The thunderstorm had been raging for the better part of the night. Heather tossed and turned in bed, the premonition that something bad would happen creeping beneath her ribcage like an itch that would not go away. She bolted upright in bed as the thunder rumbled overhead and in the violent flicker of lightnight, she remembered a specific moment of her childhood in which she had braced the horrors of a storm alone.
She got down from bed and pulled on her robe before shuffling over to the window. Upon drawing back a fraction of the curtain, she saw that the scene she once thought was terrifying no longer scared her, but her heart clenched with her old, inexplicable fear of thunderstorms.
Heather wondered how the weather would look and whether all would go well tomorrow. Gazing out the window absentmindedly, she suddenly felt fatigue wash over her as she thought about how things had turned sour within the short span of time since her return home.
A hard look passed over her face. She didn’t know if fate was challenging or toying with her, but she couldn’t recall the last time she had tasted defeat. It was ironic how everyone else around her thought she had it easy.
Alas, who was fortunate enough to say that life was a cabaret? In the past, she had chosen to take the easy way out as long as she had the results she wanted. After all, why should she endure the veritable hardship in order to achieve anything?
It had been a while since she evaluated herself. The phobia that had cast its roots deep within her was her dirty secret that threatened to consume her.
She had been careful to keep it under wraps, terrified that someone else could find out—not even Myra knew, although there was a time when she had asked about it. Heather had been far too proud to show so much as a crack in her perfect facade, so she never told the other girl about the secret that was eating away at her.
There were many memories that Heather hated to recall. No one knew about the bullet holes she bore in her past or how imperfect she truly was. As she burrowed back into bed, she mused at how frequently she had been revisiting her past. Nostalgia marks the aging of the soul.
Indeed, she was no longer the young woman she used to be. Now, she barreled toward one of her many first crises in adult life and along with it came melancholia. Her old self would have been occupied with a schedule that was planned down to the last minute, but things were different now. She was beginning to understand the importance of keeping oneself busy—it was the only way to suppress all unnecessary thoughts.
The next morning, she hurried to Safford House after breakfast and was pleasantly surprised to find Matthias standing outside the entrance. Time management was something that she deemed important and it was clear to see that he had abided by this notion.
Matthias, on the other hand, had been waiting for her by the front door and upon seeing her, he quickly paced over to greet her. It was only then that she began to second-guess her decision to bring him along to this meeting without first giving a heads-up to the Saffords. She wondered whether they would think poorly of his sudden appearance.
“Shall we go in?” he asked as he gestured toward the humble-looking villa. He had seen the look of hesitation that flickered over her features.
“Remember—to them, you are my business partner,” Heather said sternly. She wasn’t sure how things would turn out if he truly were to assume such an identity.
“Don’t worry. I promise I’ll be invested in my role,” Matthias replied assuringly.
However, unbeknownst to her, he had already prepared for the visit beforehand. Josiah was someone whom Matthias knew extremely well, even more so than Heather. Coincidentally, Josiah had owed the Locke Family a favor and he would have to return it today.
At the thought of this arrangement, Matthias grinned wickedly. Josiah had agreed to collude with him after their phone conversation earlier that morning, although something like this would naturally be kept secret from her.
He would have to put up an act alongside Josiah during the meeting later. There was nothing he would not do and no effort that he would not put in, just to get what he wanted.
Being fresh out of campus, Heather was not as well-versed in such tactics as Matthias was. She was completely oblivious to what he had done behind her back while he had taken every precaution against her and did everything he could to make sure things would work out in his favor.
The both of them then stepped forward and Matthias was the first to ring the doorbell, which was chivalrous of him. He was dressed in a meticulous white suit today, looking like the perfect picture of kindness.
He could easily deceive anyone with that pretty face of his for as long as his wicked smile was kept at bay. Heather was used to seeing his devious, roguish side and now she was taken aback by how innocent he looked.
If she had to draw comparisons, his features were just as handsome as Tony’s, although he carried himself differently from the latter. While the majority preferred Tony’s masculinity, Matthias’ delicate, boyish charm would undoubtedly become irresistible to girls who liked a challenge.
After all, he had a strong chin and a delicately chiseled face that made him look as though he had stepped out from a painting. The longer one took in his features, the better they looked. While she had never appraised him too closely, she couldn’t help but sneak a couple more glances now that they were standing side by side.
When he turned to look at her, he flashed a smile that reminded her of warm sunshine, making it hard for her to break her gaze. He had always seemed so menacing and devious, but now he looked every bit the golden boy and she swore she could feel the warmth radiating from him.
The door then creaked open to reveal Paige standing on the other side of the threshold. Heather was mildly surprised to see her, but she shrugged it off when she realized that it was the weekend. Matthias, on the other hand, maintained a courteous smile on his face.
Meanwhile, Paige was surprised to see the both of them standing on the doorstep. She had only just read about their alleged scandal in the paper yesterday, and now they were right before her.
“I’m sorry about yesterday,” Heather said politely.
“That’s alright. Come on in,” Paige replied enthusiastically and beckoned her in. She did not dare to look at Matthias. He was much more handsome in person than she had imagined.
Upon entering the house, he saw Josiah reading the finance column in the paper and went up to greet him. “I’m sorry for being here without notice.” He feigned a sense of humility as he said those words.
Josiah’s gaze was a meaningful one as he regarded the younger man and after the both of them exchanged a knowing look, they resumed the pretense of a first meeting.
Heather appeared even more perfunctory as she quickly interjected, “He’s one of my business partners and he told me he would very much like to meet both of you today. Please excuse me for making such last-minute changes to our arrangement.”
The both of them were so courteous with their greeting that the Saffords began to grow flustered. They didn’t expect those two important people to be so modest.
Wanting to break the ice in the room, Paige hastily invited them to take their seats, although she couldn’t help but mirror their courtesy as she responded, “Please, there’s no need to be so formal with us. It would only make us look like complete tyrants.”
While they might have seemed polite on the surface, each of them was harboring dark thoughts of their own. Paige and Heather sat on one side of the upholstery while Matthias took the seat across from theirs, smiling as he did so. Josiah’s gaze would flicker to him every once in a while and when she noticed it, Heather simply brushed it off as curiosity on the older man’s part.
However, Paige had noticed this too and it struck her as odd that her father, who was not a curious man by nature, was constantly appraising Matthias.
It made her take a few more glances at Matthias and she found herself liking him even more. She blushed and chided herself for having such thoughts. She had read about the scandal between him and Heather, after all. He was somebody untouchable and only Heather could match his standards.
After reading the news yesterday, Paige had been sure that Heather would never fall for him, but their presence today had proved her wrong. She grew sullen at her own misjudgment and the abrupt shift in her expression stoked Heather’s curiosity.
Once they had settled down, he was the first to break the silence, taking out a folder from his briefcase as he said, “I’ve brought with me today a rough copy of our business proposal. You may take a look if you’re interested.”
Heather shot a surprised look at Matthias. She had brought along a detailed proposal as well, but she did not plan on showing it to Paige and Josiah before they agreed to a partnership.
What was more mind-boggling was the fact that Heather had never told Matthias much about her proposal in the first place, so how would he have known to come up with one on his own?
Needless to say, his bold move made her uneasy. Has he always been this audacious? Doesn’t he think he’s crossing a line here? She bristled and glanced at the proposal. He had only prepared one and he was handing that copy to Josiah.
Trying to remain composed, she shot Matthias a dark look, as though telling him that she was unhappy with how he had failed to consult her beforehand. Next to her, Paige was quietly observing their silent interaction and she found herself getting inexplicably upset.
She never thought she would be drawn to someone at first sight. She was wistful as she peeked at Matthias and lamented over how she could not call a handsome man like him her own; he had belonged to someone else, namely Heather.
As of now, the four of them were quiet. The only sound that filled the space was the rustling of paper as Josiah flipped through the proposal. While the man perused the pages, Matthias subtly gave Heather a placating look, as if telepathically asking her to be patient.
Meanwhile, she was furious with him, but she had kept such a calm, patient front that not even Paige could tell she had lost her temper.
She didn’t know whether he was trying to help Heather or muck things up for her and she grew antsy as she watched Josiah turn the pages. Even if they managed to humor the Saffords with the proposal, she wasn’t sure whether she would be expected to follow through with everything written on it.
Time ticked by and after what felt like a long moment, he finally handed the proposal back to Matthias.
Much to Paige and Heather’s astonishment, Josiah agreed to the offer. “It’s an honor for me to be acknowledged by both of you. I won’t have much to offer at this old age of mine, but I would be more than willing to help with the back end of the business.”
He was a proud man who was set in his ways and persuading him was no easy feat. The business proposal that had brought about such a rare occasion piqued Paige’s interest, although she could not summon the courage to ask Matthias for a copy. Little did she know that he had no intention to hand her the proposal. He was only putting on a show, after all, and Josiah happened to be his co-star.
Presently, the hardest part of the meeting was over and everything ended on a pleasant note. Heather was about to leave with Matthias in tow when she turned and asked him for the proposal. He merely chuckled and handed her the folder. When he proceeded to open her car door, she gave him a quizzical look.
He was forthcoming and thick-skinned as he explained, “I asked the chauffeur to drop me off this morning, and he left after that. I’m afraid I’ll have to hitch a ride with you, Miss Langston.”
She made no retort and slid into the passenger seat of the car, her head bent as she scanned through the proposal. How cunning of him, she thought as she perused the pages. He had kept the terms vague and the ambiguity allowed her to do whatever she liked in the future.
Matthias was maneuvering the vehicle down the road when Heather placed the proposal down and remarked, “It’s amazing how you’ve managed to persuade Josiah with such a proposal.” She was doubtful of him and she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hiding something; she had seen how Josiah’s eyes darkened with implication when he looked at Matthias in the Safford House.
“The ends justify the means, don’t you think? If you don’t mind, we’ll be driving back to Locke Group. I believe there’s an agreement that awaits both our signatures,” Matthias replied smoothly, raising a brow in amusement.
Of course he would bring that up. She heaved a sigh of resignation. She had promised to sign the agreement yesterday and it would be a bad look on her if she were to go back on her word. I wonder if I can come up with an excuse right now, she thought with mute despair. As they rode in silence, the roguish grin on his face broadened.
