These days, Heather had been extra concerned about Stark Group, more so than Myra herself. She put aside her work on her start-up business and even went to see Myra at Stark Tower.
In the office, Myra was focused on the documents in her hands, while Heather was on the couch looking at the paperwork with a frown. In fact, her expression was more grim than Myraâs.
âHeather, why are you so concerned about Stark Group?â Myra finally couldnât hold back. Her unusual behavior was baffling.
Clutching the paper in her hands, Heather had an intimidating look in her eyes. Not knowing what she was actually looking at, Myra was a little confused by her unstable breathing.
âWhat did you say?â Heather didnât hear what she said at all.
âYouâve been acting weird lately, Heather. I donât want you to get involved in this mess.â Myra put down the sheet in her hands and gazed at Heather with a grim expression.
Beyond the window, the wind was howling and the weather was gloomy and depressing. Because of this weather, everyone lost their motivation to work. From the tall building, the scene outside looked like the world was going through an apocalypse.
âHave you forgotten the promise I made to you back then?â Heather closed the file in her hand and casually tossed it onto the couch.
âWhat?â Myra didnât understand what she meant.
âStark Group is yours and I will not allow anyone to cause any trouble,â she said righteously. By offering help, other than wanting to obtain Stark Group and Hart Group, she also wanted to help Myra.
âIâll handle Stark Group myself. I canât be relying on you for everything.â Myra turned her down. Ever since she came back from Italy, Heather was always in some unexplainable mood. Until now, Myra still couldnât figure out what was wrong.
Besides, she didnât like Heather like this. She was becoming more and more business-minded, and the emotions in her eyes were missing. Myra didnât want her to be a cold and emotionless business person who only had eyes for benefits. Heatherâs change was making Myra feel unsettled, and she wasnât sure that Heather was genuinely helping her by involving herself in Stark Groupâs affairs.
Ever since she was a child, Heather had been crowned a genius, but Myra wasnât a fool either.
Heatherâs actions were too obvious and Myra had become wary of her.
âI will fulfill my promise to you no matter what. I want you to help you take back Stark Group, and this can no longer drag on.â Heather looked like she was saying âIâm doing this for youâ, which Myra simply couldnât refuse at all.
Already feeling burdened by the gift incident, Myra started to have doubts as Heather was trying to get involved in Stark Groupâs mess. Perhaps Heather was too eager to get things done. In any case, Myra connected the dots and couldnât stop feeling uneasy.
âHeather, I hope youâre not getting any ideas with Stark Group.â Myra lowered her head, hiding the disappointment in her eyes. She was afraid to make eye contact with Heather.
Biting her lower lip, Heather thought about what to say. This time, she indeed did not fully prepare and ended up being too hasty, and raised Myraâs suspicions as a result.
Seeing that she did not respond for a long time. Myra wondered if she spoke too harshly and had hurt Heatherâs feelings.
âSo thatâs what you think about me.â Heather put on a disheartened smile. She thought Myra would never hesitate to stand by her regardless of anything. It seemed like she had overestimated the strength of their bond.
âHeather, thatâs not what I meant,â Myra hurriedly explained. âStark Group is a mess right now. If you insist on getting involved, it will only end up being a disadvantage to you,â she anxiously clarified.
Heather hadnât been home for long, and she didnât want their friendship to be affected by the companyâs affairs.
âI know you worry about me, but do you remember what happened that day when you sent me off at the airport?â Heather closed her eyes and asked. The reminiscence in her voice was clear. That day, Cameron went too far, and Heather could still remember it clearly until now.
Recalling something unhappy, Myra shook her head. Back then, Heather couldnât stand Cameronâs actions, so naturally she had an attitude toward him.
Meanwhile, Cameron couldnât do anything to her, so he vented his anger on Myra. Even so, she refused to sever her ties with Heather.
On the day Heather was leaving the country, Cameron forbade Myra from going to the airport to send her off. Insisting on going anyway, Myra ended up receiving a severe beating from him.
When Heather saw the bruises on Myraâs skin, she was so mad that she nearly did not get on the plane and went to confront Cameron at Stark residence. If it wasnât for Myra who persuaded her otherwise, perhaps Heather wouldnât have gone abroad that year.
To this day, Myra remembered the last words Heather said to her before she left. âWhen I return from my studies, I will help you take back whatâs yours.â Her vow still rang in her ears.
âHeather, itâs all in the past.â Myraâs hatred for Cameron was beyond that. The things he did later on were worse than the last.
âI take to heart all the promises I make. Since I said I would help you take back what belongs to you, then I will not go back on my word,â Heather said with determination. Her face was tense.
Back then, they were young and concerned about being righteous toward friends, but now, they were grown ups and had become business people. Understanding the balance of interest, Myra didnât even want Tony to get involved, let alone Heather.
âHeather, weâre all grown up. We canât act on our impulse. You have your own dreams and a career that you would like to pursue, so you shouldnât waste time on Stark Group.â Myra was adamant to not let her get involved in this whirlpool of disaster.
Hearing this, Heatherâs expression darkened. âAfter all these years, you should understand me,â she said painfully. She didnât expect to be rejected so bluntly by Myra at all.
However, Myra was no longer that timid little kid she was back then, and she was no longer the little girl who would always hide behind Heather. After the last few years of hardships in the business world, she had become sharp.
There were many things that she had to do by herself, such as taking back what belonged to her.
Something like that was only meaningful if she did it herself.
âThen, Heather, you should also understand me.â Myra enunciated each word with a faint glow in her eyes. There were things that she saw through but chose not to speak about.
When Heather went for dinner at the Hart Residence that day, she behaved well, but in a way that almost didnât seem genuine. After she left that night, Myra had lain in bed alone for a long time. She thought she shouldnât doubt her best friend, but her words and actions had raised her suspicions.
On top of that, Sebastian had seen all sorts of people in his life, and when he flat out said that Heatherâs intentions werenât pure, Myra couldnât help but be suspicious. Tony must have had an inkling too but chose not to say anything out of respect for Myra.
No matter what Heatherâs intentions were, Myra strongly believed that she wouldnât harm her, although she was no longer the same Heather who had no selfish motives.
The last thing she wanted was any sort of scheming to be present in their friendship. In fact, she only wanted to maintain a simple friendship with her and didnât want their relationship to deteriorate.
No matter what, Myra wasnât going to let her intervene in Stark Groupâs affairs, regardless of whatever concern she had. After dragging on for a few days, Myra finally spoke up and she felt relieved after letting it out.
âFine. Since you donât want me to get involved, then I wonât interfere.â Heather stared at her. From the look in her eyes, she could sense the unpleasant atmosphere, and she knew that if she insisted further, it would only cause harm to their bond.
After Heather left, Myra continued to bury her head in her work with a hint of misery in her eyes. As one grew up, it was almost impossible to have a pure and genuine relationship.
On the other hand, Heather stared into the distance as she sat in her car. It was indeed her mistake.
She had been too ostentatious with the gifts the other day, and now she seemed too eager to get involved in Stark Group.
It must have been hard for Myra to hold back for so long and only speak up now. At that moment, she drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. This time, she had acted too hastily and ended up exposing her objective. She cursed herself for screwing up this matter.
As she was distraught, she abruptly thought of a personâMatthias. These few days, she basically figured out the specifics of the situation Stark Group was in. From what she gathered, Cameron was powerless in this situation, and if not for Matthias, Myra would have taken over Stark Group by now.
Since she couldnât break through from Myraâs side, she could only seek another breakthrough point from Matthias. With this in mind, she planned to ask him out to have a chat.
Three days later, Bradfort City, which had been subjected to heavy rain for days, finally saw the sun.
The long-awaited sunny day was just right for meeting with someone.
It wasnât difficult to get a hold of Matthias. After all, he was a popular figure in Bradfort City. It didnât take long before Heather reached him.
Truthfully, she had dirt on Matthias, so he couldnât reject it when she wanted to see him. Besides, he had been planning to meet her for a long time.
Matthias booked out an entire Italian restaurant, which was now empty, and sitting across from him was Heather. As the candle flickered, the dim candlelight lit up their faces before it was gone again in a flash. Surprisingly, he had planned a candlelight dinner to entertain her.
âItâs been a while, Heather. You have grown more and more beautiful.â Matthias spoke with his head down as he cut his steak.
âShould I address you as Matthias or Matt?â The corner of her lips curled into a sly smile.
âA name is just a name. You can call me whatever you like,â he said gracefully. Not once did he raise his head to look at her.
âMatt, then,â Heather said as she brought the cut steak to her mouth with her fork. At that moment, the two were subtly sounding out each other.
âFor you to ask me out, I assume thereâs something you want from me?â Matthiasâs movements stopped, and a devious smile appeared.
âYou shouldnât get involved in Stark Groupâs affairs.â With her eyes fixed on the knife and fork in her hand, Heather cut her steak elegantly with her head lowered. There was a hint of elusive slyness on her face.
âComing from someone who has the same intentions as me?â He raised his head and gazed at Heather coldly. There was a faint hint of hatred in his eyes.
âLetâs make a deal.â She spoke bluntly.