A waiter came over to clear the table after a while, and the hotpot was turned off before getting taken away. Heather looked at him in confusion, since clearing the table while the guests were still there was inappropriate.
Before she could say anything, he answered, “They’ll change it into a mandarin pot later.” He could guess what she had in mind based on what she was doing.
However, that didn’t cheer her up the slightest. She didn’t want to have any more hotpots, even if it was a mandarin pot, which would have one side of the pot with soup that wasn’t spicy. By now, she couldn’t work up an appetite, and she lost all interest in hotpots after the earlier experience. The spiciness still lingered in her mouth, and her stomach was still churning.
“I have some important business to settle, so I might have to leave.” She tried to say goodbye in a roundabout manner as much as she could, but still, she was actually busy recently, for she needed to work on her company.
Matthias wasn’t surprised about it, so he wiped his hands calmly. D*mn, I ruined the date again. “I’ll send you off then,” he offered, though it was hard to say goodbye. Matthias kept failing in the pursuit of Heather, and it was slowly eating away at his confidence.
“It’s fine,” she said. “You go ahead. I can go back by myself.” She was going to see Leon, so she didn’t want Matthias to bump into him, since Matthias didn’t like Leon.
Matthias wanted to send her off, but he couldn’t come up with an excuse. Soon, she stood up, obviously trying to leave. Matthias hesitated for a moment, then he followed her.
In response, she looked at him awkwardly. “Why’d you follow me?” She had tried her best to be gentle in order to get along with him, so the atmosphere between them was getting more awkward by the minute.
They used to argue and fight, showing their worst sides to each other. However, now that they were toning down so they could show their best sides to each other, the change came as a bit of a shock. Being nice and getting a reward in return was unusual for them, so they couldn’t get used to it.
Dating was supposed to be all about honesty, not just a feel-good illusion, but the inexperienced wouldn’t know that. Should a pair of inexperienced people date each other, the result would be a disaster.
After they left the restaurant, Matthias was still following Heather. He had spent too much time on her recently, neglecting his work. Thus, Nikolai had been calling him nonstop that day, but he ignored all the calls, even powering off his phone halfway through. However, Nikolai didn’t give up, and he called Heather.
Heather received a call from an unknown number when she was waiting for her ride, while Matthias stayed behind her; even though she had refused his offer, he insisted on sending her off. When Heather picked up the call, she was surprised to hear Nikolai’s voice, then she was even more surprised to hear him sounding so panicked. “Miss Langston, I need Mr. Locke to take my call. This is urgent. He’s turned his phone off.”
Matthias didn’t know Nikolai had called Heather, so he was still looking at her silently. Then, Heather turned around before she ended the call. Once she hung up, she looked at him sternly. Instantly, Matthias felt a chill running down his spine, and he knew something bad was happening. Then, Heather questioned, “Why did you turn off your phone?”
Oh, so that’s what happened. “I don’t want to be disturbed,” he answered seriously. He never expected Nikolai to reach him through Heather.
“Go back to your company right now. I have my own matters to settle, and that seems to be the case for you too. Stop wasting our time,” she demanded. Heather disliked how frivolous Matthias was being, since she was someone who prioritized work. No matter what, their private lives shouldn’t get in the way of their work, so she was angry at Matthias. It was a sign of his immaturity, and the more she knew him, the worse her disappointment became.
At that point, she couldn’t even tell if her meeting with Matthias in Italy was real or a dream. Back then, Matthias looked like a god when he spoke on stage. His speech encouraged her, and that was when she fell for him. She respected him because she didn’t know him well, and it was then she knew she liked him.
But now, the more she knew about him, the more disappointed she was about the real him. He was a far cry from the perfect match she imagined. She didn’t like how immature and random he was, for she wanted to control everything. She wanted everything to happen like how she imagined.
Even after getting into the car, she was still thinking about her relationship with him. The more she thought about it, the more she realized it was impossible for her to accept the real Matthias. Everyone was telling her to date Matthias, so she wondered if they were actually a perfect match in their eyes. The more she thought about it that way, the more she couldn’t understand how she felt about Matthais. At the same time, Bradfort City was undergoing an overhaul, so the plan was thrown out the window.
Matthias resumed his cold persona once he came back to the company. Just like what Heather said, it was Matthias’ fault for not prioritizing work, and he knew he couldn’t blame Nikolai for his actions.
On the other hand, Nikolai wanted to disappear right away when he saw Matthias. He wanted to be as insignificant as possible, but Matthias never shifted his gaze away. Nikolai was terrified, even though Matthias wasn’t angry at all.
“Give me the file.” Finally, Matthias shifted his gaze away, since he knew how Nikolai must feel.
Matthias had been going overboard lately. Even though Regan was keeping an eye on him, Matthias still skipped out on work all the time. Regan thought Matthias was doing it all for a woman, and since it was good news for him, Regan didn’t stop Matthias. He was waiting for Matthias to make a huge mistake because of that woman, and that was the reason he stayed in Locke Group.
Then, the perfect chance presented itself when Matthias kept skipping out on work, so he orchestrated a financial overlook with his lackey in the company. Matthias didn’t give Regan full power over the company’s finances, so any transaction that exceeded a certain amount had to be approved by Matthias before it was handed to Regan.
Since Matthias wouldn’t grant him full power, Regan would use that to launch an assault on Matthias. He had been waiting for a long time, and Matthias finally made a misstep. Not long ago, Matthias approved a huge expense, but that expense was just a smokescreen created by Regan’s lackey.
His lackey had swindled the money and escaped overseas. Regan knew that had happened, so he would use that chance to confront Matthias. The perfect chance presented itself again when Matthias went on a date with Heather. He was late for more than three hours, giving Regan enough time to call the whole board of directors to hold a meeting.
Regan sacrificed a trusted lackey all so he could deal a heavy blow against Matthias. The board of directors were getting disgruntled about Matthias’ recent actions, and coupling that up with the fiasco Regan orchestrated, it would spell disaster for Matthias. However, Regan never thought about the fact that his conspiracy had already dealt a blow against the company.
Meanwhile, Nikolai wasn’t worried just because of Matthias’ actions. He was also worried about his future, for Regan’s assault came all too suddenly. On the other hand, Matthias was reading through the file calmly. Regan went through all this just to topple me?
The more he read, the colder his smile became. Nikolai had seen how disastrous a storm Matthias could stir up, so he was feeling nervous about what was to come.
“When’s the meeting going to start?” Matthias looked at the time.
“Two in the afternoon.” Nikolai was worried for Matthias, but the latter didn’t look concerned in the slightest.
“Half an hour away, huh? Well, this file is useless then.” He then tossed it into the trash can.
“This is going to be hard to handle, Matthias. Do you have a plan?” Nikolai called Matthias by his name, obviously because he was overwhelmed by his nerves.
Matthias smiled confidently. “No, because I don’t need a plan to reveal this lie.”
Nikolai stared at him, looking confused. But this happened for real. You only considered this for like half a day before giving it your approval. Nikolai knew something was going to happen, and eventually, trouble came knocking. However, Matthias looked unfazed, much to his confusion.
After that, he got up from the chair and took his suit off. “I’ll take a shower right now. Get me my clothes.” He couldn’t go to the conference smelling like hotpots.
You’re going to shower? Nikolai stared at him in disbelief, but he was in no position to speak up. Maybe he does have a plan. Thus, Nikolai went to search for Matthias’ clothes, while Matthias went to the bathroom.
The CEO’s office was absurdly large, and the bathroom alone took up thirty square meters. He wasn’t worried about what would happen, since he knew what Regan had in mind all along. Regan might be a scheming one, but he was still too inexperienced in the business world. His imagination was limited, and all his tactics were child’s play for Matthias.
How should I humiliate him, hmm? Matthias allowed Regan free rein, but apparently, all that power had gone to his head, so he thought it was time to teach Regan a lesson. He started training his lackeys right after he came to work. Laughable.
Matthias enjoyed the bath and the feeling of water cleansing every inch of his body, taking away his fatigue. When he was done, the whole bathroom was filled with the scent of his body shampoo. He liked that brand for its fragrance and long-lasting scent. Matthias could relax while he was showering, but when he was done, it was time to hunt.
He had been lying in wait for that very moment.
Outside, Nikolai had already prepared all the clothes for him, then he opened the door quietly and put them on a dry spot.
Matthias’ hair was wet, and his eyes were closed. Once Nikolai was done, he quietly came back out and closed the door. He knew that the worse the situation was, the more relaxed Matthias was. I guess he’s going to the conference right after he dries his hair.
