Nevertheless, Heather would never wash her hands off the Langston Group, and she knew where her duties lay without Robert having to emphasize on them. That being said, Blake had nothing to do with her resolve. She was dedicated to the company, and protecting it was something she would do without question.
“Grandpa, you know how important the Langston Group is to me. I will never let the company fall into a crisis,” she said as she gave him a small smile. Taking care of the company was but one of the ways she could show her gratitude to Robert, who had showered her with unconditional love all these years.
Even as he heard this, a grim look still passed over his face. He had been sullen ever since Caleb came into the scene. Just then, a sudden thought seized Heather. If the Hart Family was also embroiled in the feud between her family and the Moriartys, then she ought to relay to Tony all the information she could glean.
Robert had said that an allegiance with the Hart Family would be a last resort. This could be a turning point and while Heather could see hope in such an opportunity, she could also see that it was prefaced by the possibility of a crisis.
If the Moriartys could make Robert fret over the future of the company, then they were indeed a force to be reckoned with, and they had certainly put in the effort of remaining incognito which explained the many gaps in Leon’s research yesterday.
Her thoughts were clearing up as she sat with Robert in the pavilion, the evening breeze enveloping them in a cool embrace while the sky darkened overhead. She could see that the worried creases in her grandfather’s face were smoothing out, replaced by something like warm affection.
It was a quiet night and they were far away from the rest of the Langstons’ clamor. She breathed in the cool air, grateful for the respite, and she could feel the breeze on her skin as well as tousling her hair.
Robert broke the silence when he suddenly asked, “Do you remember this pavilion?”
Upon hearing this, Heather gazed around the pavilion, but nothing about its architecture rang a bell. Knowing that she would answer in the negative, he broke into a warm smile as he prompted gently, “This is the Old Toper’s Pavilion. Do you still remember it? You were only a child when you told me you wanted to visit the real pavilion so I figured, why not bring the pavilion to the backyard instead?” He looked pleased with himself after having stood guard over her childhood wish all these years.
“That was such a long time ago!” Heather exclaimed in surprise. She didn’t think he would hold something so trivial and forgettable close to his heart, not when her own memory of her childhood days were already fuzzy.
He beamed at her and reached out to ruffle her hair affectionately. “It’s as if you’ve grown up in the blink of an eye,” he remarked plaintively. Sometimes he wished she was still a child; alas, growth was but a necessary part of life.
This was the granddaughter whom Robert had kept close to him all these years. He thought about how his love and care for her had led to the others’ hostility toward her. Unable to stand the inexplicable animosity, she had gathered her bags and left the Langston Residence at a much younger age than one would expect.
Robert felt as if he owed her an apology for having done so little for her as she grew up over the years.
“Grandpa, you’ve been really sentimental lately,” Heather pointed out. She wasn’t used to having her hair ruffled like this, and she thought she had become strong enough to resist physical affection after all these years.
He gazed into the distance before turning his eyes on her once more. “You shouldn’t be dragged into the calamity of the Langstons,” he said grimly. He knew of her contributions to the family these past few years, but the family had given her nothing but trouble in return.
The Langston Family could take no credit for Heather’s accomplishments, and she could very well be on her way to make a name for herself now if she weren’t bound by them. The rest of the Langstons were always so obsessed with whatever scrap of power they held in their hands that they could not see the big picture. All that Heather had done for the family and the company far outweighed what she received in return.
“Don’t say that, Grandpa. Whatever happens in the family is my business too,” she countered and she raised her brows as she gave her grandfather a puzzled look. She didn’t like how somber he sounded.
Robert knew his words made little sense so he did not add anything further. When he saw how serious she looked, he couldn’t help but be relieved.
The breeze was beginning to get chilly as night approached. He had been feeling unwell for the last few days so he could not risk catching a cold now.
Rising from her seat, Heather looked at him solemnly and said, “Grandpa, it’s getting cold. We should head back into the house now.” When she reached for his hand and felt the cool tinge to his skin, she knew that they should hasten indoors.
“There’s no need to rush. You know how noisy the others can be, so why don’t we sit out here for a while longer?” He didn’t want to go back, and Heather knew how stubborn the old man could be.
As such, she sat down patiently next to him. They were both quiet, neither one feeling the need to speak.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he abruptly asked, “Would you like to have a pet, Heather?”
Surprised, she turned to look at him and saw that he was serious about it. Rubbing her temples, she replied ruefully, “I won’t have the time to look after it, Grandpa.” It was true. She was already swamped with work and getting a pet would only be an act of animal cruelty on her part.
He shook his head and chuckled in amusement at her unexpected answer. Truth be told, he was the one who was rather keen on getting a pet. He used to have a dog in his younger days, but he hadn’t had any pets after it was lost.
Now, he had plans on getting a cat but he didn’t trust himself to look after it well enough, which led to him asking Heather the question earlier.
Perhaps he wanted a pet because he was lonely. He wasn’t getting any younger and as days passed, he could feel age settling into his bones and dusting his hair with chalk.
“You’ve been acting strange lately, Grandpa. I’m concerned,” she admitted. She had noticed the change in his demeanor. Gone was the imposing man he used to be, and in his place was a kind and affable elderly gentleman.
“Don’t dwell on it too much. Let’s go back in.” With that, he rose from his seat and marched steadily across the yard, and she trailed after him.
Following their peaceful evening in the backyard, they both returned to their respective bedrooms. It was as if Heather had turned into an entirely different person the moment she stepped into her own space, and her expression softened as the familiarity of her room embraced her. She could feel the tension draining out of her shoulders.
She was always mindful of the way she carried herself in front of others, but she could let her guard down once she was all alone. Presently, she was lying on the bed tiredly when her skin prickled at the sudden chill in the room.
Autumn came early this year, and there were those who would have brought out their winter wardrobe to fight against the dropping temperature. Heather had burrowed beneath the covers and as she lay there in the warmth, she hurriedly dialed for Myra’s number. It felt like a century had passed since she last spoke to the girl.
Meanwhile, when Myra saw that Heather was requesting for a video call, she pondered on this for a moment and decidedly hung up. The subway was no place for video-calling, after all.
Following this, Heather texted her and as Myra took note of the bunch of question marks that popped up on her screen, she replied instantly, ‘I can’t talk right now but I’ll call you back in an hour.’
On the other end, Heather shrugged and did not reply to Myra’s text, seeing as the latter couldn’t talk at the moment. She then got down from the bed. Regardless of how cold the weather might be, she still needed a bath before she could jump into bed. She stepped into the tub after running a hot bath and as soon as settled into the hot water, she began to relax.
The steam from the bathwater blurred her vision. She closed her eyes and lazed in the tub, letting the water work on the knots in her shoulders. As her body loosened, she started to drift into sleep and it wasn’t until an hour later that she woke up.
She stepped out of the tub, only to find that her skin had turned pruney from the hour-long soaking. How could I have fallen asleep?
Having toweled herself and proceeded to hide beneath the covers once more, Heather picked up the phone she had tossed on the bed earlier. True enough, Myra had requested for a video call with her mere moments before this, and she mused at the other girl’s punctuality. She said she’d call me back in an hour and she did.
Heather sent her a simple text, asking, ‘Are you still there?’
It wasn’t long before Myra replied, ‘What were you doing just now?’ She was relieved to see Heather’s text. In all honesty, Myra had been worried that something might have happened to her friend, though she wasn’t sure what, and she began to wonder if she was being paranoid.
‘I was taking a bath,’ Heather explained. She would never tell Myra that the bathwater had lulled her to sleep in the tub.
Without waiting for Myra to respond, she hit the video call button, and the call was put through seconds later. Myra, on the other hand, was happily tucked in Tony’s embrace, and she smiled warmly when Heather’s face appeared on the screen.
“Are you rubbing your relationship in my face?” Heather accused teasingly, her mood taking a turn for the better at the sight of Myra’s pleasant smile.
“Of course not,” Myra answered with a laugh as she tried to very subtly pull away from Tony. However, his arms were tightly wound around her, trapping her in his embrace.
“I’ve called to tell you something important,” Heather said, not wanting to waste time on small talk. “There’s a guy by the name of Caleb Moriarty who has recently arrived at Bradfort City, and he’s definitely someone with an interesting backstory.”
Tony frowned, somewhat displeased when he heard the name ‘Moriarty’, while Myra merely blinked at Heather with a puzzled look on her face. She had never heard of Caleb before.
“The Moriartys are mostly based in Leisfeld and Caleb happens to be the general of the Leisfeldan army,” Heather continued, briefly elaborating on his identity.
Upon hearing this, Tony seemed to have grown curious about the Moriartys as he interjected, “What’s Caleb doing in Bradfort City?”
“I’m not sure, but it probably has something to do with the Moriartys’ business. They’ve been quietly expanding their forces in the country for the past few years, and they’ve nearly monopolized the entire market in Atrigall City. It makes sense for them to infiltrate Bradfort City’s commercial scene.”
“Monopolized?” Tony was skeptical, thinking that she might be exaggerating.
Heather ignored his question and countered instead, “Wait—do you know who the Moriartys are?”
“I’ve heard of them. They were one of the more prolific families in Bradfort City once upon a time.” Tony had heard Sebastian mention the Moriartys before. They did not seem like a family who could be trifled with, and the Hart Family was said to have been in a feud with them back in the day,
“Then why did their clan migrate all the way to Leisfeld? And how did an immigrant like Caleb make it as a general in the army? I don’t know a lot about the Moriartys, but what I do know is that their existence is not a friendly one. Grandpa told me that the Langstons have an old grudge against them.” Heather was hesitant on telling Tony the whole truth, seeing as his family and hers were not on talking terms.
“I’m not too sure about that either. All I can say is that if the Moriartys hadn’t left Bradfort City in the first place, then the business scene would be entirely different right now. The entire family seems to have an innate talent for business, much like the Jews,” Tony said. He could still remember the way Sebastian had winced when he brought up the Moriartys, as though they were some terrifying entity.
“Well, then, does this mean they have returned to Bradfort City so that they could revive their former glory?” Heather asked, trying to fish an answer out from Tony. If the Moriartys hadn’t left Bradfort City, then maybe the Hart Family would never have been able to reign over the business world.
“Maybe,” Tony allowed, somewhat frustrated by the news. “Looks like things are getting complicated in Bradfort City.” The Locke Group had been ambitious from the very beginning and with the addition of the mysterious Moriartys, Bradfort City would be the stage for a most interesting showdown, indeed.
“By the way, when are you both coming back?” Heather asked casually. She hoped they would come home sooner, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell them this.
Myra and Tony exchanged a meaningful look and after a while, the former finally replied, “We’ll go back as soon as we can. The stalker doesn’t seem to have any malicious intent, but we just want to be sure before we buy our tickets.”
Tony narrowed his eyes at this, and he waited until Myra had hung up before he asked darkly, “Is that what you think? Didn’t we agree that we shouldn’t disrupt this honeymoon of ours?”
