Chapter 573
Standing Before Love
Her sudden announcement had caused Leon and Matthias to look at each other in confusion. Both men didnât think there were any business matters to discuss at this time. Initially, Matthias felt that Heather was only using Leon as a pretense, so he didnât think much about their trip. Now that Matthias heard her mentioning work with a solemn expression, he was stunned.
On the other hand, with a bright smile on his face, Leon answered, âHeather, you didnât inform me beforehand that weâre going to talk about work.â He was still secretly helping Matthias this time, causing her to roll her eyes at Leon.
A grateful Matthias glanced at Leon, thinking that he was indeed a loyal man. As the two of them made eye contact and exchanged a few knowing glances with each other, she felt the urge to kick the door down and leave the room.
âYou kept mentioning the launch of the company yesterday. Isnât that a business matter?â Heather reminded Leon. Since she came looking for him today, she already had her set of rhetoric figured out.
âDidnât you already make up your mind and thereâs no point in me persuading you?â He continued to ridicule her. With regards to his refusal to cooperate, she assumed that he was still angry with what had happened yesterday.
âIf you donât want to talk about it, I can leave now,â Heather responded in a threatening tone, hoping that Leon could stop being carried away by his temper.
In helplessness, he looked at her. If he continued to act against her principles, she would definitely not spare any mercy on him in the future. Since he had no choice, he hopelessly nodded.
âNo, Heather. I still want to talk about the company launch.â Now that Heather had made herself so clear, there was no way Leon could act boldly anymore. After all, he still feared her in his heart.
Not knowing what was happening, Matthias gave a blank expression. He had no idea about the company launch at all. Upon noticing the confused expression in his eyes, she secretly smiled in her heart.
âWhen are you planning to launch the company?â He forcibly interrupted the conversation.
She did not reply. Instead, Leon answered, âOn New Yearâs Day.â There was nothing but a strong hint of helplessness in his tone.
âYouâve delayed the launch until the New Yearâs?â Matthias expressed his opinion, which caused Heather to frown a little.
It was then that Leon became excited. With a slightly raised voice, he responded, âDonât you think itâs taking too long? The company can be launched within a few days. Yet, she wants it to be on New Yearâs Day and that was different from what she promised me.â The moment he had an outsider supporting him, he started to get bolder with his thoughts.
âLaunching the company is a big thing. Thereâs no use launching it in a hurry.â Heather made her grandiose explanation. Leon had not mentioned the reason behind the postponement because it was not convenient for him to talk about it in front of Matthias. At least, he was still aware of that point.
âI heard you mention the company launch before and itâs already been delayed for half a year from your original plan. If you donât launch it as soon as possible, it might not be a good move.â It was surprising that Matthiasâ memory was not bad. She had once told him that she wanted to start her own business and even shared her plan with him.
Even though she couldnât remember when it happened, he could remember every detail about itâa rather impressive feat to both Heather and Leon.
âThoughts will change as time passes. Changes always occur to plans.â She had insisted on launching it on New Yearâs Day and even got into a fight with Leon because of this yesterday.
If it hadnât been for Matthias today, Heather wouldnât have brought up the matter and landed herself in this situation. However, she did have her own reasonsâshe really wanted to persuade Leon into accepting her opinion.
It was just that she wasnât expecting Matthias to express his thoughts at that time. And what was more shocking was the fact that she had once disclosed her business plan to him. Now, she knew that she was in trouble.
Undeniably, Leon was indeed annoyed with Heather yesterday, but he was not the kind of person who would hold a grudge against someone. Now that she had mentioned it again, he didnât have any complaints about it. He was just surprised that Matthias was actually on his side, which made things more interesting.
Ever since she met Matthias, many embarrassing things that happened were all related to him.
Sometimes, she wondered whether he was her calamity.
Suddenly, the lady bossâ words popped up in Heatherâs mindâthat she and Matthias were a match made in heaven. Yet, why did she feel that it sounded so ironic at this moment?
However, Heather knew that the lady boss was indeed proficient in metaphysics. For some reason, her words had Heather feeling a little excited. Although Matthias was always causing her troubles and embarrassment, he happened to be the one that could bring her happiness.
Even Myra thought that it was a wonderful thing. When Heather chatted with her a few days ago, Myra had even brought this up.
The emotions in Heatherâs gaze had frequently changed from one to another that Matthias was feeling strange. Was there something on his face?
âIâm just expressing my thoughts. If youâve made up your mind, you donât have to care about what others think,â Matthias responded from the bottom of his heart. He was willing to support Heather in whatever she wanted to do.
Here came another plot twist! Leon instantly felt betrayed by his ally. In anger, he glanced at Matthias and regretted his decision for helping Matthias. In the end, Matthias would always stand on Heatherâs side.
Upon hearing Matthiasâ words, Heather could feel warmth filling her heart. That sounds just about right!
If he dared to say anything that made her upset, she would definitely not see him again during this time.
Despite the overwhelming happiness in her heart, she was still not going easy on him. âOn one hand, you told me not to care about what others think and on the other hand, youâre expressing opinions that contradict with mine. Youâre indeed a contradictory person.â
A sympathetic Leon cast a glance at Matthias. Pleasing Heather would not guarantee a positive outcome. Look what happened now? Now that he was looking at Matthiasâ defeated expression, Leon gloated a little in his heart as he regarded it as Matthiasâ karma for betraying him.
âEveryone has the freedom of speech. I can express my opinion openly and you can choose to ignore it as well. Do I have to keep quiet just because my opinion contradicts yours?â Matthias refuted. Since she was going overboard, he would not be polite with her either.
On the side, Leon was dying to applaud Matthias for his ability to silence Heather. Sure enough, he was a talent in eloquence.
Then, the debate continued. As the two of them continued to argue with one another, Leon found the scene rather interesting. He was initially growing bored in the hotel, but these two came to look for him today and enacted such a great show to help him pass the time. For that, he was grateful to them.
Now that the situation was getting chaotic, he couldnât miss the chance of making it worse for the sake of his own pleasure.
âThatâs right, Heather. You have to fix that chauvinism of yours. You can ignore our opinions, but you canât tell us to shut up. We support freedom of speech!â Leon emphasized the last sentence with a raised tone. That triumphant expression of his really pissed Heather off.
âPlease pay attention to the words you use. Do some research and figure out what chauvinism is before labeling it on me.â Heather expressed her dissatisfaction while Matthias also took a glance at him. It was true that Leon really made a mistake in his word choice this time.
âHey, since you insist on launching the company on New Yearâs Day, then we shouldnât talk about it anymore. Itâs not a big deal to postpone the launching anyway. We can even make use of the auspicious signs of the special day.â Leon hurriedly appeased Heather. He was too full of himself earlier and shot himself in the foot. It would be the worst thing on earth if he had actually offended her.
It seemed that he was not that difficult to deal with as compared to Matthias. Leon had actually compromised with ease, but it was expected because he really shared the same fate with Heather.
âNow that we have finished talking about work, is there anything else that you want to talk about?â Leon couldnât wait to get over this topic. Knowing Heatherâs personality, he knew that she wouldnât change her mind once she had something decided. So, why should he bother to waste his effort and time arguing about the launching?
âI have,â Matthias suddenly interrupted.
Leon curiously shifted his gaze to Matthias, wondering what quote Matthias was coming up with this time. After being bullied by Heather for so long, Leon finally saw a glimmer of hope in Matthias. It seemed that the day where he could turn the tables around was not far away.
âWhat is it? Tell me.â Leon and Matthias started to sing the same tune, leaving her aside.
âSince the weather is so nice today, do you want to go for a picnic?â Matthias was still thinking about the picnic until now. He had been waiting for a chance to bring it up all along.
Upon hearing that, Heather held her forehead with her hand. Why was Matthias so stubborn? She shouldnât have brought him here to visit Leon. Now, they were birds of a feather flocking together.
âPicnic? That sounds like a good idea!â Leon agreed with an eager expression since he had always liked outdoor activities.
âThen, youâll have to persuade Heather for me. She has rejected me earlier.â Matthias gazed at her. As expected, she was looking a little gloomy at that moment.
âHeather, a picnic is good for our body and mind. Why did you say no?â Leon started to throw the question at Heather. As if Matthias was not enough to make her life difficult, there was Leon doing the same thing. It was then that Heather realized she really made a serious mistake.
âI donât want to go. Iâm not interested in being self-sufficient.â She threw a death glare at Matthias as she answered. At the thought of his proposal, she couldnât help but roll her eyes.
âSelf-sufficient?â Leon was a little puzzled. With doubts written in his eyes, he looked at Matthias. Of course, she wouldnât bother to explain to him, so he could only pin his hope on Matthias.
When he heard Leonâs question, Matthias explained in a serious manner, âSince weâre going for a picnic, of course, we will have to make our own food. I plan to bring a pot with a soup base and look for a beautiful place in the mountains. Then, Iâll be in charge of fishing while she harvests the wild vegetables. By doing so, weâll get to enjoy the most authentic delicacy of nature.â Matthias portrayed it as vividly as possible and it made Leon excited just by listening to it.
An eager Leon kept nodding his head as if he really wanted to give it a shot. However, Heather didnât seem to have the slightest interest written on her face.
âThis is an awesome idea! What are we waiting for then?â Leon skipped Heatherâs opinion directly; he was dying to be there at this moment.
âSince both of you like the idea, then you should go together. Donât drag me along.â Heather couldnât wait to return to the Langston Residence. There was no way she would spend her time with these two childish men.
âNo way. We have to work together so that we donât exhaust ourselves. If Matthias and I go for a picnic on our own, others might get the wrong idea. For the sake of our innocence, you must come with us.â
Leon was intimately addressing Matthias, making it seem like he was really planning to form an alliance with Matthias.
âOh,â she replied coldly with an indifferent expression. While looking at her, Matthias and Leon couldnât make sense of her reply. Did she agree to it orâ¦