Chapter 419


    On the way to the restaurant, Heather and Niki held hands and engaged in cheerful banter.


    Matthias, on the other hand, was sullen as he trudged along behind them. He felt as if he was caught in


    the middle and he could neither interject nor ignore them. It wasn’t as though he could pull Heather


    away from his own cousin—that would look bad on him, not to mention unreasonably rude.


    Upon entering the Italian restaurant, Heather and Niki sat on one side of the table, while Matthias


    took the seat across from theirs. He eyed them darkly as he grumbled to himself, Is she always this


    chummy with the people she’s interested in?


    Throwing her a disgruntled look, Matthias could tell that she was shedding the presence in front of


    Niki. When the waiter came to give them the menu, thetter looked up and upon seeing the baleful


    gleam in his cousin’s eyes, he quickly widened the gap between Heather and himself.


    He slid the menu toward her and said courteously, “Miss Heather, you can have the menu.” There was


    a slight note of reverence in his voice and he had an endearing, boyish charm about him.


    Heather narrowed her eyes and shed him an unassuming smile. “I think you may have mistaken


    something, Niki.” She didn’t like how he had addressed her so formally. He seems to believe that


    there really is something going on between me and Matthias.


    However, just as she was about to exin, Matthias cleared his throat and cut her off, then pulled his


    chair over so that he could sit next to her. She cringed when he proceeded to wrap an arm around her


    shoulders and she bristled at their sudden close proximity. Seemingly ignorant of her difort,


    Matthias said close to her ear, “Go on; order what you like.” Anyone who saw them would think they


    were a couple.


    Upon seeing this, Niki scooted over to the chair on the other side of the table, looking wounded the


    whole time. Matthias noticed this and immediately felt his heart clench with remorse. He hadn’t wanted


    to keep up the act in front of Niki, but he was left with no choice now that thetter had developed


    actual feelings for Heather. Deceiving him was the only way to convince him that she was already


    taken, and only then would he stop pining for her.


    “Don’t touch me,” Heather hissed through gritted teeth,pletely distracted by the unwanted skinship.


    Her shoulder tingled where Matthias’ hand was gripping her and she squirmed, wanting to nudge her


    elbow into his ribs.


    The both of them were bickering under their breath. Niki lowered his head at the sight of this, feeling


    sorry for himself as he prayed for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.


    Matthias managed a nonchnt smile as he restored the gap between them, then murmured softly


    next to her ear, “I hear that you’re nning to set up your own enterprise. If you y along, I promise


    you that the Locke Group will be your very first client.”


    He knew that the only way to tempt a woman like Heather was to offer her something worthwhile and


    profitable. After all, the reason behind all her shenanigans was so that she could start her own


    business and make a name for herself in Bradfort City.


    Presently, she turned to look at him in surprise. She wasn’t sure how he hade to know of her ns


    but she had to admit that his offer was an incredibly tempting and valid one. He was driving a hard


    bargain.


    “Deal,” she agreed after regaining herposure. It would be silly of her to turn down a potential


    partnership. As far as she was concerned, it was all about what she could gain at the end of the day.


    “But—” she added as she lowered her voice. She didn’t want Niki to overhear their conversation and


    after she had paused for dramatic effect, she continued, “—I want to know why you’re so protective of


    Niki. Is he someone important to you?” It was imperative for her to figure out the rtionship


    between them before this day came to an end.


    “He’s my cousin,” Matthias answered forthrightly. He knew that he had to tell her the truth if he wanted


    her cooperation and even if he didn’t, he was sure that she would find out on her own eventually,


    seeing as she was already curious enough to ask. He knew better than to underestimate her sleuthing


    abilities.


    Heather hummed in surprise and she broke into a grin. Aside from the promise of a business deal, she


    had also acquired the information she needed, essentially killing two birds with one stone.


    Looks like I’m getting more than I have bargained for out of this lunch, she thought as she


    congratted herself on having such brilliant wit. Things were taking an interesting turn in Bradfort City


    now that the Locke Group had infiltrated the market. She didn’t know what might happen after this but


    she looked forward to it all the same.


    Just then, Niki raised his voice unconsciously as he unhappily shouted, “Waiter!”


    Matthias and Heather pulled away from each other when they heard this, and they regarded him with


    puzzled expressions as they straightened in their seats.


    He shed them an apologetic look after realizing that he had interrupted them by bellowing for the


    waiter. He hadn’t meant to do so but frustration got the better of him and in that moment, it was as if


    something in him snapped.


    When the unsuspecting waiter came to their table, he was forced to bear the brunt of Niki’s rage.


    “Your service is absolutely terrible! Do you know how long we’ve been calling for a waiter? What took


    you so long toe and take our orders?”


    The poor waiter blinked at him, bewildered that such a fine-looking young man could be so


    temperamental.


    While this was happening, Heather was amused as she watched Niki throw a fit. He reminded her of


    Matthias in his younger days. They’re exactly the same, she mused to herself. Matthias used to always


    sulk and throw tantrums whenever she and Myra hung out, and he would pull all sorts of gimmicks to


    try and get the other girl’s attention.


    Cousins, indeed! She appraised Niki, then Matthias. The former lowered his head when he met her


    eyes, looking like a schoolboy who had just been lectured.


    She remembered how much she had disliked Matthias because of his tendency to throw hissy fits. He


    had been so self-centered and emotional, like a child who refused to grow up and face the world. Her


    impression of him carried over the years and it was no wonder she found it hard to like him even in the


    present.


    Niki, on the other hand, was much younger than her. She saw him as nothing more than a junior, to


    whom she did not attach any specific sentiment. To her, she was supposed to be more tolerant of his


    tantrum by virtue of the fact that she was older than him.


    It wasn’t long after Niki hadshed out at the waiter that the food was served. While Heather had


    only ordered pasta for herself, the men filled their carnivorous appetites with steaks.


    She dug into her meal with effortless elegance, her posture and etiquette wless. Matthias had spent


    years looking up to her and tried to emte the same grace with which she carried herself.


    However, it was only after he was juxtaposed with her that he realized hecked the natural-born


    aristocratic grace that she had. After all, she had been living like a princess from the very moment she


    was born, while he had had to endure hardships in his childhood, however temporary that might have


    been.


    The three of them were quiet as they ate their meal, and the only audible sounds were those of their


    chewing. The lunchsted for over an hour and they took their time as any properdy and gentleman


    of high society would. Intermittently, they would lift their sses and all seemed well between them.


    When they left the restaurant, Niki insisted on returning to the office alone so that Matthias could


    drop Heather home. Seeing as Niki was so determined to leave on his own, Heather did not try to


    persuade him toe along with them this time. She was content with all that she had gotten out of


    her excursion today.


    Heather looked so pleased on the way home and it was clear that she was painfully unaware of all the


    terrible things Matthias had done.


    As the car pulled up in front of the chateau-like structure that was the Langston Residence, Matthias


    got down from the vehicle and opened the door for her in a show of chivalry. If they were going on with


    the act, then he might as well go all the way and be a gentleman.


    He was even more determined to put on a decent front now that they had arrived at the Langston


    Residence and if he could somehow get past the threshold, then it would be the icing on the cake.


    As if reading his thoughts, Heather suppressed a smirk as she nced over at him. “Don’t tell me


    you’re actually angling to get into my house,” she mused, the snide tone of her voice implying that she


    had done her part for the day and did not want to be pestered by him any longer.


    He shrugged. “I might not go through those doors today but it’s only a matter of time before I pay your


    family a visit.” Matthias was not affected by the subtext of her words and he wasn’t one to back down


    easily; he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.


    With a resigned smile, she graciously admitted defeat this time and did not waste another breath on


    arguing with him. Besides, it wasn’t as though she had not gained anything out of this ridiculous


    charade.


    She gazed at him steadily and the contempt was clear in her eyes—she would not back down that


    easily either. “Well, then; we’ll wait for the day you decide to visit us, Director Locke.”“On behalf of the


    Locke Group, we look forward to working with the Langston Group in the near future. If it isn’t too much


    to ask of you, Miss Langston, I do hope that you would put in a good word for me to Chairman


    Langston,” Matthias said perfunctorily, as though he was genuinely excited for the business


    partnership.


    “I’m afraid you’re asking the wrong person, Director Locke. My words carry little weight in the Langston


    Group,” Heather countered, having no interest in furthering his ambitions.


    On the contrary, if one were to speak of a partnership with the Hart Group, she would be more than


    willing to help out. It would be the most ideal situation for her family to work together with the Hart


    Group, seeing as they wouldplement each other well.


    She had done her research on the Locke Group too and while she had considered the value of the


    corporation as a whole, they were still the Langston Group’spetitors nheless, and the strife


    between them outweighed the benefits of a partnership.


    Even if she were to allow the possibility of a coboration, she knew that the Locke Group could not


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    she evaluated the pros and cons of working together with either one of them.


    Given that she could only choose one, she began to consider the importance of maintaining good


    terms with the Hart Group, who happened to be rivals with the Locke Group.


    “Everyone knows that Chairman Langston trusts you the most,” Matthias pointed out, finding ways to


    keep her from going into the front door. He wanted to make his presence known.


    If she won’t let me follow her into the house, then I’ll keep the conversation going out here. Old Master


    Langston will surely hear about this one way or another.


    “Look—I really have to go in right now. There’s a time and ce for everything, and I don’t make it a


    habit to take a business meeting on my doorstep,” she snapped irritably. Who knows what the maids in


    the house might think if they saw me talking to him?


    “How could you be so heartless after clinging onto me for the whole ofst night?” Matthias feigned a


    wounded look as he teased her.


    Heather’s face paled when she heard this. She ought to throttle him for saying something like that on


    the doorstep of the Langston Residence. She glowered at him murderously. She would never partner


    up with him and she would do everything she could to get in his way instead.


    She was resolute in returning Matthias the favor. If a partnership with the Langston Group was what he


    had hoped for, then she would let him get a taste of devastation.


    “Are you done? If you are, I suggest you get out of my sight this instant!” Heather hissed, no longer


    ying nice. She wanted to p the scoundrel hard across his smarmy face.


    “You’re just as feisty as I expected,” Matthias remarked as he opened the car door for himself. She felt


    anger thrumming in her veins when she registered the smug look on his face.


    Heather would never forgive him for what he had done to her that morning, and she vowed to teach


    him a lesson for messing with her.


    He shed her a wicked smile and pulled out a small gift box from his coat pocket. He had chosen this


    gift for her personally.


    “To make up for my behavior today, I got you a gift.” Matthias shoved it into her hand and quickly


    entered the car, thereafter speeding off, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake.


    Frowning, Heather nced down at the box in her hand, sickened by how he had given her a gift right


    after he had offended her.


    Without sparing the gift another thought, she tossed it to the maid who had opened the door for her and


    said, “Here; you can keep this.” Heather didn’t want Matthias’ gift and she wouldn’t so much as spare a


    nce at it.


    It wasn’t until muchter that she regretted handing the box over to the maid—if she could have


    foreseen how things would turn out, she would have thrown that box into the trash at the very first


    opportunity.