Chapter 15

“Is it true that you had a clash with Mr. Hart?” Iris asked; she was surprised when she heard the news flying the moment she and Carter came back from lunch.

Hailey simply nodded with a hum.

Right now, Iris had left her own desk and was now sitting casually at Hailey’s. This had been the kind of relationship they had, and since Hailey had apologized earlier, everything had gone back to how it used to be.

“He was a complete nutcase,” Hailey scoffed, and Iris let out an amused chuckle. As far as she had known Hailey, standing up against someone had never happened. Hailey was the type that would rather stay on her own and swallow up whatever rubbish she was given.

“I don't have the strength to fight back,” she had told Iris during college days.

But now, sitting before Iris was a completely different person.

“What did you do to my friend?” Iris gasped as she placed her hands on her chest, a dramatic way of expressing herself.

Hailey laughed.

Just then Carter walked up to them; as usual, he gave Hailey a kiss on the cheek and winked at her before placing a file gently in Iris' hands.

Their fingers brushed against each other; it was barely noticeable, but the tension was there before he finally walked back to his desk.

“I need to tell him to stop doing that,” Hailey whispered to Iris. Iris blinked, a bit startled; she didn't know exactly what Hailey meant.

“Huh?” Iris asked, confused.

“Kissing me in public and stuff,” Hailey responded, her eyes now focused on a file.

“Oh.” Iris mouthed under her breath, her eyes fixed on something else.

Iris stood up and was about to go back to her desk; for some reason, Hailey could feel her attitude had suddenly turned cold.

“Wait!” Hailey stopped her, and she turned back immediately. “There's a news report I would be interviewing someone on; it's quite a big case, so I don't know if you could come along with me?” Hailey pleaded.

Iris smiled. Hailey was still the same, always making her tag along wherever she was going. “She's still the same,” Iris thought.

“Yeah, sure,” Iris said with a smile before going back to her desk.

A small smile tugged at the corner of Hailey’s lips.

~~~~

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Hailey asked the elderly lady gently. She was about to be interviewed for a criminal case her grandson was charged with, and Hailey felt she would be too sensitive about it.

Iris was fighting back the urge to roll her eyes as she stared at this interaction; she didn't understand why the old woman would feel bad when she had actually agreed to be here in the first place.

Hailey noticed how reluctant and unconcerned Iris was about the interview; she reached for the woman’s shaky hands and assured her everything was going to be fine—after all, the son was still in trial.

Feeling a bit settled, the old woman started opening up about her grandson.

“Jose would never hurt a fly,” she concluded with a deep breath.

Hailey nodded as she finished writing every point the woman had made.

“Thank you, ma. I know it took a lot of effort in opening up to us. If your grandson is innocent, then justice must be served. I'll make sure to put in a good report for him,” Hailey said gently.

All this while Iris had acted like the woman was being too dramatic; she was poor, and maybe her grandson had done it just to be paid and made it look like it was all a setup.

“I think she's lying.” Iris rolled her eyes the moment they got out of the restaurant they had done the interview in.

“That's not helping; anyone could definitely see that her grandson was framed,” Hailey frowned.

“Anyone but me, isn’t it obvious? The guy did it and made it look like it was a setup; it's no surprise since they are poor, and he could have done it for the money.” Iris shrugged.

Hailey couldn't believe the kind of words coming out from Iris; she knew she shouldn't be too surprised. But had Iris always been this short-sighted? She wondered.

However, Hailey didn't say anything further; she didn't want to pull their friends apart and needed her for as long as her plan could carry.

Hailey waved Iris goodbye as she boarded a cab; she told the driver her direction, and soon later, the cab stopped in front of a hospital.

Hailey stepped out of the cab slowly, the evening breeze brushing across her face as she stared at the building before her.

The hospital was small and was still undergoing development. Wooden planks leaned against the outer walls, bags of cement lay untouched, and the signboard flickered weakly.

A soft smile tugged at her lips; she really was in the past.

This place would one day turn into one of the finest hospitals in the city. But right now, it looked nothing like the shining facility she remembered.

There was something bittersweet about seeing it like this—young, unfinished, and full of potential… just like she used to be before her marriage to Carter.

Hailey sighs as she walks inside. The reception area was quiet with only one nurse behind the desk, flipping through a stack of files.

“Good evening,” Hailey greeted politely.

The nurse looked up. “Good evening, ma. How may I help you?”

“I’d like to do a tummy scan,” Hailey said, adjusting the strap of her bag.

The nurse blinked in mild confusion but nodded and handed her a form. Minutes later, Hailey was led into a small room where a doctor in a white coat stood scribbling something on a clipboard.

Dr. Hudson.

She remembered him instantly, and right now, he looked much younger, in his thirties or so; his eyes still remained as calm and gentle as they had always been.

He looked up the moment she entered the radiology room.

“Miss Hailey? You requested a scan?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied simply.

His eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you experiencing any kind of pain? Nausea or discomfort?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head.

Dr. Hudson’s brows furrowed. “Then… may I ask why you want a scan?”

Hailey smiled faintly.

“For my peace of mind.” She responded briefly. Her mother had died from stomach cancer, and that was the advantage Carter had used against her. Right now, it was only fair she knows there's nothing wrong with her.

Dr. Hudson studied her for a moment. “Alright. Please lie down.”

Then he started the process; after a few minutes, Dr. Hudson wiped the device and handed her a paper towel.

“Well,” he said calmly, “everything is perfectly fine. No abnormalities, and you are perfectly healthy.”

Hailey sat up, giving him a small, warm smile. “Thank you, doctor.”

“Have a good day, Miss Hailey.” He said back, for some reason, he felt like there was something strange with the way she had spoken to him, like she was already very familiar with him even though they had just met for the first time.

“You too.”

Hailey stepped out of the hospital, her hand wrapped lightly around the envelope that held her scan result.

She walked toward the roadside, pulling out her phone to book a cab. Cars passed slowly, the sunset dyeing the sky with streaks of gold and orange.

A cab finally turned the corner. Hailey stepped forward and raised her hand when a loud horn blared sharply beside her.

She turned, and a black car rolled to a stop right in front of her. The window slid down, and she gasped in surprise.

Dan leaned slightly toward the open window, one hand on the steering wheel, while the other rested casually on the door.

He looked even more surprised seeing her. “Why do I keep bumping into you, huh?” He smirked, and she rolled her eyes.

“Do you want a ride home? Hope your boyfriend won't mind?” He grinned. Hailey chuckled as she turned and slid into the passenger seat.

“Are you stalking me?” She asked as she fastened her seatbelt. Dan let out a humorous laugh, but his face suddenly dropped as his eyes landed on the envelope on Hailey's lap.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m not sick; I just went for a regular checkup,” Hailey said casually as she tucked the envelope in her bag.

As Dan drove off, a thought suddenly hit her, and she flinched. Something had changed with the timeline the moment she had run out of the company that particular day. She had come back to the future; her action that day could be the cause of why she keeps bumping into Dan.

What if fate had dragged him into her life for the wrong thing?