A NEW REGULAR.

The Next Day

Tiffany arrived at work the next morning, trying to shake off the tension from the yesterday. The tension between Kai and Daniel had lingered in her mind. As she stepped into the boutique, her heels clicked against the floor. Her gaze caught Noami at the counter.

Noami glanced up, her expression immediately souring. Tiffany ignored her cunning smile and walked into her office. She sank into the chair, sighing heavily.

"Good morning," Noami said, sneakily closing the door behind her.

"You didn't come home last night. I wonder why," Tiffany said, her voice weak. She sighed heavily again, staring at the blank ceiling.

Noami straightened, crossing her arms as she turned to face Tiffany. "Yeah. I crashed out at Daisy's apartment after a few drinks."

Tiffany blinked and nodded. "You seemed to have fun after giving out my number and our address to Daniel! I told you I wasn't interested!"

Noami scoffed, her lips pressing into a tight line. "He had been bothering me since that time. I had no other choice. I think he really likes you!"

Tiffany groaned inwardly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Noami..."

"No," Noami interrupted, pointing a finger at her. "The Winson have no other choice than to accept your divorce. It's your life, you're free to do what you want now! Who cares if you're the ex-wife of that handsome billionaire."

Tiffany sighed, leaning. "I'm not doing this for the Winsons. I don't want the attention that comes with the Winsons," she replied, but her gaze shifted away from Noami.

Noami’s brows shot up. "Tiffany, I love you, but you’re killing yourself here. You're being too strict on yourself. You've never had real fun or life!"

Thick silence followed her reply. Noami pushed her hands into her pocket. Her shoulders relaxed, and her eyes focused on Tiffany with an icy gaze.

"I’m sorry," Noami said softly. "I’ll talk to him. I promise. He won’t bother you again."

Noami stared at her for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. "It's fine."

As the morning passed. Tiffany tried to focus on the emails and paperwork on her desk. But no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts kept circling back to Kai. Hos moves around her. Her apartment, she couldn't believe belonged to him. Was he her landlord or her neighbor? She couldn't decide which was worse. Frustrated, she reached for her coffee cup drowning herself in caffeine.

The knock on her office door startled her mid-sentence as she spoke with Noami. A red-haired employee walked in, clutching a bouquet of fresh roses.

"Miss Halton, someone is here to see you," she announced, her smile too cheerful for Tiffany’s liking.

Tiffany blinked curiosity rising. She slowly got up from her chair. "Someone?"

The woman nodded, holding the bouquet out to her like an offering. "Yes. He says he would like you to accompany him while shopping."

Tiffany’s eyes narrowed at the roses. "Did he say his name?" she asked as her heart quickened. She stepped out of her office cautiously, her heels clicking softly against the floor.

The moment she saw him, her breath hitched. Kai stood there, glancing the boutique with an awful confidence. Panic surged through her chest, and without thinking, she retreated back into her office, shutting the door quietly.

Noami raised a brow. "What? What's wrong?"

"Kai," Tiffany whispered, as if saying his name aloud might summon him closer. Her disbelief visible.

Noami's lips curved into a mischievous smile. "Kai. As in your ex-husband Kai?"

Tiffany nodded, her cheeks burning under Noami’s teasing gaze. The heat crept up her neck causing her to flush immediately.

"Why are you hiding?" Noami asked her voice tingling with a blend of amusement and curiosity.

Tiffany crossed her arms defensively. "Ex-husband. I'm not sure if you know this, but people don’t just go around hanging out with their exes."

Noami smirked. "I’m a divorce lawyer, Tiffany. Trust me, some people do a lot more than hang out with their exes. He’s only asking for dinner," she said, emphasising on 'a lot more'

Tiffany shot her a glare sharp but Noami smiled. "This is going to be messy," Noami muttered, shaking her head.

"You have no idea," Tiffany mumbled, running a hand through her hair.

Noami peered through the small gap in the door. Her sudden gasp made Tiffany’s pulse race. "What? What is it?"

"You know…" Noami’s voice dropping to a whisper, "there’s something about Kai. He’s freaking hot. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look this good in sweatpants. Although, I’ll admit, he looks like a dream in a suit too. I mean, wow—"

Tiffany frowned as her mind unwillingly flashed old memories of Kai. She remembered his casual outfits, how effortlessly he made them look good. And today... today he looked even better. Her chest tightened with something she fought desperately.

Tiffany glanced through the door’s crack. Kai’s piercing gaze met hers. Her stomach flipped as he smiled towards her. She slammed the door shut with a loud bang, her heart pounding in her ears.

"Well, now you have to go," Noami said with amusement. "He’s seen you. Don’t make this awkward."

Tiffany hesitated, but before she could decide, Noami walked out of the office, her confident smile lighting up the boutique.

"Mr. Winson, how can we help you?" Noami greeted him warmly, but Kai’s focus was unswerving. His deep blue eyes were locked to the figure behind her, his lips curving into a soft and knowing smile.

Noami glanced over her shoulder seeing Tiffany walk out of the office. She walked past her towards Kai.

"Mr. Winson," she began, her voice turned professional, "it’s an honor to have you at my boutique. Have you seen something you like?"

Kai’s smirk deepened, his gaze trailing over her slowly. "Maybe," he said, his voice low. "You look gorgeous, my lady."

Tiffany’s breath caught for a fraction of a second before she composed herself, turning to Noami who was now blushing furiously and walking away with a chuckle.

"Do you realize you’re at my workplace? Please behave, Mr. Winson," Tiffany said, her tone sharp.

"If you say so, Ma," he teased, his tone softening on the last word. Their eyes met, and for a moment, the air between them felt stuffy.

Tiffany broke their gaze, gesturing toward the men’s section. "This way, please. What would you like?"

Kai didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he watched from behind her, his gaze searching. Tiffany sighed, her patience cracking. "Kai," she snapped, her tone tinged with frustration.

"Dinner," he said finally, his voice gentle. "Please, Tiffany. Just one chance to clear up the misunderstanding."

Her chest tightened at his words, her emotions threatening to spill over. She looked away, her gaze landing on the window as her heart involuntary twitched.

"We’re off work soon," she said hastily. "You need to pick something, or you won’t have time to buy anything."

Kai smiled faintly. "I can come back tomorrow."

Tiffany’s sharp turn caught him off guard. "I’m not here to entertain you, Kai. Pick something. Why are you even here, don't you have a closet already?"

"Not really, Tiff. I flew here without anything. I need some outfits, I have certain meetings." He narrowed his gaze.

"Meetings? I thought you said you weren't busy?" She asked, but Kai didn't respond. His gaze was glued to a matching outfit. "That would cost you a lot."

Finally, his gaze poured on Tiffany, giving her all his attention. He chuckled softly, his eyes warm. . "A lot? Sounds like an outfit is trying to make me penniless, is that it?" He asked with a teasing smile. "Here, Tiff. I’ll take that outfit—and maybe everything else on that rack."

Her lips parted in disbelief. Her gaze lowered to the black card without a word.

Minutes later, as the boutique emptied and the clock ticked past ten, Kai lingered near the exit, his gaze still fixed on Tiffany.

"Do you want a ride home?" he offered. His heart trembled in her chest, hoping she reply nicely.

Tiffany opened her mouth to refuse, but Noami chimed in with a grin. "We should be closing soon anyway."

Tiffany sighed, handing back his card. "No, we’re fine. Your driver is waiting."

But Kai’s next words stopped her cold. "After all, we’re neighbors, aren’t we?"

"What?!" Noami exclaimed with shock.

Moments later, Tiffany found herself in the backseat of Kai’s car, her arms folded tightly as Noami sat in the front, far too amused by the situation. The silence in the car was blazing, but Tiffany could feel Kai’s gaze on her. His constant gaze pulled at her heartstring. Meanwhile, Kai sat beside, watching her even though heat rose in his chest sharply.