Heather pondered on her qualities. While she liked to consider herself as well-accomplished and an example of the perfect woman, she shuddered at the thought of being romantically pursued by someone whom she knew actively hated her. She briefly wondered if Matthias had suffered head damage from the accident, because it was the only logical explanation behind his feelings for her.
“I like the challenge of turning the impossible into reality,” Matthias said defiantly even after his pleading was to no avail. He knew that Heather wanted more than just a lover—she wanted someone who could thrive in the same league as her own.
“Stop grinning like that. It’s freaking me out.” She eyed him warily, recoiling at the wicked smile that played on his lips.
If that grin on his face was anything to go by, he looked like he was more than eager to take up the challenge of romantically pursuing her. She bristled and began to question what it was about her that spurred him on. Then, as her mind raced to figure out his, a sudden thought seized her.
“Do you actually like me or do you like the idea of conquering me?” She stared at him, willing him to answer.
“The former,” he replied with firm assurance.
“Men are all liars,” she said pointedly as she shot him a displeased look. She thought about asking Myra for her opinion on this. It would do her no good to dwell on such complex matters without another woman’s insight.
In the end, Heather announced imperiously, “Drive me home now. I don’t want this date to go on, so let’s just call it a day.” Truthfully, she was worried that one thing might lead to another if they were to carry on with this date. What if he gets some weird idea and wants to take things to the next level?
She shuddered, then tossed aside the strange and unwarranted thought as soon as it popped up in her mind. Stop thinking about how it would feel if he kisses you, she chided herself, repressing the urge to retch.
“I hate to break it to you, but this road is strictly one-way so I can’t turn the car around,” Matthias pointed out in resignation. To a certain extent, he had accomplished his mission for the day, having made his feelings known to her. No, you didn’t, the voice in his head countered sadistically.
“Did you really drop by the Langston Residence today so you could talk about the business partnership?” Heather asked. In retrospect, the reason for his visit earlier today had been rather suspicious and she wanted to talk to Robert about it, having noticed his odd behavior during Matthias’ visit.
“Of course. Believe me, I was equally surprised when Old Master Langston called me up this morning.” In all honesty, Matthias couldn’t quite grasp the situation just yet. All he knew was that the old master had had a change of heart and called him up that morning with the prospect of a partnership.
She scoffed upon hearing his answer. “I thought perhaps you might have made some shady backdoor deal with him.” By that, she meant that she had been inclined to believe that Robert sold her off to Matthias but as it turned out, she was reading too much into the situation.
“Seems a bit inappropriate to talk about your grandfather that way, don’t you think?” Matthias berated gently, though he secretly envied the bond she shared with Robert.
“It’s none of your business how I describe my grandfather. Can you please drop me home now? I don’t want to see you for a moment longer than necessary,” she snapped irritably and without thought. Then, upon recollecting herself, she peered at him worriedly from the corner of her eye and saw that his expression had darkened considerably.
However, he sounded placid as he replied, “Fine, I shall drive you home this instant. Wouldn’t want you to have to see this repulsive face of mine for the rest of the day.”
Heather’s heart twisted with guilt as she lowered her head. It was as if all the sophistication disappeared from her lexicon whenever she was in his presence. She felt bad for saying such hurtful things to him and she knew she sounded like a spoiled and unreasonable aristocratic brat.
Regardless of how wounded he might be, Matthias was still a man of his word. He stepped on the accelerator as they cruised down the road and when she saw the speed at which he was driving, she began to worry that they might run into trouble with the traffic police.
After a while, she noticed that he was still angry and the car was gaining speed under his maneuver. Matthias’ sullenness translated into reckless driving, and there were even a few times when they were inches away from bumping into the other cars on the road.
“Slow down, Matthias. Getting into an accident is not part of my to-do list,” she snapped, once again hurting him with her sharp choice of words.
“I highly doubt being a safe road-user is on your to-do list either, seeing as you’ve crashed your car into mine twice before this,” he retorted sarcastically, unable to help his sour mood. She’s being brash with me because she thinks I like her too much to put her in her place.
Frustrated by his sudden change in temperament, Heather sputtered, “Are you serious? This is no time for you to be sassy, Matthias!” What did I do to him this time?
This only seemed to spur him on. He stepped on the accelerator and the sports car revved as it sped down the road. Fear flashed in Heather’s eyes as she felt inertia pushing her into her seat. The vehicle might come with state-of-the-art safety features, but that doesn’t mean he can be so reckless with our lives!
“Unless I’ve misunderstood your instructions, I’m just doing what you told me to,” he countered, not backing down. One could hardly reason with him when he was being stubborn like this, and this probably had something to do with Heather injuring his pride.
Heather grew terrified when she saw how maniacal he was and she quickly surrendered. “Okay, okay—I’m the one who’s in the wrong, not you. I’m sorry. Can you please slow down before we crash?”
It wasn’t until he had calmed down that she retracted her piteous gaze. She had to admit that he easily outdid her when it came to being ruthless.
She got down from the car when it finally rolled to a steady stop outside the Langston Residence. Then, she turned to address him somberly, “You have obsessive tendencies and I’m far too stubborn—the both of us would only anger each other. I suggest you think about it before you delude yourself into believing we could ever work out.”
There was a certain truth to her words that even Matthias could not deny. He did have strong obsessive tendencies that bordered on a personality disorder, but he had always brushed those off as part of his character. He remembered Evan urging him to see a therapist but he had unfortunately paid no heed to that suggestion, either.
At the rate at which Matthias was going, it would only be a matter of time before he bit off more than he could chew. However, he did not think of the consequences that might come and was instead focused on getting Heather to reciprocate his feelings. He wanted her to look back at him and give him the assurance he craved.
The regret leftover from his pursuit of Myra seemed to weigh on his feelings for Heather. Seeing as he had missed his chance with the former, he was adamant to make things work with the latter.
It was no easy feat for him to fall in love with someone and when he did, he would not so much as spare other women a second look.
Sometimes, Matthias wondered if his feelings of affection came from the constant interaction between himself and the woman he loved, be it Heather or Myra. However, as he dwelled on the likelihood of this theory, Lara’s presence disproved it.
Given that she was his assistant in the workplace, his interaction with her was on a daily basis, yet he had never seemed to develop any romantic feelings for her. On the contrary, he saw her as nothing more than a loyal subordinate or an endearing younger sibling.
He thought about how these years had gone by. Affection and sentiments were empirical in their existence and there was little use in trying to rationalize them. He could say that Myra was the source of his determination up to this day, but it was much more accurate to admit that Heather was the reason for his present glory.
Heather had asked him why he had not come to Bradfort City much earlier and instead chose to move over with the rest of the Locke Group. Had he not anticipated for Myra to fall in love with someone else? Why would he gamble on that prospect and decide to only move into the city after he had reached the peak of his success?
More importantly, he had chosen to relocate to Bradfort City before Heather’s return, and it was clear that she was the intended audience for his magnificent comeback. Just then, a bold presumption came to Matthias’ mind—perhaps Heather was the one he had fallen for from the very beginning and he had merely been too scared to admit it.
Maybe his residual attachment to Myra’s warmth had misled him into thinking he had actual feelings for her, but Heather had always been the one who amazed him and try as he might, he could never get her out of his mind.
Matthias spent the days and nights that followed this realization thinking about Heather’s haughty expression more than he did Myra’s warm smile.
It was not too far of a stretch to say that he could pick Heather out of a crowd, and this was the case when he had been in Italy all those years ago. He had been on stage then, and one look was all it took for him to spot her among the audience. However, he had felt inferior to her back then and dared not reveal himself to her, which made him even more resolved to only show up in front of her once he could lord his superiority over her.
“Give me ten more minutes,” he pleaded now, hastily getting down from the car and reaching out to grab her hand. When Heather saw how earnest and serious he was about this, she relented.
“Fine, but we can’t be seen dawdling outside the house.” With that, she began to shove him back into the vehicle. “We’ll talk inside the car.”
That was a close call. If anyone in the house saw us… Heather gazed out the window uneasily. Matthias, on the other hand, was watching her from where he sat behind the wheel while his brain tried to recompose his words into something coherent.
“Well, what is it that you wanted to tell me? Come right out with it,” she demanded incredulously as she felt the sudden urge to throttle him.
Is he doing this purpose? Did he plan on putting on some flamboyant show in front of the Langston Residence? She couldn’t think straight right now and her mind was in chaos.
“My falling for you could very well be love at first sight,” he murmured slowly, not wanting to be too forthcoming.
Upon hearing this, Heather stiffened and for a moment it was as if her brain had imploded—the words “love at first sight” echoed in her headspace. She found herself growing exasperated and helpless that he would spring something like this on her just as they were about to part ways.
Her words came out in a flurry as she retorted, “I don’t want to hear your explanation nor anything else you have to say.”
Despite being met with cold rebuff, Matthias continued, wanting to clarify all that he was feeling at the moment, “I admit that I was infatuated with Myra and her gentle compassion. I liked how her smile could light up an entire room.” He paused, seemingly entranced by the memory, then went on to say, “I saw her as my saving grace.”
“Yes, yes; I know, and I was the devil who split the both of you up with my wicked schemes,” she interjected impatiently. A chill ran down her spine when she saw his lips curve up in a peculiar smile.
“No, you were a beautiful angel—the most gorgeous girl I’ve ever seen.” It was as if Matthias was transported back into their younger days and even the smile on his face a wistful one.
Heather had been about to get down from the car when she heard this. No longer sure if he was telling her the truth, she asked in a flustered tone, “I’m sorry, but is your memory warped? I was ‘an angel’ and ‘the most gorgeous girl you’ve ever seen’?”
“I thought it was pathetic of me to have fallen for you back then. Do you remember how you used to look at me? You treated me like I was some foul-smelling beggar or an ugly street cat.” There was a sour note in Matthias’ voice as he recounted this. If only Heather had shown him some compassion, maybe he wouldn’t have felt so unworthy and been terrified of confessing his love for her.
He sounded like his reasonable self once more as he further elaborated, “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and I had this epiphany that maybe I was never in love with Myra at all. Maybe I’ve only ever loved how warm and kind she was to me. I don’t even know what she’s like as a person nor have I seen her dark side—or any other side, for that matter.” If he did not know her well back in those days, then it was impossible for him to claim he was anything other than clueless about her now.
Presently, the only person he wanted to know was Heather. In fact, he wanted to get to know her better, so that he might touch the deepest part of her soul.
“And how about me? Do you know me at all? Have you seen all sides of me, especially the darkest ones? You don’t have to know someone to fall in love with them,” Heather argued. She still couldn’t come to terms with the fact that Matthias was in love with her, let alone his proclamation that it was love at first sight.
He dared not look her in the eye any longer and he tore his gaze away. Seeing this, Heather thought that she might have finally cracked his pretense and she waited for the chance to catch him out.
However, Matthias was plaintive as he said, “Looks like I was wrong—I’m still not worthy enough to confess my love for you and I should have kept my pathetic thoughts to myself.” The light in his eyes dimmed at that moment and as it turned out, today was yet another miserable day for him.
