Dominique took a step closer, lowered his head to have his brown eyes bore into Kaede's. The dark limbal ring around his iris intensified the stare, which found itself shaded with his furrowing brows. All she saw was confidence, the kind that yelled Dominique wasn't going anywhere.

A small lock of his hair detached itself from the batch, and all Kaede wanted to do was tug on it while she kissedㅡ.

"Excuse me," Steph saw Dominique as a rival from day one. What surprised Steph, who thought Marco was also part of the manager fan club, was how the man didn't notice his friend attempted to woo Kaede.

Kaede gained some distance; it was a close call, "yes, Steph."

Steph stepped in front of Dominique, "you wanted me to make a few changes on the merch."

"Oh yeah, Dominique, I'm sorry, but I have to work."

"No problem, I'll look around your new kingdom."

"She's busy," Steph interrupted.

Dominique smirked; Steph's crush was too visible. He had no control over his emotions like a teen. Still, the man did not dismiss Steph as a rival. The younger man had that pretty ageless face, a smile, and style to kill. Dominique suddenly found himself wondering what type of guy Kaede liked and if he fitted the category personality-wise, for he was almost a hundred percent sure his looks were not the issue.

The woman resisted for a minor detail, which was the fact he was Marco's friend and that she detested him.

Dominique, who met Marco since doubted his friend would go haywire if he found out. Kaede was out of his sight even if Fairplay made Marco legit as he was there first. Dominique estimated that if his friend were genuinely interested, he would have gone out of his way to get her.

The reasoning allowed Dominique to avoid tedious questioning on whether going after the woman made him a traitor to their friendship.

A sardonic smile surfaced on Dominique's face, "I'm a customer. Can't I look around?"

"Then buy something and stop hanging around my manager. She has a lot of work."

Dominique cocked an eyebrow, and Steph glared back. In his the sales assistant's eyes, one could read the get lost asshole translation of what he said.

Kaede blinked twice, and her mouth made a duh motion as she couldn't believe it. She wondered when her life became a harem reverse as it was clear Steph was fending for something.

The woman recalled what she asked God in her prayer.

Were there some glitches on the line? The men around her were not at all what the woman called the right one.

"Eh, Steph, thank you, but I can speak for myself. Can you prepare the Comme Des Garçons Play new collection for the sweet spot at the front of the store, please?"

Steph pursed his lips, frustrated to see Kaede dismiss him in front of Dominique, who gave him a playful wink.

"And you, please, I beg you, Dominique, don't rewind the last month by coming here every day that God grants. People are going to start talking."

"So what, let them talk. Everything your team is thinking will end up being true. I've already told you, Kaede; we can fix this if you give me your number. I'll call you and invite you to have coffee, lunch, whatever you fancy."

"Will you leave me alone if I do that?"

The man tilted his head from side to side and crossed his arms to ponder, "that's a hard one, Kaede. I like you, and I might fancy you even more. Or you might like me too much. You know what they say l'appetit vient en mangeant, [hunger comes while eating].

Kaede shook her head, "forget it; that scenario is even worse."

"What, it will be bad if it works out between us? It seems like the best outcome for me. Qui said, perhaps we'll fall madly in love."

"Dominique, I told you."

"I know high, drunk, blind, and amnesiac. I wouldn't want that, though; if I did anything to you while you're in such a state, I'd go straight to jail for assault. I don't give in to that, so please stay sober, drugless, eyes wide open. Remember every moment we're living now and those to come because I don't know when it will be, but one of these days, you'll realize you've fallen."

Kaede gave a corner smile, "why of you so sure?"

Dominique lifted a finger and pointed above, making Kaede look up, "we all know he works in mysterious ways."

"What, God told you?"

Dominique smiled, "God and I are pretty tight. He has never let me down. If anything has ever gone wrong in my life, it's because of my foolish decisions."

Kaede opened her mouth and shut it.

She didn't know how to rebound on the new face the man revealed.

Could the man strategically use God?

Kaede wasn't a woman to sit for Sunday Service, but she still feared the entity that created the Universe.

Dominique was from one of those families where faith was hashtagged at every corner of their house. Being a Christian in the Miguens family was the only way to live. His father and mother were still solid after almost forty years of marriage. They taught their children that God was the one to look for when in dire straits, and there wasn't a thing the Almighty could not fix.

The man who hated having his hair in a waxed side parting for Mass learned to appreciate the invisible yet present force by him.

Even now, he faced trials. Dominique remembered what his grandmother used to say. God never tests someone beyond his strength. Whatever you face in life, know that you shall overcome.

"Dominique, I've got to work. See you tomorrow."

It was the first time the woman accorded him the right to come and see her. The man registered her words like an invitation.

Kaede didn't know where to put herself as she felt her cheeks rise in embarrassment.

Dominique approached her and tilted his head to the side to capture the stare that she slid away, not to look at him, "see you tomorrow, Kaede."

Love was particular; the steps one took to seduce someone were enthralling no matter the age Dominique thought when their gaze met.

He recalled his father's words, "eyes don't lie, son. I knew from the instant our eyes met your mother was the one."

Dominique perceived Kaede's shyness, and it stirred something inside him. If he wasn't afraid of her reaction, he wouldㅡ, what the heck, the man leaned and kissed her on the cheek. Dominique's nose lingered on the surface of Kaede's skin as he inhaled her scent for the first time. His hand brushed alongside hers and touched the tip of her fingers, causing shivers that ran up the woman's arm.

They were french; there was nothing wild about kissing someone on the cheek. It represented both hello and goodbye.

Dominique felt it was a moment to show some sign of affection, and the woman indeed received it that way.

The man witnessed the birth of shock as Kaede turned and went straight to her office without looking back.

She had a better reaction than he expected, Dominique thought, but the man refrained himself. His first idea was to plant a kiss on her lips, yet he feared the violence which could erupt. Dominique ran his fingers through his hair and left.

Tara approached Steph and nudged him, "I think you're losing."

"Shut up, will you."

Behind the closed door of her office, Kaede collapsed. Everything was so unexpected that the woman could not assess the situation.

Some would say nothing particular occurred; the visual of the kiss itself was French household content. Even though Kaede knew and repeated it to herself internally, the woman was a hot and bothered mess.

Dominique said he didn't know when her sentiments for him would shift; for Kaede, the moment was then, she fell.