Heart of Stone

Julian Styles

Over the next few days, more and more floral arrangement orders started rolling in from high paying buyers. It was likely due to the centerpiece she'd made for Alexander Pearson's mother. It would be the first thing all her guests saw when they walked into her house. She was incredibly grateful, never having expected an influx of customers because of this. Although Juliana had told her time and time again not to underestimate her designs, she still often did.

She had one particular client at the moment who couldn't decide what he wanted, but he knew he wanted a custom piece. He wanted something elaborate, large, and unique for his daughter's sweet sixteen. He had invited Eloise out to lunch today so they could look at the venue and discuss ideas. Initially she'd felt this to be inappropriate, but if she were to create the piece on-site, she would need to visit it first. So, she had accepted, and the meeting was to take place at 1:00.

She wore a simple pink floral dress with short, capped sleeves and a light airy material that reached her thighs. She paired it with black flats and a large black handbag which she carried a sketchbook in, some sketching pencils, a measuring tape, her phone, and a notebook. She left her hair loose and said goodbye to the girls at the shop. Hopping in her suburban, she drove the 15 minutes to the lavish venue.

The old Tudor-like mansion sat on 30 acres of beautiful countryside. She had heard of it, but she had never been there. Feeling a little bit out of her element, she found parking and made her way to the front entrance. It had flagstone walkways, a walled garden which she took a moment to admire, and even a well-kept fishpond. Entering through the double doors, she immediately spotted her client waiting for her nearby.

Julian Styles was a 40-year-old successful entrepreneur and investor. He had a polished and refined demeanor of someone who meant business. He exuded confidence and sophistication, reflecting his high social status, but yet he was nothing like Alexander. Alexander Pearson had the swagger of a younger man and the reckless confidence to match, but despite this, he was well known and well respected among this circle. His business acumen rivaled that of men twice his age.

Julian was dressed in a black suit jacket with a white button up shirt and black tie to match. His dark hair was combed neatly back and his tan skin wrinkled at the corners of his blue eyes. She had to admit that he was attractive, but she wasn't into dating older, married men with children.

"Miss LouLou. Thank you for meeting me." He said with a charming smile.

"It was my pleasure. This is a stunning venue." She said.

"Yes, I've used it multiple times. Shall we get straight to business?" He asked, gesturing towards the ballroom.

She nodded and followed him as he lead the way through the beautiful indoor spaces until they reached the lavish ballroom. He talked her through the placement of all the tables, chairs, and other decor. They talked about the party theme and his daughter's interests. He even showed her photographs of her. As they walked through and talked, Eloise began to form images in her mind, and she sketched things here and there as they went through the details.

"Well, I did promise you lunch, so what do you say to heading to the dining room?" He suggested.

"That would be lovely. I am actually quite hungry." She admitted.

He gave her another of his charming smiles and took her to the dining room. Among other functions, they also had a restaurant operating out of here. They served mainly Italian cuisine, which was to Eloise's liking. As they entered and the waitress led them to a table, a familiar striking figure caught her eye.

To her horror, Alexander Pearson sat at a table across the room with two other men. They appeared to be in a business meeting of sorts, and she was glad that as she walked to her table, he didn't seem to notice her. She sat with her back to him and breathed a sigh of relief. At least she didn't have to look at him the whole time. She wasn't sure if she'd have been able to focus on the conversation. Perhaps he would never notice her and she could leave like she had never been in the same room with him.

'Why does this keep happening?' She asked herself as she opened up the menu that had been placed in front of her.

"What do you recommend?" She asked Julian.

"Do you like seafood?" Julian asked.

"Yes, I do. Lobster and crab are some of my favorite foods, in fact." She said.

"Ah, then I recommend the linguine all'aragosta o all'astice. It's a pasta dish with lobster." He explained.

"Well, that sounds perfect. I shall order that then." She said and smiled politely at him, putting her menu down.

When the waiter came back with their drink orders, Julian ordered for the both of them. They became engrossed in conversation about the floral arrangement. From what she could gather, Magnolias were his daughter's favorite flower, so she planned to use that as the main showcase of the display. Once the plates arrived, their conversation lulled a little, but it wasn't long after that someone approached their table.

When she looked over, she was surprised to see Alexander standing there looking at them. The cold look in his dark eyes sent a chill down her spine, and his entire demeanor felt like a stone wall. He wore a light green suit jacket, a white shirt, and white dress pants with black dress shoes.

"Julian Styles, how funny we should run into each other here." He said, and Eloise could sense an undertone to his voice that was anything but pleasant.

"Ah, Alexander Pearson. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Julian said, smiling charmingly but there was a condescending look in his eye this time.

"I was simply having a meeting." He said.

"Well, it seems we are both busy then." He said, gesturing towards LouLou.

Eloise could nearly feel the cold settled around her as Alexander's dark eyes fell on her. She didn't know why these two men disliked each other, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know. It made her feel awkward under his gaze. The gaze of the man she had slept with, while sitting across from a man he apparently didn't like. She gave him a small smile in an attempt to break the tension but it didn't seem to work.

"Well, I hope you enjoy the food." Alexander said to her and didn't wait for a reply before striding away.

Swallowing, she decided it was probably none of her business and tried to return to the business at hand. Once lunch was over, Julian and Eloise parted ways. As she walked back to her car, her thoughts were filled with the unique floral display she wanted to make. She was excited to start on it and couldn't wait to get back to the shop and tell the girls.

She opened her car door, fishing for her cell phone when the loop of her bag slid off her arm and the weight of the sketch book sent everything tumbling out onto the ground. Frowning, she bent down to pick everything up. Suddenly someone else's hands were gathering her things, and she would have recognized them anywhere, just from that one night. She watched him gather her things and he handed them to her in a neat pile.

"Thanks..." She trailed off as she took them from him.

They stood and he watched her intensely as she put everything back into her bag. She felt his eyes on her every move, and it made her feel as if she were performing in front of a crowd instead of simply putting items back into a bag. She felt the tips of her ears grow hot.

"Stay away from that man." He told her, his tone cold.

"What?" She was a bit taken aback by this and didn't know how to respond.

"Stay away from Julian Styles." He repeated, firmer this time.

"Why?" She questioned, her brow furrowed.

"He isn't the type of company you should keep." He said.

"But...he's just my client." She said, wondering where this was coming from.

Was it just because he and Julian Styles didn't get along? But why would he care?

'Is he...jealous?' She wondered, then struck the thought down immediately. There was no way, they didn't have any sort of relationship outside of that one-night stand.

"I can see that." He said, gesturing to her bag.

He'd noticed the sketches when he'd helped pick up her art supplies. From the quick glimpse he'd had, it would be a beautiful piece, well worth the money Julian would give her for it. But the thought of Julian and her together in any sense made something angry burn in his core.

"He isn't as gentlemanly as he tries to come across. Stay. Away." He warned her one last time, turning and leaving her standing there in confusion.