During this period, Heather looked at Myra from time to time. The atmosphere around the table was strange, giving her a sense of foreboding. The gaze that Myra returned was intriguing, as well—it made her feel uneasy.
After lunch, as everyone sat around the table chatting, Heather glanced down at the time on her cell phone with a slight frown. Noting the movement, Myra realized that she could not keep Heather any longer, for lunch had already used up quite a bit of Heather’s time.
Meanwhile, the clock read 2.00 PM. It was time for Heather to be at work. After dithering for a long moment, Heather decided to be direct and opened her mouth to tell Myra, “I have to go to work, so I’m taking my leave.”
As it was, Heather rarely got to visit Hart Residence and had no wish to leave so hastily, but time did not permit her to linger. With a slight nod of her head, Myra responded, “Of course! Go on.” Of those at the table, she was the only one who could truly understand how busy Heather was.
Feeling a little crestfallen, Lucas and Philip watched Heather depart. During the entirety of the short lunch, they hadn’t managed to speak to her much, and now she was already rushing to work.
After Heather made her leave, Myra explained to the group, “Please forgive Heather; she has too much work on her hands.” After all, it seemed a bit impolite to leave before anyone else had to go.
For her part, Estelle wasn’t bothered about it. It was only Lucas and Philip who looked disappointed, a fact which even Serena noted.
At this point, Henry piped up with particular honesty, “Oh man, I’m sad that pretty Miss Langston has left.” It made Serena glared at him, for she couldn’t understand why such a well-behaved child could develop such a sudden fondness for Heather.
After Lucas and Philip left, Estelle asked Myra boldly and straightforwardly, “Are the two men interested in Heather?”
Currently, she, Myra, and Tony were the only three left in the living room, as Henry and Serena had retired upstairs, tired from being on the road for so long.
Quietly, Myra stared at Estelle, uncertain of how to explain the situation to her. Thus, it fell to Tony to answer the question.
“Of course men like beautiful women,” he said with a slight furrow on his brow, which made Estelle laugh.
“Haha… It’s hilarious to hear you say such a thing.” It made Tony give her a baffled look and Myra give her an exasperated one, for there was nothing funny about what he said.
“Who do you think is better suited to be the best man?” Myra asked, changing the topic out of the blue.
The sudden question made Estelle sober, and she looked back and forth between Myra and Tony.
“What’s going on? Are you planning to matchmake the bridesmaid and the best man?” At the mention of ‘bridesmaid,’ Estelle felt something twist in her heart. After all, she had yearned for the position for a long time only to have Heather snatch it away so easily.
Myra figured it would at least leave a little more of an impression on Heather.
After stroking her chin in thought, Estelle now said with a grin, “It depends on who you intend to introduce to Heather. Surely two such good friends cannot be interested in the same woman!” The fact that Esther could already see where this was going did not bode well.
“Well, there lies the problem,” Tony pointed out. Judging by Lucas’ and Philip’s demeanors, neither of them was ready to bow out just yet.
It would be stupid for two friends to have a falling out due to a woman, but no one could help their feelings. That was why Tony was a little worried that things would spiral out of control in the future.
“Why don’t we form a best-man group?” Estelle proposed.
“That doesn’t seem appropriate. There’s usually only one best man!” Myra protested, voicing her worry about appearing improper.
“Who knows? We might be the one starting the new trend,” Estelle pointed out, continuing to fan the flames. She was the type to revel in drama.
“Well, a best-man group is still diverging from our original ideas,” Myra retorted stubbornly.
Her argument was supported by Tony, who also thought it was best for them to choose one best man. If only Lucas and Philip hadn’t taken interest in Heather at the same time…
“Well, if this won’t do and that won’t do, you might as well just flip a coin to decide who gets to be the best man.” Estelle only felt like Heather was unreasonable for taking up so much of Myra and Tony’s time. The more she thought about it, the unhappier she got.
Yet, Tony immediately exclaimed in approval, “That’s not a bad idea!”
Speechless, she stared at him. It seemed he had changed during the time she hadn’t seen him. Clearly, it turned out that no matter how much someone eschewed romance, they, too, would become a romantic the moment they met the love of their lives.
After a round of discussions, they decided on using the lottery to determine who would be the best man so as to not be too obvious. At this point, Myra and Tony even thought of including Elliot. Of course, they would have to collude with Elliot beforehand to prevent him from actually being chosen.
With the lottery being the case, they would have to meet at Zion Club again tonight. For her part, Estelle was perfectly willing to do so as she had been bored to death while filming out of town. If she could have her way after coming back, she would have a get-together every night—with her friends, of course, for she had no interest in any other kind of get-together.
“See you at Zion tonight,” Myra said as she waved Estelle off later in the afternoon.
This time, when news of the gathering hit the group chat, Heather didn’t make a single peep. Fortunately, it didn’t matter whether she would be there or not. Moreover, Myra realized after today’s lunch that it was best not to take up Heather’s time during this period.
In the evening, Zion Club was bustling. So that they could discuss things with Elliot, Myra and Tony arrived early.
Once he heard their harebrained scheme, he told them honestly and mercilessly, “I feel like you’re invested in something no one else cares about.”
For a moment, Myra and Tony were a little embarrassed, but Tony recovered quickly and opined positively, “Look, this is all we can do for her. God willing, things will work out for her.”
Next to him, Myra nodded in agreement. Personally, she cared less about the end result and more about enjoying the process. At the end of the day, she had tried her best to help Heather only because she hoped Heather would find the man she loved and no longer have to be single.
“Why are you so interested in Heather’s romantic life?” Elliot asked curiously. After all, no one else had received such treatment.
“She’s had her difficulties when it comes to love,” Myra explained simply without elaborating too much. She wouldn’t give such an explanation to anyone else, but Elliot was different.
While guilt rose up in her the moment she spilled her friend’s secret, she suppressed it quickly. Some things could no longer stay hidden, and Elliot was the considerate sort who would never gossip about Heather, anyway. Besides, Myra’s answer was adequately ambiguous.
“Alright. I know what to do,” Elliot said with a nod to both Myra and Tony. He just had to cheat. That doesn’t sound too difficult.
Later, Philip entered the room, followed by Lucas. Both seemed quite eager to be there. On the other hand, Shawn was busy with work and wouldn’t be attending that evening.
Similarly, Tilly was still at work. Her busyness made it seem like Myra was exploiting her subordinates, but in truth, Myra had advised Tilly to practice flexibility and not get too caught up in work.
Nevertheless, Tilly was stubborn. If she wanted to work late, no one could stop her. That was something which pained Elliot, who had long awaited Tilly’s return to Bradfort City only to have her throw herself into work, thus reducing his opportunities to see her.
Once Estelle arrived at Zion Club to partake in the festivities, everyone was considered to be in attendance, and so Myra and Tony began explaining the process of selecting the best man.
Despite having no opinions to the contrary, Elliot, Lucas, and Philip were a little disappointed, for they thought they would be a best-man group.
After the explanation, Elliot was the first to reach for a scrunched-up paper ball on the table. Philip followed after him, and Lucas was the last to go. Taking the initiative to unfold the scrap of paper, Elliot said with seeming disappointment, “Alas, it’s not me.”
With a nervous stare at each other, Lucas and Philip opened their papers at the same time. Curious, Estelle kept her eyes on them, for she would soon learn their results.
In the middle of the tense atmosphere, Lucas calmly put down his piece of paper and said, “It’s me.”
At this, a flash of regret crossed Philip’s eyes. Since they already knew Myra had appointed Heather to be her bridesmaid, they were aware of the significance of being the best man this time.
However, luck was just like that, and it was obvious that the heavens were not on Philip’s side. Carelessly, he threw the scrap into the bin.
At this point, Lucas gave Philip a slightly apologetic glance. While he had won by luck, he still felt uneasy, as if he had stolen Philip’s girl. The guilt was so burdensome that he nearly thought of giving up the opportunity.
Nevertheless, everyone had witnessed what just happened. It was not proper for Lucas to speak up. So, he simply met Philip’s eyes, and they smiled at each other. At the end of the day, they were good friends and would not come to blows over such a small matter.
With the matter of choosing a best man resolved, Myra and Tony felt like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. On their way home, they talked about it.
“Do you think Lucas will be better suited to Heather?” she asked him.
“Lucas is steady and mature. He’s most likely better-suited to Heather, but it’s hard to say when it comes to matters of the heart. We can only try our best and give them a push. We can’t interfere too much with what happens in the future.” Personally, Tony felt like he had already created a chance for them, and whatever happened next would be up to them.
“True, that’s all we can do,” Myra agreed with a nod. If they continued to interfere, they would be less of a matchmaker and more of a browbeater.
As they chatted on the way home, they reached the topic of their wedding. Time had passed in the blink of an eye, and they were going to get married the day after tomorrow. At this thought, they both got nervous.
Since they had been drinking, Tony had had to summon a driver. Now, in the backseat as they chatted on and off, Myra curled into his embrace and rested her head against his chest, indulging in the warmth of his embrace.
“Are you nervous, Tony?” she asked curiously. It was hard to imagine that he would be!
To her surprise, he let out a faint smile and answered, “A little. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime occasion. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.” Who knew Tony could admit to his nerves so openly?
Suddenly, she felt like she had found a brother in arms. Nonetheless, his ‘nervousness’ was undoubtedly just a slight squeeze around his heart. In contrast, Myra could feel her heart racing whenever she thought about the wedding.
“I’m so glad I get to marry you,” she told him with a tender kiss to his cheek, like a girl in the throes of her first love.
