Chapter 519
Standing Before Love
There was only silence all the way to the art gallery and Matthias didnât answer Heatherâs question. Am I doing this because I hate her? Or is it because Iâm exacting my revenge? At first, this was actually the reason why he did it but at some point, he began to look at her differently.
After the car stopped, she got out of the car straight away without even waiting for him to open the door for her. Looking at her retreating figure, Matthias had many emotions surging within him but he didnât know what to say.
There were many times he wanted to tell her outright that he had fallen in love with her, but the moment the words reached the tip of his tongue, he couldnât spit them out.
After all this time, he had never confessed his love to anyone since his confession toward Myra had totally failed back then. He had always been waiting for a chance to say the words that he was preparing for a long time. Should I be more fancy like on television or more straightforward and simple?
âHeather!â Looking at her leaving hurriedly, Matthias couldnât help but call out to her.
The woman in question froze for a moment before she continued walking forward. Seeing that she was unmoved by his call, he had no choice but to catch up with her.
The tickets were with her so he quickly followed behind her. Before entering the art gallery, the two of them maintained the same distance between them at all times.
After Heather handed the tickets in her hand to an attendant, Matthias took a step forward and closed the distance between them. She could feel him approaching her and she even got a whiff of his cologne. He really is a detailed person.
He immediately stepped forward and grabbed her hand, and her eyes widened in response. âYou should relax a little,â he whispered into her ear.
Heather tried to free herself but he was grabbing her hand tightly, refusing to let go.
âLet me go,â she growled.
They had already entered the art gallery and the people around them were very quiet, so it wouldnât be appropriate for her to shout loudly. Looking at the smirk on his face, she realized that she really hated this look of his.
âIf you prefer me to hold you by the waist, I can let go of your hand,â he announced dominantly. I canât be too gentle with her; otherwise, I wonât even get the chance to speak.
Glaring at him angrily, Heather realized that he wasnât joking since she could feel the aggressiveness exuding from his body. For a moment, she didnât dare move a muscle.
âLooks like you still prefer me holding your hand.â He revealed a victorious smile. At least we have come to an agreement.
However, she didnât like the feeling of a warm palm and she could even feel the sweat coming from Matthiasâ hand, but never in a million years did she think that it was because he was nervous. He had never held someoneâs hand this openly before and he lacked experience when it came to dating, so he was actually a little embarrassed deep down.
As for Heather, she didnât want the curator, Mr. Henriksen, to see them coming in as a âcoupleâ, so she avoided him while looking at her hand, which was held by Matthias tightly.
âMatthias, what are you trying to achieve here? Stop playing games with me,â she muttered since she could not stand his silence any longer.
âI just want you to accompany me at this exhibition. You promised me a date.â Matthias tilted his head and revealed a boyish and bright smile.
Iâve never seen this side of him before. Heather pouted her lips as she had nothing to say once he mentioned the date. Fine. Iâm killing two birds with one stone anyway. Not only am I not defying Grandpaâs orders, Iâm also repaying Matthias for the date I missed yesterday, so Iâm actually honoring my promise.
âI donât like art galleries.â She looked at the painting on the wall with boredom since she wasnât interested in it at all.
âI donât like it either.â He looked around and he wasnât interested in these paintings too, but he still had a mysterious smile on his face. âBut I like looking at these paintings with you.â
Suddenly, Heather felt her heart skip a beat. He is obviously flirting with me. Whatâs wrong with him today? Everything he says seems weird.
âBut I donât like coming to art galleries with you. It is a gruesome chore,â she muttered ruthlessly as she vowed to herself, I wonât be easily swindled by his words.
âThen please bear with me,â he uttered bluntly. It was true that the two of them had many problems with each other in the past.
Therefore, he tried to approach her peacefully at first before taking on a more forceful approach. Since I canât please her by lowering my status, it wonât hurt for me to be more aggressive with my approach.
âMatthias, you are still shameless as always.â Initially, she was confused by his recent actions and she thought that his personality had really taken a turn but by the looks of it, he was still the same old Matthias.
âThank you for your praise, Miss Langston.â However, he still enjoyed the constant bickering between them. It was probably because the two of them never got along well, so he didnât care about the way they interacted and only cared about liking her.
Sometimes, one would be struck by love in the most unexpected of ways. Until today, Matthias still hadnât figured out why he fell in love with her. Whenever he wasnât by her side, he would miss his various interactions with her, so the affection toward her would come up to him all of a sudden.
âJust tell me what you want. Thereâs no need for games.â At the moment, she didnât want to play any more games with him. Thereâs no point bickering with each other.
âMy goal is simple.â He revealed a satisfied smile, reminding her of his speech back in Italy where he had a triumphant smile that was particularly attractive.
âSpit it out. I donât want to beat around the bush with you any longer.â The two of them stood side by side in front of a famous painting with their hands tightly intertwined, as if they were a cute couple.
Matthias purposely closed the distance and he was about to whisper in her ear, but she moved her head away as she still wasnât used to this kind of intimacy.
âYou are my goal,â he enunciated every word clearly. At a very close distance, he could even smell her natural scent and the fresh perfume she wore.
She had an elegant swan-like neck, which tempted him to no end. However, he tried to suppress the urge to kiss her since it wouldnât be appropriate for them to show intimacy in such a public space.
For a moment, Heatherâs thoughts ran wild as his words were too ambiguous. As he breathed into her ear, she could feel his warm breath caressing the behind of her ear, making her want to move away from him.
Since she couldnât figure out his intentions, she planned to deal with it coldly, so she used her only free hand to push him away. Immediately, the suppressing and ambiguous atmosphere faded away between the two of them. Even though Heather really wanted to punch him, the occasion wouldnât allow her to do so.
After calming herself for a while, she tried to maintain her façade. The people who are attending the exhibition today are all elites so I canât cause any trouble.
âLetâs go!â she announced imperiously as she couldnât take it anymore. I canât do anything in the art gallery.
Matthias shook his head. âOur date has just started. Why are you in such a hurry?â He finally got the chance to come out with her alone, so he was delighted even though they were doing nothing.
Heather looked at her hand, which was held tightly in his, and she suddenly felt that she had lost her freedom. âCan we go somewhere else?â We can at least find a place where Iâm not restrained. Now, Iâm completely under his control.
However, Matthias was unwilling to leave.âThe environment here is great and the paintings look gorgeous. Why donât we calm down and enjoy it?â Knowing her, she is definitely plotting something but I wonât fall into her trap this easily.
âSince you like it so much, why donât you stay here? Iâm leaving.â Heather refused to give in to him.
Even if a world class painting was displayed in front of her, she wasnât in the mood to enjoy it at all.
And so, he had no chance but to take a step back. âWhere are you going?â Since she had already made her words clear, it wouldnât be wise for him to continue dragging her around the art gallery.
He finally got the chance to enjoy a peaceful time but he didnât expect her to hate it so much. As he looked back at the painting resignedly, she dragged her to the entrance straight away. Looks like she really doesnât like these paintings.
Soon, they arrived at the entrance but when Heather saw how reluctant Matthias was to leave, she asked tentatively, âDo you really like the exhibition?â
He nodded his head slightly as he didnât hold back his praise. âThe paintings in the exhibition really are magnificent. Even an amateur like me can see that they are gorgeous.â
It seems like he really wants to stay here for a while to enjoy these paintings.
âSince you like it so much, we must leave here as soon as possible.â She tried to annoy him by revealing a smirk and she couldnât help but go against him. Upon hearing that, Matthias paused for a moment and he held onto her tightly. Suddenly, she couldnât move an inch, so she asked confusedly, âWhat are you doing? Are we not leaving?â Is he now throwing a tantrum?
âDo you really hate this exhibition or do you hate the things I like?â He was displeased with her cynical tone. Initially, she wanted to infuriate him and now, she almost succeeded in doing so.
âI hate the things you like,â she answered directly without any consideration for his feelings.
âReally?â he asked reluctantly. Truth was, her answer was very obvious but he didnât know why he was deceiving himself.
âMr. Locke, do I have the right to choose the next location for our date?â she asked in an aggressive tone.
Finally, he let go of her hand and muttered, âYes, you do.â Itâs no use reasoning with her.
âCome play tennis with me,â she suggested. Matthias, on the other hand, didnât know why she wanted to play tennis with him all of a sudden.
Since he didnât know how to play tennis, a hint of hesitation flashed across his face, and the alert Heather picked it up. I canât let go of this chance to embarrass him.
âIf you donât know how to play, I can always teach you.â She curled up her lips in a sarcastic manner as she tried to make him hate her.
However, he had his own ego to protect. âThereâs no need for that.â Itâs just tennis. How hard can it be?
âThen letâs have some fun later on,â she countered with a bright smile. Finally, Iâve won this round.