. As Chase Group had only entered the real estate industry two years ago, securing a project of that size would speak volumes of their achievement.
• With that in mind, Myra agreed to meet with the director at the Ritz Carlton Hotel later tonight so that they could discuss the design she submitted before she ended the call.
• Tilly was occupied with her own duties after returning to the office and Elsie had been missing in action since noon. Myra had tried calling Elsie, but it was to no avail. She finally gave up and grabbed the design folder before heading to the parking lot.
• Logan was already waiting for her when she arrived at the Ritz Carlton that evening.
• Upon seeing her, he warmly welcomed her into the private room, his attitude bordering on obsequiousness.
• "Good evening, Miss Stark. Director Hart is already waiting in the private dining room. Please come in. "
• Myra was still confused as she entered the lounge. When she heard the door being closed, she turned to see that Logan had not followed her in.
• "Take a seat," said a voice from somewhere ahead. It was deep and articulate, akin to how the last string on the cello would sound.
• Myra turned around and noticed Tony was sitting alone at the dining table.
• He was not wearing any suit jacket while his tie was loosened and the cuffs of his white shirt were rolled up. He looked more relaxed, which was a stark contrast against his formal facade in the lift earlier that day. A cigarette was clasped between his fingers and he lit it up with the lighter in his free hand. There was a spark and before long, his chiseled features were swathed in a thin cloud of smoke.
• "Director Hart, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
• Myra had thought that others from the Hart Group would be present in the meeting. She even ran through all the answers that she would have given to the possible questions. As it turned out, Tony was the only one she would be facing today.
• She gave a polite smile and pulled the chair across from him, growing anxious as her gaze swept over the dishes laid out on the table.
• Myra would not have felt nervous if she had someone to accompany him. It was inexplicably intimidating to face Tony alone. There was an intensity behind his eyes, compelling one to bare their soul before him.
• "Director Hart, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Myra, the Leader of Team A in the Design Department in Chase Group. I'm also in charge of the procurement of the Sunny Bay Project and this was the initial blueprint that I came up with. You may take a look, if you please." Following her introduction, she slid the draft to him.
• She had only just lifted her hand off the drawing when he suddenly looked up and the smoke rings he blew covered her face.
• Myra coughed because of the smoke. Then, she brought her gaze to him, and upon seeing those dark orbs fixed on her, she shrank into her seat in mild embarrassment.
• Tony scanned the drawing with an unreadable expression; any thought that he had remained as elusive as his person. After a long silence, she watched as he pushed the drawing to one side of the table.
• He looked regal as he tilted his head in an assessing manner; his jawline looked all the more chiseled from that angle. "I hear that you're married, Miss Stark. Is that true?" he asked suddenly, catching her off guard.