Standing Before Love (Myra and Sean) novel Chapter 522

Heather pondered on her qualities. While she liked to consider herself as well-accomplished and an example of the perfect woman, she shuddered at the thought of being romantically pursued by someone whom she knew actively hated her. She briefly wondered if Matthias had suffered head damage from the accident, because it was the only logical explanation behind his feelings for her.

“I like the challenge of turning the impossible into reality,” Matthias said defiantly even after his pleading was to no avail. He knew that Heather wanted more than just a lover—she wanted someone who could thrive in the same league as her own.

“Stop grinning like that. It’s freaking me out.” She eyed him warily, recoiling at the wicked smile that played on his lips.

If that grin on his face was anything to go by, he looked like he was more than eager to take up the challenge of romantically pursuing her. She bristled and began to question what it was about her that spurred him on. Then, as her mind raced to figure out his, a sudden thought seized her.

“Do you actually like me or do you like the idea of conquering me?” She stared at him, willing him to answer.

“The former,” he replied with firm assurance.

“Men are all liars,” she said pointedly as she shot him a displeased look. She thought about asking Myra for her opinion on this. It would do her no good to dwell on such complex matters without another woman’s insight.

In the end, Heather announced imperiously, “Drive me home now. I don’t want this date to go on, so let’s just call it a day.” Truthfully, she was worried that one thing might lead to another if they were to carry on with this date. What if he gets some weird idea and wants to take things to the next level?

She shuddered, then tossed aside the strange and unwarranted thought as soon as it popped up in her mind. Stop thinking about how it would feel if he kisses you, she chided herself, repressing the urge to retch.

“I hate to break it to you, but this road is strictly one-way so I can’t turn the car around,” Matthias pointed out in resignation. To a certain extent, he had accomplished his mission for the day, having made his feelings known to her. No, you didn’t, the voice in his head countered sadistically.

“Did you really drop by the Langston Residence today so you could talk about the business partnership?” Heather asked. In retrospect, the reason for his visit earlier today had been rather suspicious and she wanted to talk to Robert about it, having noticed his odd behavior during Matthias’ visit.

“Of course. Believe me, I was equally surprised when Old Master Langston called me up this morning.” In all honesty, Matthias couldn’t quite grasp the situation just yet. All he knew was that the old master had had a change of heart and called him up that morning with the prospect of a partnership.

She scoffed upon hearing his answer. “I thought perhaps you might have made some shady backdoor deal with him.” By that, she meant that she had been inclined to believe that Robert sold her off to Matthias but as it turned out, she was reading too much into the situation.

“Seems a bit inappropriate to talk about your grandfather that way, don’t you think?” Matthias berated gently, though he secretly envied the bond she shared with Robert.

“It’s none of your business how I describe my grandfather. Can you please drop me home now? I don’t want to see you for a moment longer than necessary,” she snapped irritably and without thought. Then, upon recollecting herself, she peered at him worriedly from the corner of her eye and saw that his expression had darkened considerably.

However, he sounded placid as he replied, “Fine, I shall drive you home this instant. Wouldn’t want you to have to see this repulsive face of mine for the rest of the day.”

Heather’s heart twisted with guilt as she lowered her head. It was as if all the sophistication disappeared from her lexicon whenever she was in his presence. She felt bad for saying such hurtful things to him and she knew she sounded like a spoiled and unreasonable aristocratic brat.

Regardless of how wounded he might be, Matthias was still a man of his word. He stepped on the accelerator as they cruised down the road and when she saw the speed at which he was driving, she began to worry that they might run into trouble with the traffic police.

After a while, she noticed that he was still angry and the car was gaining speed under his maneuver. Matthias’ sullenness translated into reckless driving, and there were even a few times when they were inches away from bumping into the other cars on the road.

“Slow down, Matthias. Getting into an accident is not part of my to-do list,” she snapped, once again hurting him with her sharp choice of words.

“I highly doubt being a safe road-user is on your to-do list either, seeing as you’ve crashed your car into mine twice before this,” he retorted sarcastically, unable to help his sour mood. She’s being brash with me because she thinks I like her too much to put her in her place.

Frustrated by his sudden change in temperament, Heather sputtered, “Are you serious? This is no time for you to be sassy, Matthias!” What did I do to him this time?

This only seemed to spur him on. He stepped on the accelerator and the sports car revved as it sped down the road. Fear flashed in Heather’s eyes as she felt inertia pushing her into her seat. The vehicle might come with state-of-the-art safety features, but that doesn’t mean he can be so reckless with our lives!

“Unless I’ve misunderstood your instructions, I’m just doing what you told me to,” he countered, not backing down. One could hardly reason with him when he was being stubborn like this, and this probably had something to do with Heather injuring his pride.

Heather grew terrified when she saw how maniacal he was and she quickly surrendered. “Okay, okay—I’m the one who’s in the wrong, not you. I’m sorry. Can you please slow down before we crash?”

It wasn’t until he had calmed down that she retracted her piteous gaze. She had to admit that he easily outdid her when it came to being ruthless.

She got down from the car when it finally rolled to a steady stop outside the Langston Residence. Then, she turned to address him somberly, “You have obsessive tendencies and I’m far too stubborn—the both of us would only anger each other. I suggest you think about it before you delude yourself into believing we could ever work out.”

There was a certain truth to her words that even Matthias could not deny. He did have strong obsessive tendencies that bordered on a personality disorder, but he had always brushed those off as part of his character. He remembered Evan urging him to see a therapist but he had unfortunately paid no heed to that suggestion, either.