The Date That Wasn’t Supposed to Be & A New Entrant

Lily had spent the entire day convincing herself that tonight was not a date.

She repeated it in her mind like a mantra.

Kai is just teasing me. This isn't romantic. I'm not nervous. I'm definitely not overthinking my outfit right now.

But as she stood in front of her mirror, staring at her reflection in a gorgeous navy blue dress that hugged her curves perfectly, she knew she was lying to herself.

Ding.

A text from Kai.

📩 Kai: I'll pick you up in 10. Hope you're ready, sweetheart.

Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest.

───

The Date (That Wasn't Supposed to Be a Date)

Kai arrived in his sleek black McLaren, drawing attention the moment he pulled up. The valet's jaw dropped. A few college girls standing nearby gawked at the sight of the car… and the man stepping out of it.

Kai was effortlessly stylish, dressed in a tailored black dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to reveal toned forearms, paired with expensive dark slacks and a silver watch.

When he saw Lily, his usual teasing smirk flickered into something else—something undeniably appreciative.

"You clean up nice," he murmured, eyes subtly tracing the way the dress hugged her figure.

Lily's face burned. "I—I didn't dress up for you!" she stammered.

Kai chuckled. "I never said you did. But I'll take it as a compliment."

She wanted to punch him. But she also wanted to melt into the ground.

Instead, she got into the car and prayed for this night to end quickly before she embarrassed herself further.

───

At the Restaurant: Uninvited Guests

Kai had booked an exclusive rooftop restaurant that overlooked the city skyline. The view was breathtaking, and the ambiance was perfect.

But just as their drinks arrived…

"Kai?"

A stunning blonde woman walked up to their table, her green eyes lighting up with recognition.

Lily blinked. Who is she?

The woman was tall, model-like, and had an insanely curvy figure wrapped in an elegant red dress.

Kai barely looked surprised. "Natalie."

The name clicked in Lily's brain. Natalie Hart. A former finance prodigy who had made waves in the investment world. She was smart, ruthless, and incredibly rich.

And she was looking at Kai like she wanted to eat him alive.

"I haven't seen you in years," Natalie purred, stepping closer. "You never call, you never text… I thought we had something special."

Lily's eye twitched. What. The. Hell.

Kai, of course, remained as infuriatingly calm as ever. "It's been a while. Didn't think you'd still remember me."

Natalie laughed. "Oh, please. A man like you? Impossible to forget."

Her gaze briefly flickered to Lily, assessing. Then, her lips curled into a smirk.

"And who's this?"

Lily opened her mouth, but Kai spoke first.

"My date."

Lily choked on her drink.

Natalie raised a brow, intrigued. "Oh? I didn't know you were the dating type."

Kai shrugged. "Things change."

Lily's brain was malfunctioning. Was this still teasing? Was he serious?

Natalie chuckled, clearly entertained. "Well, I won't intrude. But let's catch up soon, Kai." She leaned in, whispering something just low enough that Lily couldn't hear.

Then, with one last smirk, she walked away.

Lily finally exhaled. "Who was that?"

Kai swirled his drink lazily. "An old acquaintance."

Lily narrowed her eyes. "She didn't look like just an 'acquaintance.'"

Kai smirked. "Jealous?"

Lily kicked him under the table.

───

Unexpected Ending: A New Addition?

After dinner, Kai drove Lily back.

But before they could part ways, he got a text from Lucas.

📩 Lucas: Boss, there's a situation. You need to come to the downtown bar.

Kai frowned. "Change of plans."

Lily sighed. "What now?"

"You'll see."

───

At the Bar: The 'Accidental' Meeting

When they arrived, the bar was packed with college students. Kai scanned the room and quickly found Lucas sitting with someone.

A girl.

A ridiculously beautiful girl.

She looked around 21, with long platinum blonde hair tied into a messy bun. Her skin was flawless, her big blue eyes framed by long lashes. She had an innocent yet dangerously attractive aura, dressed in a tight crop top and shorts that showed off her long, toned legs.

And she looked nervous.

Lucas greeted Kai with a nod. "This is Emma Parker. She's a student at City University. Smart, talented… and in a bit of a bind."

Emma looked up, locking eyes with Kai.

And for some reason, she blushed.

Kai tilted his head. "What kind of bind?"

Lucas sighed. "Her landlord is a piece of shit and just doubled her rent. She's about to get kicked out."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "And why bring her to me?"

Lucas smirked. "Because you're a generous guy, boss."

Kai chuckled. "I see."

Emma bit her lip, clearly embarrassed. "I—I didn't come here to ask for anything. Lucas just… mentioned that you were, um, kind?"

Kai leaned back, studying her. "And what do you study?"

Emma straightened. "Business. I want to start my own company someday."

Kai's smirk grew. "Ambitious. I like that."

Emma's cheeks turned redder.

Lily, watching this entire exchange, suddenly had a very bad feeling.

Kai turned to Lucas. "Find out her landlord's number. I'll deal with it."

Emma's eyes widened. "You don't have to—"

Kai shrugged. "I insist."

And just like that…

Emma Parker was now in his orbit.

And Lily was starting to think she had competition.