Alpha Hayley’s Destined Mate

Chapter 404: The Neighbor

Hayley’s POV:

On my first day in the new place, I did a quick clean and ordered takeout to make do. But when evening came, lying alone in the big bed and staring at the ceiling, a deep sense of loneliness crept in. I was very sensitive to my environment, and suddenly moving into a new place left me feeling unsettled. I tossed and turned, unable to sleep until morning.

By the time I woke up the next morning, it was already AM. I quickly freshened up, changed my clothes, and got ready to head out. But when I opened the door, I saw the neighbor next door moving things in.

Curious, I asked, “Are you the new neighbors?”

The worker replied, “We are from the moving company helping with the move.”

I thought it was a bit coincidental. I had just moved in yesterday, and now it seemed a new neighbor was moving in next door. I didn’t think much of it. When the elevator arrived, I just got in.

By the time I got to the studio, it was already 10 AM. As soon as I arrived, Tanner hurried over and asked with concern, “Hayley, are you okay?”

I smiled and replied, “I’m doing fine! I just moved in so I’m not used to my new place yet, and that’s why I woke up late.”

“It’s fine, that’s not what I meant! What I wanted to ask was…” Tanner hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Why did you suddenly move out? What’s the real reason?”

I hesitated when I heard that and, after a moment’s hesitation, calmly said, “There’s no special reason. I’ve just been bothering you guys for too long, so I thought it would be nice to have a change of environment.”

Tanner clearly wasn’t convinced and pressed on seriously, “Is that really the reason, or is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Hayley, we’ve known each other for a long time now. If something’s going on with you, you have to tell me. Don’t treat me like a stranger,” Tanner said earnestly.

I nodded. “Don’t worry, I will. But don’t overthink it.”

When Tanner heard that, the tension in his face finally eased.

“Alright, then. Get to work, and I’ll head back to my office.”

After Tanner left, I pulled out my chair and sat down. I looked at my design drafts and then picked up my pen to continue drawing.

But after a short while, I faintly heard the sound of arguing coming from outside.

“We’ve been waiting a month for this dress, and with the film festival just around the corner, you’re handing us this piece of junk?”

“I don’t care! You need to fix this immediately. If you can’t, we’ll terminate all contracts with your studio.”

“You know Clarice’s status in Hollywood right now. If this delays the film festival, can you afford the consequences?”

I opened the door and stepped out, noticing a crowd gathered in the front. I quickly pulled over a young assistant and asked, “What’s going on? Why is it so noisy?”

The assistant glanced over and quietly explained, “It’s Clarice Blackwell’s dress—there’s a problem. They’re unhappy with the design we gave them. We showed them the design drafts when they were ready, and they didn’t raise any issues. But now that the dress is done, they’re saying this part is wrong and that part isn’t right.”

“Normally, with custom-made dresses, both sides would review the design drafts and provide feedback. If there were any concerns, changes could have been made at that stage.”

“Now that the dress was already finished, complaining about the design seemed like they were just trying to cause trouble.”

“I’ll go take a look…”

The assistant quickly grabbed my arm. “Don’t go. This is Mr. Southwell’s design, and he’ll handle it.”

The assistant lowered their voice deliberately and whispered, “Clarice is clearly trying to make things difficult for Mr. Southwell. Who doesn’t know she wanted him to be her mate, but he turned her down? Hayley, don’t get involved…”

Hearing this, I furrowed my brow in anger.

Just as we were talking, Tanner came out of his office. It was obvious he was angry.