Standing Before Love (Myra and Sean) novel Chapter 731

At the Locke Group, the higher-ups of the company gathered in a cramped room while a benevolent and kind elderly man was seated right in its center. The seniors studied the elder warily, their eyes filled with fear and respect. The elder’s every move seemed to have the power to cause them anxiety.

Not only that, the old man’s amiable tone of speech was overwhelming in their ears; the more he acted this way, the more the higher-ups’ hands were tied.

“Is Matthias not present in the company today?” asked the old man pleasantly.

The higher-ups were precisely most afraid of this question. They had hoped to leave the room unscathed, but it seemed like it was all merely wishful thinking—naturally, the sharp old man wouldn’t leave out such an important detail.

He took in the senior management’s reaction one by one and his expression shifted slightly. He didn’t need their answer to know that Matthias wasn’t at the company at the moment.

However, the old man didn’t seem upset; his eyes glazed over them coldly and an unreadable smile hung on his lips. Indeed, in the world of business, the elderly weren’t often as kind as they seemed. They could easily become another person in the blink of an eye.

The higher-ups noticed the discontentment of the old man’s face, so they all looked at him with utmost sincerity and respect in hopes of making him feel more at ease. However, the old man did not loosen up. Right now, there was even an added sense of sharpness in his gaze. The crowd didn’t know how to appease him and the entire room was in hushed pandemonium, for nobody was willing to step up.

Outside the closed doors, staff members were frantically dialling Matthias’ phone non-stop, but sadly, no one was picking up. Matthias currently had his full attention on decorating Heather’s villa with his phone set to airplane mode, so it effectively blocked out all manner of cellular contact.

After hours of hard work, Matthias was finally done with his job as Heather’s interior designer before he remembered to switch off the function on his phone. Before he could leave the villa, his phone exploded with never-ending messages as alerts blasted his speakers continuously. All sorts of notifications spammed his screen and he felt like his head would explode soon.

As such, he didn’t have the chance to bid Heather farewell before he left; with his phone acting this way the moment he stepped outside, his mood hit rock bottom in an instant.

However, when he realized the content of the messages, he couldn’t even process his anger as he rushed to his car immediately. He had to return to the Locke Group at once. What he just learned had surprised him completely—he didn’t think the head of the Locke Family would visit Bradfort City in person. The old man wasn’t in good health; in addition to coming all this way to the city, Matthias didn’t know how he was able to arrive safely.

Nonetheless, Matthias didn’t have the time to worry about Chester’s health since he was in a much more difficult situation himself. He recalled how strict the old man usually was on him, and he knew that he was in deep trouble this time.

He sped off as fast as he could and arrived in Bradfort when it was nearly post office hours. He went up to the presidential office with his heart restless and uneasy. Just as he was about to push open the door, he hesitated. He noticed that even the new secretary didn’t look so good as she stood outside.

Chester was definitely in the office, and Matthias didn’t know what to say once he opened the door. As he thought of the man’s stern face, he felt apprehensive about going inside.

Things were bound to get complicated the next moment, and Matthias’ mouth twitched as his face was heavy with foreboding. He knew that he would have to face it sooner or later if it was meant to be, for running away wouldn’t do him any good.

After swallowing his restlessness and doubt, he pushed open the door and entered the office. Then, he locked eyes with Chester without showing any form of surprise. His gaze was calm and cold, whereas Chester’s was emotionless. The two exchanged hard looks in silence, and no one was willing to break it off.

Eventually, Matthias decided to compromise. He lowered his head and slowly went up to the elderly. He knew that the old man was going to interrogate him regarding his absence, and he was quietly thinking up the best countermeasure to save himself.

Meanwhile, Chester’s eyes were filled with disappointment for Matthias; the blatant look in his eyes made the latter unsure of how he should explain himself. Matthias suddenly lost the power to take control of the situation, and he could only wait for Chester to pass his judgement.

However, Chester simply remained silent and unfazed. As a result, Matthias didn’t know how to start, and the two maintained their stand in the meantime. He knew what the older man was expecting, but he couldn’t bring himself to admit his faults.

Meanwhile, Chester felt greatly defeated by Matthias’ current behavior, for he didn’t think the man would be unwilling to apologize even in front of him. Naturally, Chester was curious as to why Matthias was so bold all of a sudden.

The two kept quiet in the office, and none of them was planning to back down as they played the staring game. Chester waited patiently for Matthias to give in. The Locke Group wasn’t fully in Matthias’ hands yet, and he was certain that the young man was aware of this.

“Is there a reason you’re here for me, Sir?” Matthias asked nonchalantly. After the long silence, his first words were of such indifference.

At that moment, Chester was even more disappointed when he heard those words—how could Matthias act like this in front of him? The way he had addressed Chester also sent a pang to the latter’s heart.

“Shouldn’t you give me an explanation for not being in the office at a time like this, Matthias?” Chester lost his temper all of a sudden. Since Matthias refused to give him a sincere apology, he didn’t feel the need to be polite.

Matthias looked at Chester calmly, completely unbothered. He didn’t have anything to say at this point. So what if he knew how much power the old man had over this company? After all, he was already planning to get to the bottom of the Locke Group’s forces from the beginning.

“Sir, where would our company be if I don’t make time to meet our clients?” Matthias said casually. He remembered how Chester used to teach him—one shouldn’t hold back when it was time to fight.

Chester’s sudden visit this time was probably to investigate Matthias’ act of disloyalty. Indeed, Matthias was none other than an unpredictable time bomb in the Locke Group, so he already knew that this day would come sooner or later.