The air was tense as Tony would never have expected Heather to bring forth such a matter. At the very least, it wasn’t one for them to deal with privately.
Since it involved two families, he couldn’t make decisions on his own. However, Heather wasn’t one to be irrational either, so what on earth made her do such a thing?
“So this is the work you wished to speak to me about?” Since the relationship between Langstons and the Hart family had been hostile for the longest time, it would only continue that way. Knowing that, Tony couldn’t see the discussion going anywhere.
Disappointed, Heather frowned at Tony as his attitude made it apparent that the Hart family had no intention to reconcile with the Langstons, and the grudges they held against each other would not dissolve merely because of the Moriartys’ interference.
“I’ve heard that the Moriartys have been working with the Locke Group in secret. Given how long they have hidden in the dark, there’s no way the Langston family is their sole target.” Heather felt the need to remind Tony that the Moriartys would give the Hart family a hard time. She even added some baseless deductions of her own.
Hearing her outlining that point, Tony was slightly stupefied. Indeed, it was uncanny for an unstable corporation like the Locke Group to start a conflict with the Harts.
Having assumed that Matthias’ power was but a façade and after listening to Heather, who apparently knew much more than him, Tony felt that things weren’t as simple as he imagined.
However, he continued to stay rational so as not to make himself anxious over Heather’s baseless rumors. “Where did you hear that from?” he questioned.
“I’m still searching for evidence.” Heather was much more upfront with Tony than with Robert.
Now that he thought about it, Heather and Matthias had been close lately, so perhaps this was a fragment of her scheme. Bearing that in mind,Tony focused on Heather’s composed face.
All this time he had been underestimating her, but it seemed like she was far more formidable than he assumed. She was so skilled at hiding her emotions there was no telling if she was sincere or faking it.
“So how do I play into this?” Having figured out the general idea of Heather’s intentions, Tony assumed she had come looking for help. Since she was earnest enough with her opinions, she must have come up with certain strategies.
“You and I both know that our families aren’t exactly on good terms, so having them cooperate is near impossible. However, that doesn’t affect our capability to work hand-in-hand in private,” Heather confessed her intentions. In fact, when she was on her way to the Hart Group, she had already predicted that Tony would never agree for their families to team up. As such, she could only compromise and make her attempt with Tony.
Without voicing his agreement, he waited for Heather to continue. Since she had approached him by herself, she must have come up with a master plan.
“My company will start operating on New Year’s day so before that, I’ll have all the time I need to investigate the Moriartys,” Heather proceeded while studying every subtle change on Tony’s expression as she attempted to figure out whether he was willing to cooperate.
Unfortunately for her, Tony was as calm as a clam, indifferent even. Perhaps the incentives weren’t appealing enough for him since businessmen had always reached an agreement based on the benefits they offered each other.
“Have you watched the news today?” All of a sudden, Heather switched to a new, irrelevant topic. Since he wasn’t at all interested in what she was professing, perhaps he would be at what she was about to say next.
“I haven’t.” Knowing this was Heather’s setup, he patiently waited for her to make her move.
Pulling out her phone, she swiped to the news and presented it to Tony. The headline was about the explosion from last night.
In a flash, Tony scanned through the news. Published alongside the words was a photo of a woman’s back with Heather’s likeness. There was even a Miss Langston mentioned in the news. In that instant, Tony understood what was going on.
“Somebody set off a bomb in my apartment. It was as terrifying as it was unpredictable.” Heather knew that safety was a priority to Tony and he would hate to have the people surrounding Myra get hurt.
“And the Moriartys are behind this?” Tony curiously asked as he recalled how he and Myra were stalked back when they were overseas. That alone proved how influential and threatening the Moriarty family was.
“Honestly, it’s still unknown so I’ll have to make some time looking into it.” She was unable to provide a clear answer. After all, if she could, there wouldn’t be a need for her to approach Tony.
“Let’s talk about this again when you finally know for sure.” While Tony was still reluctant to agree, he would definitely protect Myra without slacking off for even a second.
At that, Heather helplessly blurted out, “Since when have you been so stubborn…” After so much talking, Tony was still unwavered and that made her feel perturbed.
Shaking his head, he laughingly stated, “I’m not being stubborn. I’ll lend help however I can if you need it. However, partnering up requires strategies and executions. You don’t just form an alliance through words.”
After circling around with her words, Heather still hadn’t revealed her plans on how they could work together. Evidently, it seemed like she hadn’t completely thought this through, so could anyone blame Tony for not agreeing to cooperate?
“So far, there are two unknown particulars that are stopping me from working with you.” As everything Heather had mentioned was the point of forming an alliance, how could he agree to be affiliated if she wasn’t even sure of it herself?
“Since we’re currently unable to form a real partnership, we shall wait until certain things are set in stone.” As Tony expressed that, he couldn’t figure out why she couldn’t think through the matter at hand.
Heather, on the other hand, requested for a definite answer to the question from him. “My reason for coming today is only to ask if you are willing to form a treaty with me.”
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Standing Before Love (Myra and Sean)