How To Win His Heart

Did I find the right man?

Allison’s POV

“So, are you related to the bride?” He asked, his eyes flickered between me, then at Pete.

“Because Pete never had such gorgeous female friends.” He chuckled.

It was supposed to be a flirt, but I remembered I was also Pete’s friend. I held in my laughter and tried to act natural because I didn’t want to embarrass Isaac.

But the man was right. Pete’s taste in friends sucked. His job forced him to have relations with such ignorant people while he was the polar opposite of them.

My gaze went to Jayme who was talking to her parents, Isaac’s gaze followed where I was looking, then focused back on me. “I’m Jayme’s best friend, we are more like sisters actually,” I said with a warm smile.

“Also a friend of Pete’s,” I added and watched as Isaac’s face turned crimson red.

I had to see his reaction.

He struggled to form a single word, then he cleared his throat, loosening his tie a bit. “I… not like you aren’t gorgeous, I’m sorry I didn’t mean it like that.” His face now was a complete tomato.

I giggled at him being all shy from what he said; I knew he was trying to flirt, but he failed miserably.

“Don’t worry, I understood what you meant, but it was funny to see your reaction.” I smiled at him. He still looked embarrassed, but his lips quivered in a small smile.

I trailed after a brief silence. “You weren’t wrong though, his other female friends are super clingy and annoying,”

He rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Tell me about it,”

“I just hope Jayme put them in a line now that she is Pete’s wife,” I mumbled to myself, but guess Isaac heard what I said as he nodded.

His gaze focused on Pete and Jayme as they swayed with the music, then he trailed with a smile. “Don’t worry Pete will never break Jayme’s heart, she’s his jewel,”

One thing I knew of Pete, he never talked about his feelings to anyone except Jordan, Jayme, and me.

But it seemed a lot had happened since I took charge of the company and all of us went on separate paths.

And Isaac looked pretty close to him.

“So, no date too?” He questioned.

Was it this obvious?

“Yeah, I’m just hard to please,” I answered as I played with loose streaks from my hair.

“We’ll see about that,” I lifted my eyebrows at his words, feeling challenged by them.

I was right about being hard to please; I chose my dates wisely.

Teenage me was reckless and naïve. She went with whoever asked her out. At the end of each date, they ditched me, forcing me to pay the bill at the restaurant.

Looking at my old self made me upset. I had no one to ask for advice about boys except Jayme, and she had Pete her entire life, so she wasn’t an expert either.

I pursed my lips together, accepting the challenge, “alright, handsome.”

Is it hot in here or is it just me?

I didn’t know if this was me talking to Isaac, alcohol had to be part of it.

We enjoyed the silence for a few minutes, then he said, “so, what do you do for a living?”

“I run a fashion company,” I watched his expression change from chill to a surprised one.

“Wait, are you Allison Miller?” I nodded slowly, and he smiled widely, showing his pearl white teeth.

That was the first male to be excited talking to me or even smiling at my face…

I was known? Isaac Winston knew who I was.

I wasn’t overreacting; the Winstons were powerful, their fashion industry took over Europe.

They came to the United States, expanding their empire and looking for potential partnerships.

As much as I wanted a business with the Winstons, I wanted Isaac to be mine.

Just look at him. His grey eyes, holding too many emotions. That soft smile on his lips and the accent, of course.

I might’ve found the man of my dreams.

Hold on, Allison. Let’s not be quick, everything you mentioned was just his appearance. Did you forget Scott? He also seemed nice at the beginning.

My brain was right, I better be careful with my decisions.

“Guess it’s my lucky day,” I knitted my eyebrows together, confused by his words.

Then he continued, “you inspired me to create many pieces of my recent collection, being a female CEO since you were eighteen and facing a competitive company like Cooper’s is hard work, but you proved to those toxic men that you can handle it.”

I could feel the rate of my heartbeats rising. Was he an actual person?

“Are you for real?” I held my finger and stopped him from answering, “hold on, don’t answer that.”

He chuckled. “I know it’s weird, all I’ve heard about you was hatred, but you don’t deserve any of it.”

A server came and replaced our glasses of champagne, Isaac thanked the server who smiled and left, then he focused back on me. “That’s the first time someone compliments me in my entire career, you made my entire year.” I smiled.

“They are just afraid of you taking over them. Mom always told me to have a successful business. You must have many allies in the market and appreciate their work too,”

He gazed at the champagne glass, then at me. “Women are hard workers, whether in business or another job. The world is nothing without them.”

I put my hand on my heart and said dramatically, “bless your mom, she raised you right.”

To that point, I was developing a minimum crush on him. He seemed too unreal for me.

More like the man of my dreams. I love the sound of that.

Allison, wake up. Remember the plan, you better watch your back. I groaned mentally at that voice inside of my head.

I hated that wake-up call from my brain.

He chuckled, waking me up from my daydreaming, and he continued talking, “I’m glad I wasn’t raised to have that toxic masculinity. The world needs fewer of them.” He kept tracing the glass mouth with his finger.

Another thing I noticed about him. He didn’t drink throughout the whole evening, so he wasn’t a drinker.

“You are really one of a kind,” I said after I took a few sips from my champagne under his gaze.

There are two things about me. I drink whenever I am nervous or during mood swings.

My nerves were a wreck being around him, and I didn’t want to leave that alcoholic impression on him.

“Soo, are you in the fashion industry too?” I asked.

Totally pretending not to know who he was.

He pursed his lips and waved his hands, looking unamused. “You are looking at the only heir of Winston industries,”

I could tell he wasn’t happy being a part of that family.

I glanced at him. And why did he look very familiar? Then It all clicked in my brain.

“This may sound stupid, but did you model?” His face became pale, making me believe my doubts.

I watched his Adam’s apple move as he gulped down his saliva from the tension I just created. “Yeah…” he relaxed in his chair and trailed, “I thought no one really noticed.” He lowered his head, avoiding my gaze.

Happy now, Allison? You ruined your chances with the perfect man you’ve ever met. My inner voice disciplined me.

Or maybe not. I thought as he was focused on the people chattering around us.

I was literally confused by my inner voice. Is it with me or against me?

“Ugh…” he lifted his face and his eyes met mine, I took a breath in and spoke, “you have the same facial features as Troy McCoy except for the blonde hair and black eyes,” I pointed out the only differences I noticed.

Troy McCoy was every teenage girl’s dream, he used to model for around two years then quit. Young Allison had a huge crush on him but forgot it as she grew up.

“Grey eyes suit you better,” the words slipped out my mouth. Did I just say that?

Blood gathered in my cheeks. I couldn’t believe that I flirted with him.

I never flirt with anyone.

He smirked. “What can I say? They are my charming effect.” He fluttered his eyes playfully, and I chuckled.

Then he continued. “Well, you are correct, I am Troy McCoy or was.” He licked his lips and trailed, “Troy was a one-time thing, I buried him deep inside, so Isaac could rise instead.”

“And what is the difference between Troy and Isaac?” He looked at me as I asked, then he shrugged his shoulders.

“Come on, just think of the first difference between your two personalities.” I encouraged him. He pursed his lips, considering what I said, then nodded.

“Troy is wild, fun, and knows how to charm women while Isaac is an introvert. A workaholic never had time for himself.” He scrunched his eyebrows.

“I was a reckless teen when I created him, believe me, it was a huge mistake.”

“Growing up, I had no real friends, people wanted me for money and my father dragged me with him to meetings. So, I thought of Troy.” He let out a sharp breath and continued, “he was supposed to be that normal teen, I worked at a small coffee shop for a few months, then one day a lady came and offered me a modeling career.”

“I accepted her offer and didn’t think this through. After becoming famous, I realized Troy lived the same life as Isaac, surrounded by fake friends and work.”

I also had trouble having a normal life, my days were always involved in meetings after another, I missed having a normal day where I could go somewhere, and no one recognized my identity. So, I did exactly what he did and had a side character.

“I did the same thing three years ago, I was Grace Haynes, a simple girl who worked at a local coffee shop. Sometimes you just need a rest from everything around you,” I confessed.

My fingers were busy twirling the loose strands. The bun was hanging low now as I kept twirling my hair to ease my nerves.

The fact that I told no one about this except Jayme, and now I opened up to him, that was a surprise for me.

I stopped being Grace, but sometimes I throw on a blonde wig and a pair of colored contacts then walk around the city. It was the only way to be alone.

“I never met Troy, but I’m sure Isaac is way too charmer than him.” He grinned at me and I smiled back.

I swear I saw his ears turn faintly pink. He was shy, a gentleman, and a charmer.

“This my first time speaking to a woman confidently, without being him.” He pressed his lips into a thin line.

“Guess I’m not like the others.” I didn’t know where this courage came from. I’m sure my drunk side was in control. We locked eyes for a moment, just staring at each other’s souls.

I averted his gaze and looked at my surroundings. Everyone was having chitchats or dancing with their partners to the soft music.

I hated the silence that took over between us.

I wasn’t such an interesting character. My life revolved only around work, so how was I supposed to be interesting.

I had to improvise; I smiled devilishly at the thought that crossed my mind.

“Do you have anything to do after the party?” He shook his head in a ‘no’.

Excellent.

“Meet me at the parking lot,” I said, then got up from the chair.

He stood up from his chair and knitted his eyebrows. “And how do I know you aren’t running away from me?”

I moved closer to him. His eyebrows loosened up and his breath became quicker and shallow. Now that I was standing against him, I noticed he was taller than me by a few inches. My hand reached behind him, making me lean over his body.

While his grey piercing eyes stared at me, I brought the car keys that were on the table and slipped them in his hand.

“I don’t leave my car.” I smiled, then left to look for Jayme between the crowd.

She was right next to the buffet, as I predicted, stuffing her face with a piece of a chocolate cake.

I made my way to her spot and stood in front of her. She raised her eyebrows and stopped eating. I cleared my throat and asked. “Is it okay if I leave?”

“With the hot guy who was talking to you earlier?” She asked me back, her eyes drifted to look at him, I looked at him and he was talking on his phone.

I nodded my head, then turned to face her. She squealed and gripped my hand tight. “Wait! First, I throw my bouquet because I forgot about it, I have a feeling you will have it. I can’t believe you are going on a date.”

I didn’t mention any dates, but she didn’t give me a chance to explain. She set her plate down on the table and brought a glass of champagne from the server passing by, then started clicking the fork on its side, gaining everyone’s attention.

“Since I forgot to throw my bouquet, I want all the single ladies on the dance floor, hurry please,” she announced and pushed me to the dance floor.

Couldn’t she at least let me walk like a normal human being?

She stood two meters away, giving her back to the crowd, then Pete handed her the bouquet. She waited for a minute as the other females were still getting up from their chairs.

I spotted Isaac, who waited for me at the table. He had his arms crossed to his body and watched with an amused face.

He totally ignored me when I told him to wait in the parking lot. I rolled my eyes and waited for Jayme to finish this thing.

She counted down and when she reached zero; she threw the bouquet high in the air.

High-pitched giggles and laughs filled the air as everyone reached for the falling bouquet, but then the laughter died down.

Jayme turned to face us and see who got it. Her eyes traveled to me and I shrugged my shoulders. I tried to look around me for who got it, but Jayme’s voice broke my search.

“Stop looking ladies, that nice man over there got it.” She pointed her finger at the person.

I turned my head to where she was pointing, and it was Isaac. He was the one who caught it, his face turned into a pinkish color from the sudden attention on him.

“Such a shame ladies, none of you are getting married sooner but I’m expected to be invited to your wedding, handsome,” Jayme said in the mic as she pointed her finger playfully at Isaac. He smiled shyly and nodded his head.

Pete took the mic from her, giving her a fake glare. “As y’all know, I’m the only handsome guy in her life, so Isaac, you better run for your life.” He said with a serious tone, but his lips quivered and he ended up chuckling.

He threw his arm around Jayme, pulling her in a side hug, and everyone laughed at the cute couple.

I waved Jayme goodbye. She winked at me and mouthed me to tell her everything in detail. I rolled my eyes at her and headed back to Isaac, who was still standing next to the table.

“Too bad I don’t have a girlfriend to give her this bouquet, instead I’m with a beautiful lady tonight who I think she deserves.” He extended his arm out, offering me the bouquet.

He was such a flirt, and his words made me have butterflies wandering inside of me.

Don’t forget, I warned you. You will probably get hurt at the end. That annoying voice again.

Just shut up and let me enjoy the moment.

I took the bouquet from his hand, my fingertips brushing his. “You’re such a gentleman, now let’s go.” I lifted my gaze from the bouquet to his face. He nodded, and we walked to the parking lot.

When we reached, he gave me my keys back since he didn’t know which car was mine; I unlocked the car. “Red Porsche, nice taste,” he remarked, taking a few steps closer to the car.

“Wait, didn’t you drink?” He asked.

“That’s why you are the one driving.” I got in the passenger seat and he got behind the steering wheel, I handed him the keys back.

“Well, where are we going, Ms. Miller?” He asked as I set the location on the GPS device.

“Somewhere you will like.” I grinned cheekily.

Thirty minutes later, he parked the car on a cliff that viewed the vibrant city.

What was my plan exactly, bringing him here in the middle of nowhere?

Talking with Isaac reminded me of the person who saved me when I tried to take my own life after my dad’s death, Jordan.

I admired him for too long, then I dated someone and forgot about my little affection for Jordan, but when my boyfriend broke up with me, Jordan was there.

And he saved me, even when I broke him, he stood up for me and saved my life.

I was depressed and pushed away everyone who once cared about me, instead; they stuck closer to me.

Despite dad being the only family member who cared about me, I was lucky to have my friends around me.

When he died, mom also became depressed, she just lost her soulmate. So, she pushed me to some random dates, to make me stay away from her.

I got out of the car and leaned on the car’s hood. Seconds later and Isaac joined me.

“This is where you escape from everything.”

I nodded and focused my gaze on him. The chilly air hitting my exposed back, making me shiver slightly, Isaac noticed that and took off his jacket.

He placed the jacket on my bare shoulder, and I stared into his eyes. We stayed a few seconds staring at each other, then I tore my gaze away, staring at the city instead.

“Whenever I get mad or sad, I just come here with a big bottle of wine and drink away my problems,” he glanced at me, drawing his attraction to me.

I continued, “I’m not an alcoholic, but sometimes doing this once in a while helps me to move along and I’m not a perfect person either. I have my dirty secrets, which I’m ashamed of.” I turned to look at him and noticed he was staring at me.

He pressed his pink lips together, probably thinking if he should run away or stay.

“But you come over your problems alone and become stronger than before. Throughout your entire career, you overcame every problem on your own. You are an independent, powerful woman and people should look at that side of yours,”

He sighed. “You know that the thing we fear the most is the creation of our imagination.”

This man was precious, someone please protect him. His mindset was something different, a nice one.

“I noticed we have a lot in common, I never met someone who thought of creating side characters to wander around the city.” I tried to change the subject that was about me, but failed. He rubbed his chin and chuckled.

“I made a mistake by accepting that lady’s offer. But, yeah, our situations are kinda similar.”

“Thanks for sitting with me tonight,” I mumbled, and he smiled.

Tonight I had more fun than usual.

On the way here, I had a glimpse of my life in the future. I saw myself happy with Isaac.

That never happened to me before. I never saw myself with someone. If you counted work as a person, then yeah, that was my forever person.

I had to keep in my mind that he was a part of Winston’s family, also Scott’s cousin.

So, before I get myself deeper with Isaac, whether in a relationship or a partnership, I had to know him better.