Standing Before Love (Myra and Sean) novel Chapter 695

It took one look from Matthias to send Nikolai running. There was always a murderous gleam in his eyes whenever he was in one of his moods. If looks could kill, then Matthias could be a mercenary if he weren’t already a businessman.

Now that he was left alone in his office once more, Matthias dived back into work. He knew that Nikolai and Lara only wanted to make sure he was alright, but he simply could not be bothered with their kindness right now.

His heart twisted bitterly at the thought of Heather becoming someone else’s woman. He was sure that he was on par with, if not better, than the likes of Leon, so why did she choose to be with the latter instead?

He knew that it was not in Heather’s nature to be impulsive, which meant she had put a lot of thought into this before finally making a decision. This only added more weight to Matthias’ mind, and the more he dwelled on this, the worse he felt. He couldn’t come to terms with the fact that she had fallen for someone else.

It had only been days before when he was engaged in flirtatious banter with her, so why did she settle on Leon all of a sudden? Matthias had done everything to win her over, but he ended up failing his endeavors. He didn’t even manage to become her boyfriend. How could she so easily decide that Leon is the one for her? This question alone was enough to make Matthias suspend his entire belief system.

Presently, he glanced down at the documents in his hand and found that he was no longer driven by work. The tiny words that strung together on the countless pages only made his head spin, and right now, he badly needed an outlet for all the pent-up frustration within him.

He felt rotten, as though he had just lost grip on the meaning of life. He wasn’t able to just walk up to Heather and demand an explanation from her. In fact, there was nothing he could do at this juncture, and he had never felt quite as helpless as he did now.

He didn’t even want to think about what Heather might be doing. Leon was with her in the hospital, and with the modicum of privacy presented to them by the hospital room, it was likely that they were all over each other.

Matthias hated to imagine such nonsensical scenarios. He wanted to make his way over to the hospital, but he figured it was too humiliating for him to show up like that. He wished he could install some micro bodycam on Heather so that he could see what she was doing. He was so desperate to see her that he might go insane.

He was even beginning to regret having left the hospital in a fit of rage. He had never been one to manage his emotions, so it came as no surprise that he was pushing himself toward a nervous breakdown.

What am I supposed to do now? He had never had to ask himself something like this before—he had never felt so hopeless. Even Myra’s wedding hadn’t added so much insult to his injury, but now, he thought he might very well go crazy if Heather really did end up marrying Leon.

When two people fell in love, the dynamic between them naturally fused into one, heavily centered around torture. Heather did not see Matthias as a safe harbor at which she could finally dock. With a weary soul, she experimented in various ways to prove this, but in the process of doing so, she had no idea how much hurt she was causing him.

The conflict that tore through Matthias was a mirror image of hers as well. He had kept too much to himself, and things would not have been quite so tumultuous if he had been more forthcoming with her. Alas, he was habitually secretive, leaving Heather to guess at the truth instead of telling it to her outright.

No longer able to stand the tension and frustration that settled within his office, he pushed all the documents off his desk onto the floor. He needed to find neutral ground, where he could recollect his thoughts and regain his composure. He was no longer in the mood to continue on with his work.

It wasn’t long before he pulled the door open and stormed out of his office. Having done so, he told Lara in a commanding tone, “I’m heading out. Go into my office and clean it up for me.”

With that, he walked out of the building. Staying at Locke Group would only build on his frustration, and a breath of fresh air might help to clear his mind.

It had been quite a while since his arrival in Bradfort City, but it was only at the present moment that he realized he had never explored the vibrant local scene. Evan, on the other hand, was an incorrigible hedonist who had probably already made a home for himself in all the best clubs the city had to offer. Matthias rarely ventured into places like those, but he had to admit that an occasional visit would help unwind him.

When Evan came out to greet Matthias, it was with a look of disbelief. He was skeptical and suspicious as he eyed the latter. He wondered what had prompted him to initiate a trip to a clubhouse.

“Out of curiosity, President Locke, has something really good happened, or are you just in a bad mood?” Evan asked inquisitively, but judging from the way Matthias’ lips were pressed into a grim line, it was obvious the man was downcast.

“I told you to bring me somewhere I can unwind,” Matthias began sullenly. “So why are you still asking me stupid questions?” It was clear that Evan had noticed his foul mood, and asking him about it was akin to mockery.

“I just don’t think you’d enjoy yourself in a club, President Locke,” Evan explained. They had visited a clubhouse on a previous occasion, but Matthias was far too uptight to appreciate the novelty of it, and it was hard to imagine that this time would be any different.

“Are you done?” Matthias barked impatiently, then stormed ahead so that he could stop listening to Evan’s unnecessary lecture.

However, Evan caught up to him and pointed out, “You have a girlfriend now. Aren’t you worried that Miss Langston might see you at the club and throw you in the doghouse?” The teasing tone of his voice only succeeded in stoking Matthias’ anger.

Matthias stopped in his tracks and turned ominously to throw a dangerous look at Evan, who felt a chill run down his spine. He blinked innocently at the former, and it was only then that he realized he had slipped up.

“Do not mention Heather’s name in front of me.” Matthias bit out harshly through gritted teeth. He was feeling bad enough as it was, and he only wanted to find an emotional outlet through which he could release all his pent-up bitter resentment. He most certainly did not want to concern himself with anything related to Heather.

“Okay, okay,” Evan agreed placatingly. He immediately deduced that Matthias had gotten into a lover’s spat with Heather, and it looked like it did not end well. He could finally understand why Matthias was behaving so erratically.

Evan’s idea of Matthias was a tolerant and chivalrous gentleman who had intensive guidance, which would mean that the fight wasn’t a small matter. Heather must have crossed the line to make Matthias so angry, Evan thought grimly.

He was suddenly seized with the urge to unearth the details of the fight. He wondered if he could get Matthias to down a couple of powerful shots of alcohol, seeing as it would be easier to make him spill the beans once his inhibitions were lowered. However, Matthias could hold his drinks exceptionally well, so there was a chance that this plan might go awry. I might be the first one to get drunk before I could hear his side of the story.