Chapter 544
Standing Before Love
Heather and Blake were having a quiet breakfast, as if the argument the night before never happened.
The butler told Robert everything, but Robert decided to stay quiet. Even so, he was worried his grandchildren would fight again.
That was the moment when Matthias barged in at the worst time possible. Everyone was still having breakfast, so they stared at him the moment he came in, and Heather frowned. Is this guy dumb? He came right after I said yes? She was slightly regretting her choice. Despite his uninvited presence, everyone turned their attention back to their breakfast, saying nothing about Matthiasâ arrival. Perhaps they had agreed to the relationship between him and Heather.
Robert was still welcoming as usual, so he asked Matthias to come over, but the guy only had eyes for Heather. He seemed oblivious about the fact that he came in at the wrong time, and to top it off, he looked as happy as a lark.
What should I do with him? âYouâre early, Matthias.â Robert pointed out the obvious, since he knew Matthias was there for Heather.
âWell, I did say Iâll give you the proposal as soon as I can, so here I am.â Matthias made up an excuse, though he did have a proposal at hand. After all, coming over without anything was inappropriate.
Robert said, âIâm still having breakfast, so I canât really go away.â Then, he looked around before setting his gaze on Heather. âYouâre done with your breakfast, Heather? Good, can you take him to the study?â
Heather couldnât refuse her grandfather, so she nodded. âSure.â She wanted to take him away anyway, for Matthias had been doing a lot of over-the-top stunts around her family. This is not good.
In the meantime, Blake watched everything in silence. He wasnât surprised about their relationship, since they didnât keep it a secret back at the company. Now that they were getting closer, and Robert was greenlighting it, Blake realized that Heather must be getting along well with Matthias. And he hated that.
He hated it when everything was going well for her. Why is she the one whoâs getting it good?
Compared to her, Blake had been having a bumpy ride over the years, but all of it was his fault. Instead of reflecting on himself, he decided to put the blame on Heather, much to her chagrin.
Blake thought Heather had a smooth life, but it couldnât be further from the truth. She ran into a lot of problems too, but Blake ignored all of it.
On the way to the study, Heather put some distance between her and Matthias. She didnât want to talk to him, much to his confusion. Since he couldnât figure it out, Matthias asked her carefully, âYou donât seem to welcome me, Heather.â
âYes, youâre right,â she snapped back. You came right when everyoneâs having breakfast. Of course I donât welcome you.
This is not a good start. Matthias was still confused. He was an idiot when it came to women, for he knew nothing about pleasing them. They came to the study a short while later, then Matthias followed her in.
Heather turned around, asking formally, âWhereâs the proposal?â
He took it out of his suitcase and handed it to her. They didnât seem like a couple, though he wanted to approach her. However, he didnât know how to do it; he knew he would mess things up, for she was a hard obstacle to overcome.
It was getting closer and closer to nine, but Heather still didnât bring the date up. He wanted to remind her of the date, but she didnât seem too happy. On the other hand, Heather seemed to be putting on airs to test Matthias. Matthias didnât want to be late, for the most exciting part was at the start. In the end, he mustered up his courage to ask, âItâs getting late, Heather. I think we should be going now.â He was as careful as he could, for he was worried he might upset her.
In response, Heather looked at the time. Weâll really be late if we donât set off right now. She was coming up with a way to get past the living room without anyone noticing, since some people were still having breakfast down there. None of this would have happened if he called me before coming. The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she was.
âDonât call me by my name. I thought I told you so.â Heather was getting irritated. Matthias was shameless and forgetful, but she couldnât do anything about it.
Right when they were about to argue, Robert came in. Ah, this is familiar. Sheâs annoyed, so I guess theyâre upset again. Hmm, theyâre really a perfect couple.
âGrandpa.â She greeted him politely, her enthusiasm for the date doused.
âHello, Mr. Langston.â Matthias greeted him even more politely, worried someone might take it the wrong way.
âDo what you have to do. Iâll go through the proposal.â Robert knew what had happened once he took a look.
Heather looked at him, then at Matthias. She was still annoyed by Matthias, even though he never did manage to make her happy once, much to her chagrin.
âCan I borrow her for the morning then?â Matthias asked. Since Robert was there, he was feeling more confident. Actually, Matthias didnât know what he should do around her. No matter what he did, she would still be angry. As a result, he had to think about everything a hundred times before he went for it.
That was how it was like to fall for someone. Love would change someone, turning them into the kind of person they hated the most. Matthias never expected himself to bow down for love, for he never thought about getting down after reaching the top of the world.
âYeah, yeah, yeah.â Robert waved them down, though he was smiling. Matthias seldom takes the lead.
This could lead to something good.
Heather shot him a disgruntled look. âYou havenât asked my opinion, Grandpa.â She couldnât believe Robert would just let Matthias take her away without asking her.
âAh, you youngsters should go on a few dates. The weatherâs good, you know. And youâre only young once.â Robert wanted them to go on the date right away. The more he thought about it, the more he thought they were a great couple, not to mention the fact that he wanted Heather to be happy.
âBut itâs overcast, and the airâs dry. This is not a sunny day.â Heather took her own sweet time to argue with Robert, but Matthias was getting nervous.
Robert smirked, reminiscing about his youthful days. Ah, to be young. You can do anything and dream of everything. Time and hope is on your side.
When they left the castle, it was already eight thirty. Heather plopped down on the passenger seat, mocking, âThereâs only half an hour left. Are you sure you can make it?â
Matthias was vexed that Heather seemed so indifferent about it, but in a sense, he was the only one to see her acting that way, so he just excused it as preferential treatment. âDonât worry. Weâll be there in time. Buckle up.â
Oh, I know he loves to drive fast. Guess heâs breaking the traffic rules again. âI donât want to get involved in another car crash,â she said sarcastically.
âIf I remember correctly, you were the one who crashed into me both times,â he answered calmly, grinning. Matthias looked great when he smiled, but he made one mistakeâhe didnât realize that he shouldnât argue with the girl he liked. Sure, he might have won the argument, but he killed the conversation, so Heather stopped talking.
He didnât drive fast though, for Heather was there. Everything he said was a joke, since he wouldnât endanger Heather just to get there in time. He wanted everything to be safe when she was around.
Along the way, he tried to chat with her, but Heather didnât show any enthusiasm. Chatting with Matthias was a tiring chore, so she didnât want to give him the chance to annoy her.
Time was slowly running out, so Matthias tried to go with the less congested routes, sometimes going through the narrower roads, even. He did that just because he didnât want to be late. Since itâs a date. I want to leave a good impression. He had his own creed, and he wanted to work hard to change her opinion of him.
âWeâre here.â He parked his car in Tech Plazaâs underground parking lot. Much to Heatherâs surprise, he only took twenty minutes to get there.
Once they got out of the car, Heather walked over to the plaza elegantly, asking, âSo tell me more about the super realistic ride.â It was just a concept after all, so she didnât know what the ride would entail. Iâll have to get some answers first.
âItâs a ride in space. Some spacefaring tech in the future.â Matthias loved that kind of stuff, but he forgot to ask what Heather liked, so he glossed it through in the chat.
Heather wasnât interested, but she wasnât uninterested either. She didnât know much about the industry, but she was willing to see more.
âHave you ever dreamed of being an astronaut?â Heather remembered Matthias saying he wanted to become an astronaut, but it was a vague memory, so she asked it for confirmation.
Matthias was surprised that Heather actually remembered it, for he only mentioned it in passing. The fact she remembered it delighted him. Well, he left a lasting impression on her back then, but all she thought about then was business and profits, so he was already overjoyed that she actually remembered his dream.
âYes, and you told me you wanted to be a great businesswoman.â Matthias remembered that, for Heather had that dream since she was a child.
âI see.â Heather smiled for once, and the atmosphere loosened up a little. She had probably forgotten what she said back then, but she could imagine herself saying that.
They chatted happily and eventually came to the science museum. There was a long tunnel inside, and lights hung from the walls as far as the eye could see. Apparently, they were going down a time tunnel.