Standing Before Love (Myra and Sean) novel Chapter 421

As Heather watched the butler approach them, she felt as though the wheels of fate had been set in motion and there was nothing she could do to stop them.

She blanched as the small gift box was carefully placed in Robert’s hand, clueless as to what it contained.

However, now that she was thinking about it, she had a bad feeling about what might be in the box.

“I’ll open it if you don’t mind,” Robert said as his fingers clasped the box.

She managed an exasperated smile and answered with what she hoped was nonchalance, “Go ahead.” He would only grow more suspicious of her if she were to deny him from opening the box.

In retrospect, she might have been too brash when she explained herself earlier; it was obvious that her grandfather did not completely believe her this time. After all, it was hard to convince anyone that Matthias was trying to exact revenge on her when there was neither a basis to the story nor proof to support her claim.

Suddenly, Robert handed the box over to her and he broke into a kind, affectionate smile. “This is a gift for you, Heather. It wouldn’t be right for me to open it.”

When she took the box, she winced slightly, as though the gift burnt her. It was impossible for Heather to back out of the living room now and discard the offending object, which meant she was left with no choice but to open it in front of Robert. She knew it was the only way to prove that she had nothing to hide, thereby gaining his full trust.

Her eyes fell on the box. Feigning indifference, she opened it to reveal the diamond necklace nestled within. She couldn’t help the small sigh of relief that escaped her at the sight of this, and the fear drained out of her as she thought, Thank goodness it’s just a necklace.

But just as she gingerly picked up the jewelry, she dislodged the note that had been tucked beneath it. A grimace twisted her features as she stared at the note, knowing that she would only appear guilty if she did not pull it out. It looked like Matthias had spun an intricate web to trap her.

On the flip side, if she were to read the note and find that Matthias had written something lewd, she would have to come up with a plausible explanation.

Under Robert’s watchful gaze, she suppressed her fury and pulled out the note, then assumed an unruffled front as she unfolded it.

On the note were three lines inscribed in careful penmanship, the first of which was a poem, and the following two were his own words. She scanned the words that read, ‘I pace around hungry, sniffing the twilight, hunting for you, for your hot heart, like a puma in the barrens of Quitratue; there are few things in the world that could compare to your beauty, and the ruby is one such thing. Fate has brought us together and I hope to only give you nothing but the best.’

Quoting one of the more obscure, sensual poems by Pablo Neruda would have usually been the gateway to capture Heather’s attention, but seeing as how things had turned out presently, it was an understatement to say she was not impressed. She wanted to tear the note into pieces and throw the ridiculous ruby necklace into the trash.

She gritted her teeth at the thought of Matthias’ elaborate scheme. How could I let my guard down and allow him to get away with all these infuriating shenanigans?

She should have tread more carefully around him after the first set-up instead of underestimating him, and now she had only herself to blame for this predicament. How naïve and foolish of her to have been duped by his charming maneuvers—she ought to strangle herself.

Just then, Robert cleared his throat, the sound of which pulled her out of her thoughts.

Judging from the way things were going, he could tell that there was something complex going on between his granddaughter and Matthias. Surely the latter would not go to such lengths if he had no actual feelings for Heather.

As for the talk of vengeance that Heather had mentioned, Robert found that there was no basis for it. After all, Matthias had only just arrived in Bradfort City, and it wasn’t only until a few days ago that Heather had returned to the city as well.

He was skeptical that any feud could have brewed between the both of them within such a short span of time. On the contrary, he would be more inclined to believe that it was an age-old story of love at first sight.

They probably had a fight that resulted in Heather’s present denial of any association with him. Or perhaps he tried to force himself on her last night.

As far as Robert was concerned, Matthias had left a decent impression on him after their first and only meeting. Furthermore, the young man appeared to have given some thought into getting a gift for Heather, which meant he was putting in the effort to pursue her romantically. There didn’t seem to be anything foul or wicked going on here.

“I’m going to my room, Grandpa,” Heather said presently, desperate for some peace and quiet as her energy drained out of her.

Robert nodded without adding anything else to the conversation, knowing that he could not get a word in with her or put his foot into her personal affairs while she seemed so downtrodden.

Having gone into her bedroom, Heather closed the door behind her and shuffled over to the bed. She was exhausted and she hated that she was suffering such a messy defeat. She thought about the newspaper that headlined her non-existent scandal with Matthias and grew frustrated, not being able to figure out why that man had orchestrated this.

She brought her fist down onto the bed and hammered out her annoyance. Then, pulling a pillow over her face, she mumbled grimly, “I won’t let you get away after all the despicable things you have done, Matthias Locke.”

Heather was so outraged that she would have beaten him up if he were standing before her right now. However, at the thought that he had a black belt in karate, she realized that he could easily take her down. As things were, pummeling him to death would not be a viable option.

And so, the fury gnawed away at her. She couldn’t just sit by and do nothing while he turned her into some pathetic piece of pawn on his chessboard. She had to strike back but she was at a loss as to how she could do that, seeing as she had no idea why he was doing all these in the first place. Brilliant as she was, she could not come up with a way to put that man in his place.

It was crucial for her to figure out the purpose behind all his schemes. She could tell that he still had a thing for Myra and judging from the way he behaved, it was clear that he had not gotten over the woman. As such, Myra was the key to this battle.