On one hand, Myra and Tony were happily making their wedding preparations. On the other hand, things were getting worse. In comparison, Matthias appeared to be in a bleak situation.
Heather thought that he deserved the outcome. Hence, she could never sympathize with him. Her failed relationship in the past did not cripple her, and she had never acted out like Matthias.
In fact, she held a disdain for people like him who would cry and wail over relationship issues. She felt a heightened annoyance at Matthias, but she did not know if the feeling rose because she was angry at the fact that he was deeply in love with Myra.
She was disturbed by his obsession with Myra, but she would never openly admit to it. Moreover, she had no right to confront him about his love for Myra.
Under Evan’s encouragement, Matthias mustered up his courage to do something. He could not keep languishing when Myra’s wedding was nearing. At the very least, he wanted to attend her wedding with grace. Before that, he needed to formally apologize to Heather.
When he showed up in front of Heather again, shock flashed across her face, but she soon composed herself and ignored him. Just when she planned to walk past him, he called out to her.
At that moment, she understood that they did not run into each other; he had planned to show up. Frowning, she tried her best to maintain a neutral expression as she turned around to look at him.
“Can I interrupt your lunch break?” His tone still sounded a little harsh and authoritative, causing her to frown even deeper. Why does this sound all too familiar?
“No.” She immediately turned around to leave. I’d have to be a fool to keep trusting him!
Every time she took out some time to engage with him, it always ended badly. Why would she repeat the same mistakes?
Looking at Heather’s determined movement, he swiftly ran after her. She might have turned him down, but he did not plan to give up just yet. It didn’t bother him because, knowing her, she never agreed readily to any of his requests. She stared coolly at him, who was now walking beside her. What have I done to deserve this? Why is he clinging to me again?
“I am offering a sincere apology to you this time,” he addressed her while walking closely beside her.
This was not the time she heard that remark from him, and she stayed silent. Oblivious to her irritation, he followed her closely and ruined her mood. Did he not realize that he’s a pain in the neck?
“I accept your apology. You may leave now.” Reluctant to confront him, she decided to play along in the hope that he’d leave.
“Why don’t we have a meal together? Think of it as my apology.” He tried his luck with her again. Now that she had budged a little, he was unwilling to leave just yet. He wanted more time with her.
She cast a tired look at him. So far, she had not felt his sincerity, and she wondered if he was truly here to apologize or only to force her into having a meal with him.
“It’s fine,” she turned him down without hesitation.
Unfortunately, he was steadfast and firm. He followed her around, and she could not think of a way to shake him off.
In the silence, she realized that she had no way to deal with him. At first, she wanted to go for lunch, but his presence ruined her appetite. Once she went past her limits, she exploded as she glared at him. “Could you please stop following me around?”
She hated his annoying behavior that was forcing her into a corner. To her dismay, he looked totally unaware of his loathsome actions.
After a few attempts to shake him off, she gave up on the idea of getting her car from the underground car park and driving away. No matter what, she could not get him to leave her alone. Her words did not seem to affect him because he looked chill and stubborn. Not only that, he did not reply to her at all, which angered her.
“Say something, please! Are you a mute?” she demanded an answer in a mean way. His behavior was despicable; she had never come across a man like him who did not have basic manners.
“I am honestly here to offer you a sincere apology,” he said again with an earnest look. Most of the time, he was only attuned to his own feelings and blind to Heather’s emotions.
That was why her impression of him gradually went downhill. Truthfully, he did not have any malicious intentions, and his irritating behavior could only be explained by his poor understanding of women. He never knew how to interact properly with the opposite sex.
“I accepted your apology, so please don’t follow me around. Okay?” She started pleading with him to leave, but he doggedly followed her. At that point, she lost all appetite for lunch.
He looked at her, totally oblivious to his annoying behavior. Suddenly, he came to a stop and glanced at her hesitantly, which puzzled her even more.
“Sure. Sorry for the interruption.” After that, he turned around and left instantly without another word.
When he was gone, she let out a long sigh. I can’t stand looking at him now! He’s causing a lot of distress for everyone around him!
In his car, he stared at his face in the rearview mirror indignantly. I offered her a sincere apology, didn’t I? How did I offend her again?
He felt deflated because he never got what he wanted from women. Instead, he met a series of rejections that caused him to question his relationship with the opposite sex.
It appears that women don’t like me much. In his memory, he could not think of the times he personally interacted with women in his life.
Slapping the steering wheel in frustration, he drove away from the area. It was another unlucky day. He reached out to resolve the grudge between him and Heather, but she still looked like she detested him. He was at a loss, clueless at cheering up women.
Back at the mansion, he immediately discussed today’s event with Evan, hoping that the latter could offer constructive criticism.
After hearing about the incident, Evan shot him a disgusted look, a look that made him uneasy.
“Matthias Locke, are you really dumb, or are you acting like a fool?” Evan seemed disappointed and frustrated. Matthias’s behavior is infuriating!
Not knowing the source of Evan’s anger, Matthias had a confused look on his face. He did not think that he had done anything wrong, and he believed that he was the innocent victim in this situation.
“Evan, what do you mean?” Already unhappy at Heather’s treatment of him, he felt even angrier after being reprimanded by Evan.
“Have you heard about this word? A chauvinist,” Evan replied calmly and ignored his angry expression.
Matthias now looked even more perplexed. He had no idea about the ‘chauvinist’ that Evan brought up, but it did not sound like a positive word. Turning red in anger, he stared threateningly at Evan as though he could kill with his eyes.
Behind Evan’s bright smile was his disdain for Matthias. Matthias saw through that and became even more incensed at Evan’s mockery. He and Heather are ganging up against me!
“Whatever! Do as you like! You never consider the feelings of others. Sure, you can apologize to her, but forcing her to have a meal with you is not nice,” Evan tried to explain to Matthias that one should never be forceful and self-centered when dealing with women.
I guess Heather has been quite patient with Matthias. If he had done that to a different girl, she might have poured a bucket of ice water over him.
“Since she has accepted my apology, why can’t she have lunch with me?” Matthias insisted that he was not wrong. After all, as a businessman, he was used to discussing business matters over meals, and he thought it was natural to eat with Heather as they resolved their misunderstanding.
“Do you really think she has accepted your apology?” Evan was dumbfounded by Matthias’s adorable naivety.
“Did she not?” Matthias stared back at Evan in confusion. He heard from somewhere that women rarely spoke their minds. So, has she not accepted my apology? Was that why she refused to have lunch with me?
“Perhaps she did, perhaps she did not. Regardless, you cannot force her to have lunch with you. That is a new low.” Evan shook his head and sighed secretly. With Matthias’s EQ, it is impossible for him to get into a relationship!
“Stop dwelling on that topic. Now, you need to tell me how to resolve this problem.” He was done with Evan’s lectures. This was not a trial, and he was more interested in the solution.
“Firstly, you have to be more sensible.” Evan shrugged as he finally understood why Matthias was single all along. Even if he meets a nice girl, she would likely get frustrated and leave him soon!
Matthias looked at Evan quizzically. He always thought that he was sensible, but when Evan accused him of being insensible. Hence, he felt personally attacked.
“Do you have some constructive feedback?” he impatiently questioned Evan. He’s only giving me vague answers. God knows what he is trying to explain!
“Look at that temper of yours. With that hot temper, it is almost impossible for you to gain favor. Even if others want to gain your favor, you would think of them as annoying.” Evan clucked and shook his head, provoking Matthias over and over. This time, it was a miracle that Matthias had not exploded in anger.
“I am asking for your advice humbly, not sending myself on trial to get humiliated.” Matthias was obviously upset as he warned Evan to know the boundaries.
“You have too many flaws. I can’t hold back from criticizing you.” Evan’s words did not sound earnest at all.
“Just tell me! What should I do next?” Matthias did not want to waste time, and he directed the topic of conversation to something more practical.
Evan chuckled and said, “Well, you will have to ask yourself.” Then, he shrugged as if this had nothing to do with him.
After the back-and-forth, Evan did not offer any good solution, and Matthias regretted sharing his relationship problems. What did I get in the end? I was mocked and ridiculed!
“Evan, I’ll give you ten minutes to come up with a satisfying reply. If not, I will cut your paycheck by half.” Matthias’s threat sounded real. Hearing that, Evan immediately gave in. He shot a resentful look at Matthias. I guess that I should have controlled my temper better when I’m dealing with a chauvinist like him.
Afraid that his paycheck would be affected, he started to think of a viable solution. Right now, Heather must have had no good impression of Matthias. It was almost impossible to turn the situation around in the short term. With Matthias’s level of EQ, he could not possibly do anything touching to change her mind.
Ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye. Matthias stared squarely at Evan. If he can’t come up with a satisfying answer, I will not let him off the hook!
“Well, this is a complicated problem. You did not pay much attention to your behavior in the beginning, but you wanted to change her impression of you. I bet that she would not change her mind,” Evan rambled on with some nonsense to buy time for himself.
Sitting across from Evan, Matthias was seen with a terrible expression. I’m not here to listen to your nonsense! He gave Evan a sharp glare, causing Evan to immediately give up on his nonsense and put on a serious expression to avoid making him mad.
Despite Matthias’s various shortcomings, Evan remained loyal to him. Even he was touched by his loyalty. Still, friendship was not as strong as the power of love. To ‘treat’ Matthias’s temper, he wanted to slowly lead Matthias into forming a romantic relationship, and for that, he thought Heather would be a safe bet.
Matthias encountered numerous women in his life, and Evan had met with most of them. To him, only Heather and her no-nonsense personality could counter Matthias’s odd character.
