Standing Before Love (Myra and Sean)

Chapter 419

On the way to the restaurant, Heather and Nikolai held hands and engaged in cheerful banter.

Matthias, on the other hand, was sullen as he trudged along behind them. He felt as if he was caught in

the middle and he could neither interject nor ignore them. It wasn’t as though he could pull Heather

away from his own cousin—that would look bad on him, not to mention unreasonably rude.

Upon entering the Italian restaurant, Heather and Nikolai sat on one side of the table, while Matthias

took the seat across from theirs. He eyed them darkly as he grumbled to himself, Is she always this

chummy with the people she’s interested in?

Throwing her a disgruntled look, Matthias could tell that she was shedding the presence in front of

Nikolai. When the waiter came to give them the menu, the latter looked up and upon seeing the baleful

gleam in his cousin’s eyes, he quickly widened the gap between Heather and himself.

He slid the menu toward her and said courteously, “Miss Heather, you can have the menu.” There was

a slight note of reverence in his voice and he had an endearing, boyish charm about him.

Heather narrowed her eyes and flashed him an unassuming smile. “I think you may have mistaken

something, Nikolai.” She didn’t like how he had addressed her so formally. He seems to believe that

there really is something going on between me and Matthias.

However, just as she was about to explain, Matthias cleared his throat and cut her off, then pulled his

chair over so that he could sit next to her. She cringed when he proceeded to wrap an arm around her

shoulders and she bristled at their sudden close proximity. Seemingly ignorant of her discomfort,

Matthias said close to her ear, “Go on; order what you like.” Anyone who saw them would think they

were a couple.

Upon seeing this, Nikolai scooted over to the chair on the other side of the table, looking wounded the

whole time. Matthias noticed this and immediately felt his heart clench with remorse. He hadn’t wanted

to keep up the act in front of Nikolai, but he was left with no choice now that the latter had developed

actual feelings for Heather. Deceiving him was the only way to convince him that she was already

taken, and only then would he stop pining for her.

“Don’t touch me,” Heather hissed through gritted teeth, completely distracted by the unwanted skinship.

Her shoulder tingled where Matthias’ hand was gripping her and she squirmed, wanting to nudge her

elbow into his ribs.

The both of them were bickering under their breath. Nikolai lowered his head at the sight of this, feeling

sorry for himself as he prayed for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

Matthias managed a nonchalant smile as he restored the gap between them, then murmured softly

next to her ear, “I hear that you’re planning to set up your own enterprise. If you play along, I promise

you that the Locke Group will be your very first client.”

He knew that the only way to tempt a woman like Heather was to offer her something worthwhile and

profitable. After all, the reason behind all her shenanigans was so that she could start her own

business and make a name for herself in Bradfort City.

Presently, she turned to look at him in surprise. She wasn’t sure how he had come to know of her plans

but she had to admit that his offer was an incredibly tempting and valid one. He was driving a hard

bargain.

“Deal,” she agreed after regaining her composure. It would be silly of her to turn down a potential

partnership. As far as she was concerned, it was all about what she could gain at the end of the day.

“But—” she added as she lowered her voice. She didn’t want Nikolai to overhear their conversation and

after she had paused for dramatic effect, she continued, “—I want to know why you’re so protective of

Nikolai. Is he someone important to you?” It was imperative for her to figure out the relationship

between them before this day came to an end.

“He’s my cousin,” Matthias answered forthrightly. He knew that he had to tell her the truth if he wanted

her cooperation and even if he didn’t, he was sure that she would find out on her own eventually,

seeing as she was already curious enough to ask. He knew better than to underestimate her sleuthing

abilities.

Heather hummed in surprise and she broke into a grin. Aside from the promise of a business deal, she

had also acquired the information she needed, essentially killing two birds with one stone.

Looks like I’m getting more than I have bargained for out of this lunch, she thought as she

congratulated herself on having such brilliant wit. Things were taking an interesting turn in Bradfort City

now that the Locke Group had infiltrated the market. She didn’t know what might happen after this but

she looked forward to it all the same.

Just then, Nikolai raised his voice unconsciously as he unhappily shouted, “Waiter!”

Matthias and Heather pulled away from each other when they heard this, and they regarded him with

puzzled expressions as they straightened in their seats.

He flashed them an apologetic look after realizing that he had interrupted them by bellowing for the

waiter. He hadn’t meant to do so but frustration got the better of him and in that moment, it was as if

something in him snapped.

When the unsuspecting waiter came to their table, he was forced to bear the brunt of Nikolai’s rage.

“Your service is absolutely terrible! Do you know how long we’ve been calling for a waiter? What took

you so long to come and take our orders?”

The poor waiter blinked at him, bewildered that such a fine-looking young man could be so

temperamental.

While this was happening, Heather was amused as she watched Nikolai throw a fit. He reminded her of

Matthias in his younger days. They’re exactly the same, she mused to herself. Matthias used to always

sulk and throw tantrums whenever she and Myra hung out, and he would pull all sorts of gimmicks to

try and get the other girl’s attention.

Cousins, indeed! She appraised Nikolai, then Matthias. The former lowered his head when he met her

eyes, looking like a schoolboy who had just been lectured.

She remembered how much she had disliked Matthias because of his tendency to throw hissy fits. He

had been so self-centered and emotional, like a child who refused to grow up and face the world. Her

impression of him carried over the years and it was no wonder she found it hard to like him even in the

present.

Nikolai, on the other hand, was much younger than her. She saw him as nothing more than a junior, to

whom she did not attach any specific sentiment. To her, she was supposed to be more tolerant of his

tantrum by virtue of the fact that she was older than him.

It wasn’t long after Nikolai had lashed out at the waiter that the food was served. While Heather had

only ordered pasta for herself, the men filled their carnivorous appetites with steaks.

She dug into her meal with effortless elegance, her posture and etiquette flawless. Matthias had spent

years looking up to her and tried to emulate the same grace with which she carried herself.

However, it was only after he was juxtaposed with her that he realized he lacked the natural-born

aristocratic grace that she had. After all, she had been living like a princess from the very moment she

was born, while he had had to endure hardships in his childhood, however temporary that might have

been.

The three of them were quiet as they ate their meal, and the only audible sounds were those of their

chewing. The lunch lasted for over an hour and they took their time as any proper lady and gentleman

of high society would. Intermittently, they would lift their glasses and all seemed well between them.

When they left the restaurant, Nikolai insisted on returning to the office alone so that Matthias could

drop Heather home. Seeing as Nikolai was so determined to leave on his own, Heather did not try to

persuade him to come along with them this time. She was content with all that she had gotten out of

her excursion today.

Heather looked so pleased on the way home and it was clear that she was painfully unaware of all the

terrible things Matthias had done.

As the car pulled up in front of the chateau-like structure that was the Langston Residence, Matthias

got down from the vehicle and opened the door for her in a show of chivalry. If they were going on with

the act, then he might as well go all the way and be a gentleman.

He was even more determined to put on a decent front now that they had arrived at the Langston

Residence and if he could somehow get past the threshold, then it would be the icing on the cake.

As if reading his thoughts, Heather suppressed a smirk as she glanced over at him. “Don’t tell me

you’re actually angling to get into my house,” she mused, the snide tone of her voice implying that she

had done her part for the day and did not want to be pestered by him any longer.

He shrugged. “I might not go through those doors today but it’s only a matter of time before I pay your

family a visit.” Matthias was not affected by the subtext of her words and he wasn’t one to back down

easily; he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.

With a resigned smile, she graciously admitted defeat this time and did not waste another breath on

arguing with him. Besides, it wasn’t as though she had not gained anything out of this ridiculous

charade.

She gazed at him steadily and the contempt was clear in her eyes—she would not back down that

easily either. “Well, then; we’ll wait for the day you decide to visit us, Director Locke.”“On behalf of the

Locke Group, we look forward to working with the Langston Group in the near future. If it isn’t too much

to ask of you, Miss Langston, I do hope that you would put in a good word for me to Chairman

Langston,” Matthias said perfunctorily, as though he was genuinely excited for the business

partnership.

“I’m afraid you’re asking the wrong person, Director Locke. My words carry little weight in the Langston

Group,” Heather countered, having no interest in furthering his ambitions.

On the contrary, if one were to speak of a partnership with the Hart Group, she would be more than

willing to help out. It would be the most ideal situation for her family to work together with the Hart

Group, seeing as they would complement each other well.

She had done her research on the Locke Group too and while she had considered the value of the Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

corporation as a whole, they were still the Langston Group’s competitors nonetheless, and the strife

between them outweighed the benefits of a partnership.

Even if she were to allow the possibility of a collaboration, she knew that the Locke Group could not

complement them as well as the Hart Group would. The wheels in Heather’s mind turned rapidly as

she evaluated the pros and cons of working together with either one of them.

Given that she could only choose one, she began to consider the importance of maintaining good

terms with the Hart Group, who happened to be rivals with the Locke Group.

“Everyone knows that Chairman Langston trusts you the most,” Matthias pointed out, finding ways to

keep her from going into the front door. He wanted to make his presence known.

If she won’t let me follow her into the house, then I’ll keep the conversation going out here. Old Master

Langston will surely hear about this one way or another.

“Look—I really have to go in right now. There’s a time and place for everything, and I don’t make it a

habit to take a business meeting on my doorstep,” she snapped irritably. Who knows what the maids in

the house might think if they saw me talking to him?

“How could you be so heartless after clinging onto me for the whole of last night?” Matthias feigned a

wounded look as he teased her.

Heather’s face paled when she heard this. She ought to throttle him for saying something like that on

the doorstep of the Langston Residence. She glowered at him murderously. She would never partner

up with him and she would do everything she could to get in his way instead.

She was resolute in returning Matthias the favor. If a partnership with the Langston Group was what he

had hoped for, then she would let him get a taste of devastation.

“Are you done? If you are, I suggest you get out of my sight this instant!” Heather hissed, no longer

playing nice. She wanted to slap the scoundrel hard across his smarmy face.

“You’re just as feisty as I expected,” Matthias remarked as he opened the car door for himself. She felt

anger thrumming in her veins when she registered the smug look on his face.

Heather would never forgive him for what he had done to her that morning, and she vowed to teach

him a lesson for messing with her.

He flashed her a wicked smile and pulled out a small gift box from his coat pocket. He had chosen this

gift for her personally.

“To make up for my behavior today, I got you a gift.” Matthias shoved it into her hand and quickly

entered the car, thereafter speeding off, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake.

Frowning, Heather glanced down at the box in her hand, sickened by how he had given her a gift right

after he had offended her.

Without sparing the gift another thought, she tossed it to the maid who had opened the door for her and

said, “Here; you can keep this.” Heather didn’t want Matthias’ gift and she wouldn’t so much as spare a

glance at it.

It wasn’t until much later that she regretted handing the box over to the maid—if she could have

foreseen how things would turn out, she would have thrown that box into the trash at the very first

opportunity.