Standing Before Love (Myra and Sean) novel Chapter 520

At the tennis court, Heather had changed into her tennis outfit and it brought out an adorable, preppy charm to her appearance. It was as if she had a Midas touch that allowed her to turn even the plainest of clothes into chic attire.

The tennis outfit flattered her silhouette and accentuated her curves. Matthias, on the other hand, had had to change into his tennis outfit as well, and his day-to-day appearance might mislead one to overlook his lean, muscular build.

He had spent a better part of the last few years training to fill up his frame, so it went without saying that he boasted a well-built physique, with a body fat ratio that was rigorously maintained at 10 percent. His towering height gave the impression that he was neither strong nor athletic, but the truth was such that he packed a punch stronger than that of a world boxing champion.

Presently, he saw that Heather was poised to serve the ball. He tightened his grip on his tennis racket, trying to feel and familiarize himself with its weight. This was his first time playing tennis and though he had absorbed as much as he could from his lessons, there were still a couple of techniques he had yet to master.

Not wanting to appear weak before his opponent, he frowned and tried to imitate Heather’s posture. She was standing with her feet slightly apart and her knees were bent as she came to a low squat, her soles firmly planted on the ground.

She looked like she was ready to serve and Matthias stared at the ball in her hand intently, knowing that there was little else he could do other than to wing it.

He was confident in his own athletic abilities and he was sure that he could return her serve despite not having grasped the proper stance or posture. On the other side of the net, Heather was appraising him with a taunting gleam in her eyes as a smirk tugged on her lips. The service was just as important to her as it was to him and she couldn’t wait to see him defeated.

The very next moment, her racket slammed against the ball and she sent it hurtling toward him at incredible velocity. Matthias, on the other hand, was calm as he flicked his racket, looking handsome and dashing as he aimed to return the serve. His stance was unaffected by his lack of knowledge in tennis.

However, his racket made contact with thin air as the ball flew past it. He stared in disbelief as the ball bounced and rolled to a stop on the far side of the court. I missed it, he thought in bewilderment.

Frustrated, he couldn’t believe that he was humiliated at the start of the game. Meanwhile, Heather was smiling pleasantly, somewhat relieved that he missed the return.

She could tell from his stiff and clumsy posture that he was completely unfamiliar with tennis and fortunately for her, she had chosen such a battlefield to finally demolish his triumph. She was beginning to get sick from having him lord his superiority over her whenever they were together.

Now, she could finally dominate him on the tennis court. At the sight of the smug look on her face, Matthias was no longer embarrassed of his early defeat and he felt his heart swell at how happy he had made her.

“Director Locke, it looks like you need to work on your techniques,” she sang challengingly, her voice carrying over the court. She looked young and vibrant as she swung her racket back and forth.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to keep training with me then, Miss Langston,” he answered courteously, shedding the assertive demeanor he had put on back at the art gallery.

Heather marveled at the way he could be gentlemanly for a minute and domineering the next, and his mood swings could give anyone a whiplash. He’s more fickle than women are, she thought with amusement. However, she felt her heart leap when she fixed her gaze on his fine looks. Matthias was beginning to grow on her and the more she looked at him, the more handsome he seemed.

A devious smile lit up her face as she said, “Then you ought to watch your back.” She had gone easy on him when she served the ball earlier, but that did not mean she would hold back for the rest of the game.

“I’ll be sure to give it my all,” he quipped, flashing her a kind smile that made her heart thump.

There were a lot of times when she had inadvertently revealed her true self before him, and it was precisely because he could see through all her acts that she felt it was pointless to keep up any pretense with him.

She loved it when she could take off her mask and be in her own skin whenever she was with him. Being together with Matthias had its perks, one of which was that she no longer had to hide away her real emotions.

Fuelled by this strange surge of endearment that she had for him, Heather slammed her racket into the ball once more in a ruthless stroke. The ball flew toward him at high speed and she prayed that it would brush past his shoulder so that she might secure a second triumph.

Matthias was taken aback by how ruthless she was as the ball whooshed past his collar, a breath away from hitting his neck.

The thud of the ball hitting the ground seemed to echo around them. He could still feel the breeze from when the ball flew past his neck and his skin prickled at the very close call. He berated himself for letting down his guard in the first place—he should not have underestimated her thirst for vengeance.

He was itching to ask her if she was a Scorpio, because it would account for her tendencies to seek revenge. Heather, on the other hand, was standing on the other side of the court, smiling as she tilted her head to assess him. The pink tennis outfit she was wearing suited her well and coupled with her fresh-faced appearance today, she looked younger and more unassuming than her usual haughty self.

“You’d better be careful, Director Locke,” she chimed, grinning like the cat who ate the canary. She was more than happy to see him struggling.

“Of course you would find joy in my suffering,” he accused exasperatedly.

She winked at him and offered no reply. At some point during the course of their acquaintance, she found that torturing him was what gave her satisfaction.

Maybe I’m just petty and despicable, she thought with a wicked and triumphant smile on her face. Seeing how frustrated he was only made her want to squeal in delight.

“Looks like somebody missed again,” she sang and she stuck her tongue out playfully. It was almost as if the tennis outfit she wore brought out the mischievous and childish side of her.

“I won’t miss the next one,” Matthias declared confidently and determinedly.

Heather only shook her head in response. From what she had seen thus far, it would take him a couple more misses before he could even return one of her strokes, but she knew better than to underestimate him. She was particularly careful the third time as she got into her serving position. Her eyes met his over the net and it was as though they were communicating telepathically.