Winning My Ex-Crush

Alan’s POV

“Hey, milady. Was everything good for you?”

“Everything was fine until you came over to greet me.”

Mallory West, the pop diva, did not look at me and responded to my greeting with a dismissive tone. I chuckled softly. Unfortunately, the woman truly seemed uninterested in engaging with me. She continued her workout on the leg press machine.

“Is that so? I thought you might need some extra guidance, Miss West. I could give you the tricks you need.” I kept smiling.

“Oh, yes, I suppose I need this branch manager to get you to leave.”

“What if I offered for the owner of the entire chain to hear all your complaints?”

Her legs stopped moving, and she looked at me. I widened my smile and spread my arms out to the sides.

“I’m here. I heard from the staff that you were looking for me.”

Mallory huffed and shook her head. She got up from the machine and wiped her sweaty body with a small towel. Then she looked at me for a long moment before grabbing her water bottle.

“Damn it. Why didn’t you just say so from the start?”

“Sorry, I enjoy teasing people.” I shrugged.

“Why doesn’t the owner of the national gym chain dress like their position lately?” Mallory took a sip from her drink.

“Did you expect me to wear a glittery tuxedo and a bow tie at the gym? The only suitable attire for my gym is comfortable sportswear. For that, I’m creating a brand of clothing that surpasses expectations about sportswear; just wait a little longer.”

She then smirked. “You’re actually funny. Mallory West, you can call me Mallory.” She finally extended her fist for a greeting. I responded with a gentle fist bump, as requested.

“Alan Schmidt. So, what can I help you with, Mallory?”

“I just wanted to praise you. You opened this exclusive gym branch right in front of my housing complex, making it easy for me to come here back and forth. I see it as a special service for me because, let’s be honest, no one would be crazy enough to open a gym in such a quiet area.”

“I was just looking for a market opportunity.”

“Well, thank you for your effort.”

“What about the staff? I heard you praise the personal trainer I specifically recruited for you.” I smiled with one eyebrow raised.

“It could be better. I know you can make it better.”

“I can serve you to the utmost satisfaction if that’s what you’re asking me.” I squatted near the machine, and she sat back down on the machine.

“Actually, I’m not in need of that kind of service. I’ve been hit by a lot of gossip lately.”

“I can keep secrets, and I wouldn’t mind being just your summer fling. We’ll just have fun, I promise.” I gently guided her foot up onto the machine’s footrest.

“Please, just be easy on me.”

“Of course.”

***

“Alan, meet Tiana.” Mallory introduced one of her friends.

“Hey, Tiana. Nice to meet you.” I shook hands with the woman.

“Nice to meet you too!” she chuckled.

“I see you’re ready to slide down this giant slide. Nice bikini, by the way.”

“She knows branded stuff, Tiana.” Mallory added to my comment when she saw doubt in Tiana’s eyes.

“Oh, yes. I also love this bikini, my favorite brand.” Tiana laughed happily.

“Oh, someone is playing favorites with the brand they represent,” I teased, creating a bit of laughter and light debate as we climbed the stairs to reach the top of the giant slide on the ferry cruise ship. It didn’t take long to find out that Tiana, the model, had just left her old modeling agency.

“Why did you have to move?”

“Hm, I don’t know where to start. The gist of it is that my old agency’s owner was no longer fit to be the leader. He was too restrictive with my movement.”

We three reached the top of the giant slide. Mallory chose to go down first, and her screams immediately triggered our laughter.

“Oh, that’s a shame. She needs a new job if she can’t see your potential.” I shrugged.

“Unfortunately, that’s not possible. Ms. Lola is old and rumored to have dementia. I don’t understand why she’s so stubborn and doesn’t just retire at home.” Tiana sat at the top of the slide and waited until she was sure Mallory had moved away from the slide’s entrance.

“Hm, I guess she just needs a little push.” I pushed Tiana’s body, and she slid down with screams and joyful laughter.

***

A year later…

“I’m sorry for troubling you, sir.”

“It’s no problem, ma’am. Think of me as someone who enjoys seeing others get the attention they need.” I escorted the elderly woman to the front of her house.

“You’re an angel. I’m sorry for my negligence. If you hadn’t taken the initiative to bring me back home, I would have been wandering the streets like a drunken beggar.”

“That’s all I could do for you. Besides, this summer has been particularly harsh. Last year, I could still enjoy the giant slide on the big ferry cruise ship with my friends, but this year I didn’t even dare go out without applying five layers of sunscreen lotion.” I spoke quickly, shaking my head and rolling my eyes upward.

“Yes, you’re right. Maybe it’s all because of the heatwave.”

“Oh, come on, mom. You can’t keep blaming the weather.” The younger woman, probably her daughter, helped her mother into the house, greeted by a servant.

“Thank you, sir.” She expressed her gratitude with a sigh of relief.Content © provided by NôvelDrama.Org.

“Alan Schmidt. Just call me Alan.”

“Thank you, Alan. We’ve been panicking all day searching for her and were about to report it to the police.” The woman frowned and bit her lower lip.

“Yeah, sometimes I curse my observational skills. I saw your mother on the side of the road and realized she looked as lost as a stray cat. I couldn’t bear it, so I apologize for intruding and using her phone.”

“We need more people like you in this world, Alan.” The woman hugged me for a moment.

“Ah, well, maybe this is a form of atonement for my sins.” I gave a slight smile. “Is your mother still working? She kept mumbling about signing an ad contract.” I sighed deeply.

“Yes, she insists on working. I swear, she won’t let go of her modeling agency.” The woman shook her head.

“She has a modeling agency? It’s no wonder she still looks beautiful. Has she ever been a model?”

“Oh, Alan, I can assure you, she’s not a former model or anything like that.” The woman laughed and covered her blushing face.

“I can tell you about it.” Suddenly, Ms. Lola peeked from behind the woman.

“Oh my God! Mom, you need to go inside and rest.” The woman looked shocked, but Ms. Lola just gave a wide smile.

“I’m fine! Come on, sir, come in and sit down with me.” Ms. Lola grabbed my arm and pulled me into the house.

“Oh, I don’t know, ma’am. I think I should leave now.” I chuckled as I slowly pulled my arm away, but the elderly woman’s grip was stronger and held me back.

“Yes, mom, he must be busy, and you’ve already taken up a lot of his time.”

“Ah, nonsense! Come in. I’m baking chocolate chip cookies that I’m sure you’ll like.” The woman insisted, and I laughed at her persistence.

“Alright, ma’am, but I must warn you that I have quite a sweet tooth.”