Chapter 606
Standing Before Love
Since she failed to find any reason to refuse, Heather could only acquiesce. When Leon saw that she did not deny it, he said, âIâm still hesitant to pursue Paige.â
She didnât expect this to be what he was worrying about. Heather assumed that Leon had started pursuing Paige a long time ago, but it turned out that he was still hesitating. It seemed like he was serious this time.
âIf you like her, just do it. Isnât that the principle youâve always lived by? Why are you still hesitant to make a move?â she asked teasingly.
âWhen I think about the things that youâve told me, I canât make up my mind at all.â He was indecisive since it was something he couldnât easily forget. As such, there was no way he could go after Paige.
In fact, it all started because of Heatherâthat was why she had to help him get over this. After all, Leon was never this cautious and indecisive when he pursued Heather back then.
It was rare for Leon to be so undecided. Meanwhile, Heather held back her laughter and said, âThat means you are quite devoted to Paige.â
Right now, Leon was slightly tongue-tied as the woman teased him. In fact, it had been a long time since he last pursued a girl with such seriousness.
âIs there really no hope for me to pursue her, Heather?â Back then, he had lost in the hands of her. This time, he didnât want to fail in his pursuit of Paige.
Chasing after something that couldnât be reached was the worst. After experiencing this once, he didnât want to go through it again.
When she heard this, Heather realized why he was hesitantâhe was afraid of being rejected. She had destroyed his confidence before, and it seemed like he wanted to regain his confidence from Heather.
âPerhaps youâre the only one who can get Paige to open up her heart,â she said while assuring him. If his confidence suffered another blow at this moment, he might be even more afraid to make a move.
After mulling it over, Heather came to the conclusion that Paige simply didnât want to be involved in any romantic relationshipsâshe was probably done with love. Perhaps Leon could help her walk out of the shadows, and Heather didnât think it was a bad thing. She was so detailed when analyzing others, but when it came to herself, she was a complete mess.
âAre you sure youâre not just comforting me, Heather?â Leon didnât quite believe her and felt that she was just comforting him in disguise.
âIâve always been sharp-tongued to you, so do you think I would be kind enough to comfort you?â she asked casually. Leon was suspicious by instinct, so she had to eliminate his doubts.
He thought about it for a while and realized that she had a point. Heather had always been blunt with him, and she never beat around the bush.
âWhat do you think I should do?â Leon asked in distress.
This was a difficult questionâeven Heather didnât know what he should do. She didnât know much about Paige, let alone her take on relationships.
âArenât you good at picking up girls? Why are you asking me this?â She threw the question back to Leon. She couldnât come up with an answer, so there was no need for her to think.
âWeâre going in circles again,â Leon said bitterly. Chatting with Heather was just troublesome since there was no conclusion at all.
Leon had long seen through her tricks; if she didnât want to answer a question, she would throw it back at him. He hoped that she could help him out, but he still had to rely on himself in the end.
âI donât know what kind of advice I should give you.â Instead of beating around the bush, Heather spoke frankly.
âI donât know how to approach her. Should I go after her relentlessly, or should I play hard to get?â he asked in distress. He was racking his brains just to ask her out on a date. There was still a long way to go after that, and he didnât know what to do.
âForget about your tricks and just be sincere to her,â Heather said in a resigned manner. She wondered why he didnât think of simply pursuing someone sincerely without any tricks.
âSincere?â The corners of his lips pulled back. This was what he lacked the most; if he was indeed sincere, perhaps he wouldâve even won Heather over back then.
âI know that you donât know how to truly love someone,â she said lightly, sounding a little defeated.
She then added quickly, âI donât know, so donât ask me.â She didnât know how to be sincere to other people as well.
âYou might as well just say that weâre both incompetent in love,â Leon spat out. After going around in a circle, Heather ended up insulting them both.
âThere are too many people in this society who are incompetent in love. Because of this, we feel that true love is precious,â said Heather as she sighed. The people around her were bound to someone for a variety of reasonsâonly Myra and Tony were together because of love.
Occasionally, Heather envied their relationship; she envied the deep love they had for each other.
âAre you lecturing me, Heather?â Leon understood where she was coming from, but in the pursuit of true love, the journey was a rocky road. He wondered how one was supposed to know when they had met the right person to give their all.
âYou should stop discussing relationships with me. I donât have any good advice for you, and Iâm a mess myself.â Inadvertently, she exposed her current situation with Matthias. Her relationship was getting worse and worse, and she was really disappointed in herself.
âMatthias has been rather accommodating to you, so why wonât you be a little more gentle with him, Heather?â Leon hit the nail on the head. In fact, no one wished for their partner to be that assertive, let alone a successful business tycoon like Matthias.
âHow would you know?â Heather understood all these, but when push came to shove, she was her capricious self who kept doing things that hurt others and herself.
âAs an outsider, I see things more clearly. Sometimes, I think youâre asking a little too much of Matthias.
Heâs not a master at relationships, so he canât possibly do everything for you.â In fact, Leon could see that Matthias was still quite inexperienced. His inexperience both attracted and displeased Heather.
âAre you saying that all the problems between him and I are of my own doing?â she asked in dissatisfaction. She was frustrated that Leon was taking Matthiasâs side and accusing her of being unreasonable.
âNo, Heatherâthatâs not what I meant. I meanâ¦â
However, she interrupted him and said, âI donât want your explanation. Men are always complaining that us women arenât gentle or tolerant enough.â She was blowing things out of proportion at this point.
Meanwhile, Leon was dumbfounded at how stubborn she was when people gave her advice. He knew this was how she was, and it would be difficult for her to change.
âYouâre misinterpreting my words. When there is conflict between two people, I think that both of them must be at fault. You canât put all the blame on him.â Not wanting her to interrupt him again, Leon spoke in one breath.
âSo youâre saying that Iâm always passing the buck?â Heather was now energized enough to speak properly with him.
âYouâre on fire today, Heather. Why donât you let some steam off?â Leon asked cautiously.
She had been slightly irritated in the beginning, but because of this little fiasco, her mood improved greatly.
âI donât want to discuss relationships anymore. Letâs talk about something more serious.â Heather changed the subject since they were starting to talk unpleasantly to each other. Hence, it was probably better for them to change the topic before it was too late.
âHow are the preparations for the companyâs opening coming along?â Heather had delegated all the tasks to Leon beforehand, so she didnât know how things were going.
âThere are a few minor issues that still need to be discussed with Paige.â In fact, Leon had yet to get started on some of the little details.
âSince there is an open and honest reason to speak to her, why donât you go and see her?â she said in disgust, wondering since when had Leon become so fearful.
âI donât know how to ask her,â he said. He wanted to ask Paige out, but he felt a little embarrassed.
âIn that case, Iâll ask on your behalf.â It was rare for her to be so considerate. Naturally, Leon was more than happy to agree.
âThis is what Iâve been waiting for,â he said excitedly.
âYou have to be scrupulous in separating public from private interests. You canât delay business because of private matters. Paige isnât going to bite, so what are you afraid of?â she asked half-jokingly.
âThe person who is delaying business because of personal affairs seems to be you, Heather,â Leon retorted nonchalantly.
âIâll admit to that.â She didnât bother arguing with Leon, nor did she want to waste more time dwelling on this.
âYou admit it so freely, but there isnât a hint of sincerity at all. You donât even have an ounce of remorse in you.â He began to condemn Heather, who had just been lecturing him moments ago. Naturally, he had to return the favor.
âOld habits die hard. Forgive me for being capricious,â she said insincerely. Upon hearing this, Leon felt frustrated. It was as if she was the open and poised one, whereas he was the petty man.
âIâm not going to continue talking with you. Iâm getting ticked off,â he said in an exaggerated manner. If he continued the conversation, he would end up being the one who lost.
âYou say it like Iâm picking on you.â Heather grinned. Her mood had brightened considerably after talking to Leon.
âCome back soon, Heather. Your recent performance has disappointed me!â he said in a joking tone, but he indeed thought her behavior was indeed a little uncharacteristic as of late.
âIâm disappointed in myself too,â she said emotionally. Truthfully, she was quite dismayed at herself and did not know what she was doing.
While she hid in Iceland, she refused to return to Bradfort City and face the turmoil that was going on.
As of late, she realized that she was running away from her problems. She used to face her problems head-on, but now, she was losing her confidence.
It was getting late, yet Heather wasnât sleepy at all. She got down from the warm bed and switched on the lights. In the spacious room, she began to understand the meaning of loneliness.
Never had she waited so eagerly to hear from Matthias. Ever since he left, it was like he had completely disappeared from her world. Without his warmth, she started to appreciate it. No matter what she did, she had no company and no one to share her experiences with.
In fact, no one would always tolerate another personâs capriciousness. Heather believed this, which was why she was unwilling to give him her all. She thought he was different, but it seemed like she was wrong.
Will hope emerge from my despair?