Chapter 7

After my first victory, things got a lot easier. As I said, some talents were just innate. Reading people and understanding what they wanted was something I had been good at since I was a kid. Now, as an adult, I had honed that skill to perfection, especially when it came to getting a man’s attention.

Making a man interested was pretty simple. One just had to remember three things: First, know what he liked; second, surprise him; third, trigger his protective instincts.

The next day, when I went to Starline Corporation, I wore a simple but perfectly fitted business suit and light makeup—fresh and professional. I was a completely different person from the carefree, bold version of myself he saw the day before.

Leo’s assistant led me to his office, where he was already waiting for me.

Starline Corporation was planning a new energy project in the area. I’d done my homework thoroughly, so I could speak confidently about everything, for example, market trends, product comparisons, feasibility studies, project initiation, funding cycles, market development strategies, you name it.

Leo kept nodding along, clearly impressed. We ended up talking for three straight hours.

“Wow, time really flew. It’s noon,” he said, standing up from the couch. “How about we grab a quick lunch together?”

“I can’t, unfortunately,” I responded with a polite smile. “I have to head back to my office to brief my team on the project. I want to get the feasibility report to you as soon as possible.”

“You know, giving this project to Jones Investments was the smartest decision Starline made,” he said sincerely.

I smirked inwardly, thinking, ‘Of course, you wouldn’t give it to anyone else, considering your future father-in-law owns the company.’

However, outwardly, I smiled sweetly. “I’ll be sure to pass that along to my manager. I’ll take it as a compliment on my work ethic and capabilities.”

He chuckled and poured me a glass of wine. “It’s a genuine compliment. Here’s to our successful partnership.”

I swirled the wineglass, taking a small sip before my face lit up with pleasant surprise. “Haut-Brion!”

He looked a bit taken aback. “This one’s not very common. Most people don’t know it.”

I took another sip, savoring it before continuing, “In terms of quality and flavor, Haut-Brion is exceptional. The tannins are refined, the finish is long, and it has this refreshing fruit aroma.”

As they said, know thy self, know thy enemy. That was how one wins every battle.

I’d been collecting information on Leo for the past six months. By now, I knew everything about him—from the kindergarten he attended as a kid to the Ivy League university he graduated from and his personality traits to his hobbies.

I knew he liked wine, so I studied European wineries and read countless reviews from top sommeliers. A girl who could only afford cheap wine from the supermarket had managed to turn herself into a wine connoisseur, at least in front of Leo.

He also liked sailing, golf, and jazz. God knew how many sleepless nights I spent researching those hobbies just to impress him. I was just a regular girl who hadn’t even been abroad and had to stretch her paycheck to make it through the month. However, to win him over, I’d done my homework.

Soon, Leo would realize we shared the same interests. I’d like what he liked, and I could hold a conversation on any of his favorite topics. He’d start a sentence, and I’d finish it.

Catering to a man’s tastes was just the first step. Figuring out a man’s hobbies wasn’t hard as most guys loved to talk about themselves, showing off like a peacock spreading its feathers. All one had to do was listen, throw in a few compliments, and watch him puff up with pride.

The real challenge, however, was turning oneself into the kind of woman he would actually fall for.

People said men were fickle, that they loved all kinds of women. Sure, they might enjoy variety when they were just having fun, but the type of woman who really captured their heart was almost always the same type.

It was easy to see in real life. A man could go through several girlfriends, but they all tend to be the same type. He might complain that his ex was clingy and indecisive, but the next girl he brings home would still be clingy and indecisive. It was because people were drawn to a specific type, and that kind of deep-seated attraction couldn’t be changed easily.

After a few encounters, I knew that the woman who could win Leo over wasn’t someone like Cindy, with her spoiled princess attitude, nor was it some innocent girl-next-door type. He was into smart, independent women who had just the right amount of softness.

That was a role I could play effortlessly. I had worried he might prefer someone naive and sweet, which would’ve been hard for me to fake, but this? This was easy.

Even before the project officially kicked off, I could tell from the way he looked at me—his eyes heated and intense—that he was already far too invested. Maybe he didn’t even realize it yet, but as the future heir of Starline Corporation, he was spending way more time and energy on this project than necessary, just for an excuse to see me.