[Sixteen years ago, in the city of Lenford…]
-
A single petal floated in front of his eyes.
It was a cherry blossom petal, one that signaled the beginning of the tree’s full bloom in spring.
It was the first thing Michael McGregor saw before a girl about his age suddenly walked up to him, her hand tightly gripping the strap of her shoulder bag.
She was a pretty girl with long dark hair and striking olive-green eyes. She had an intelligent look about her that gave off elegance and beauty, catching the eyes of some of the boys who passed by. Her hair was loose and long enough to reach her waist, letting the wind blow the strands behind her.
It was like a picturesque moment that could have been a little romantic if it weren’t for the words that came out of her mouth the next moment.
“What are you doing with that cigarette?”
-
At 15 years old, Michael McGregor had just arrived for his first day of high school. Back in middle school, he was notorious for rebelling against his family and teachers. He smoked, he drank, he skipped class, and he never studied.
No one dared speak out against him because he was a rich kid with a CEO for a father. Needless to say, Michael always got his way and never backed down from anyone.
He was a kid who had the money but had no dreams.
But all of that changed the day he first met Hailey van Gowen.
Hailey was the daughter of a business tycoon who owned several hotels around the country. She was the eldest daughter who had a lot of potential to become a capable businesswoman in the future. She was strict, disciplined, and liked to stick to her morals. She was also quite studious and would often scold the other kids for doing something that was against the school rules.
It was probably why she volunteered to become the student council president.
Hailey was a year older than Michael. On his first day of high school, she came up to him after noticing that he held a cigarette in his hand.
“Student, smoking is forbidden in this school,” she said with a polite smile on her face. “Aren’t you a freshman?”
Michael was in a bad mood. He had received a severe scolding from his father earlier which made him think twice about going to school today. But after a veiled threat to cancel his credit cards for life, he decided to endure at least one year of school.
He took for granted the fact that his parents seemed to favor him the most and were lenient with him. His brother William was the one his father was training to be the next heir to the company.
His sister Joanna, on the other hand, was being given etiquette lessons and various other lessons for her future. Basically, she was to work in the family business and marry whomever her father chose for her.
Michael was the one who didn’t seem to have any extraordinary talents whatsoever. His mother was always careful with him and took care of him the most because of an old injury to his leg that prevented him from doing anything physically strenuous, like sports. His father, on the other hand, seemed to pity him and couldn’t punish him severely.
Michael hated it. The pity, the careful behavior… all of it.
There were various reasons why he rebelled against them, but mostly he was just tired of this world and the environment around him.
He thought that if he continued to behave badly, maybe his parents would finally treat him differently.
Back in the present, Michael glanced at the yellow line on the breast pocket of the girl’s uniform that indicated she was a sophomore. Under the line was a name tag that had the words ‘Hailey van Gowen’ printed on it.
“It’s none of your business,” Michael said before walking past her.
But Hailey suddenly grabbed his arm, a smile still on her face. “As president of the student council, I’d say it is indeed my business. What’s your name?”
She spun him around with surprising force to look at the name tag on his breast pocket.
“Michael Noah… McGregor. Ah, you’re the youngest son of the Haynes-McGregor Industries’ CEO. I’ve heard that Mr. McGregor’s business has been flourishing these past few years. His name is always all over the papers.”
She said it in such a matter-of-fact tone that it was like she simply recited the words from a textbook.
Michael’s expression darkened. “And what do my father’s accomplishments have to do with me?”
“Nothing, really. It’s just that you’re related to him as his son, so I simply told you what I know.”
“If you’re just here to brag about your knowledge, then buzz off, you showoff,” Michael snarled before yanking his arm away from her grip.
The smile never faded from Hailey’s face. “Ah, a stubborn one, aren’t you?”
She watched Michael’s retreating figure for a while before calling out, “Remember, smoking is forbidden!”
Michael shook his head, thinking that he had just met one of the most annoying people here at school.
-
[Present Time, the city of Penburg…]
-
It was twenty minutes past ten when Michael finally arrived at his apartment.
It was empty as always. No one was waiting for him to come home, and he had no friends to talk to. He had no pets either.
Just him, all alone.
Michael sighed heavily as he sat down on the couch and raised his hand to rub his temple. Had he gone too far earlier?
But he couldn’t bring himself to feel bad about it. After all, his relationship with his family had already changed drastically from what it had been in the past.
Too much had happened, and he felt that it was already too late to face his inner problems. He was probably just running away from conflict, but he was honestly too tired to deal with it right now. His world remained a dark shade of gray, and it would probably not see any color anytime soon.
At least, until—
Suddenly, at that moment, Michael’s phone rang. Puzzled as to who could be calling his private number at this hour, he glanced at the screen.
It was his personal assistant, Grady.
If Grady himself was calling outside of work hours, then that meant this must be something important.
Michael answered the call without further delay. “Hello? Is there a problem?” he asked, going straight to the point.
“Mr. McGregor,” Grady said in a hurried tone, “we’ve found her.”
Michael instantly froze in place. “What?”
“We’ve found her,” Grady repeated. “We’ve found the woman you’ve been looking for. The woman with the name of Hailey van Gowen.”
Michael’s heart began to race. “You—You have?” His voice cracked a little, which rarely ever happened. However, he barely even noticed due to the numerous emotions that rose inside of him. “Where… Where is she now? Is she in the city? Has she finally returned?”
“Yes, Mr. McGregor. However…” Grady paused for a moment, seeming a little hesitant to relay the news. “There is one thing I need to tell you.”
Michael’s heart was suddenly filled with dread.
Did something happen to Hailey? Was it related to the reason why she had left so suddenly?
Or worse… was she sick?
“Her name is no longer Hailey van Gowen,” Grady said. “She had thrown away her last name years ago and has now taken on a new identity. She is now Camille Parker, and she has been transferred to the Callahan Group branch here in Penburg, as Christian Callahan’s personal secretary.”
Michael sat there, stunned.
It was no secret in the country that the Callahans and the McGregors had bad blood between them.
Not as enemies. Far from it, actually. But they were competitors in the same business field, and none of them backed down from a challenge.
And now Hailey was working for them?
But why did she change her name?
What in the world was going on?
Michael was still frozen in disbelief even after hanging up the phone. As though sensing that Michael was in internal conflict with himself, Grady told him that he would send all the details through one of their secure chat channels. Michael agreed to it absently and ended the call. Michael scrolled down all of the information that Grady had investigated for him about Hailey. Apparently, after going off the grid for fourteen years, she had managed to turn herself into a different person. The woman in the photo who was staring back at him was so different from the girl he once knew years ago. In the past, Hailey had long black hair. She used to grow it so long that it reached her waist. But now, she had blonde hair that was cut short at a modest length, just a little below her shoulders. Her face had become mature over the years, having lost some of the baby fat from her cheeks. Her features had morphed from cute and smiley to serious and intelligent. Her eyes were still the same,
By the time morning came, Michael was still wide awake, looking like he had barely gotten a wink of sleep. He couldn’t think about anything else other than Hailey. Just the thought of her made his heart constrict. What in the world happened to her? Why did she have to change her identity? Was it because she feared backlash from her family? The fear of being found? Or perhaps just the desire to start a new life? Michael let out a heavy sigh. Fourteen years. He had been waiting for her for fourteen years now. Sometimes he couldn’t understand why she was the only woman who occupied his mind for years. It was surprising, to say the least. It was as though his heart never wavered at all. They had been friends back in high school. Kind of. Rather, Hailey watched over him like a hawk, and she would often scold him whenever he did something wrong. Until now, he didn’t know the reason why she paid so much attention to him. Perhaps it was just her strict and diligent nature. Perhaps she
“Who was that just now?” Camille Parker turned around in surprise to see her boss, Christian Callahan, standing behind her with a raised eyebrow. The esteemed CEO of Callahan Group himself. “Oh, it was…” Camille hesitated for a moment. “An old friend.” “An old friend, you say?” There was a wry smile on Christian’s face. “And who might that be?” Camille narrowed her eyes at him warily. “It’s a friend from high school,” she replied calmly. “They got my number somehow and wanted to say hello.” “A friend from high school,” Christian repeated, nodding thoughtfully. “It seems that you’re meeting up with them on Monday?” Camille sighed heavily. “Look, Christian… it’s not polite to eavesdrop on someone else’s conversation, okay? Let it go. It’s not a big deal.” “It’s not a big deal, and yet you’re being strangely defensive.” Christian’s features turned cold. “Is it a man? If it is, you know that you can’t be seen with other men in public except for me, right? Especially when the offici
Camille Parker had once been Hailey van Gowen.It had been a tough fourteen years. Back then, she had lived well, with wealthy parents, supportive brothers, and convenient resources available all around her. She studied hard and had goals of her own.But all of that changed when she found out. The discovery that changed her life from then on.She had already thrown away the name ‘Hailey’ years ago and made peace with her new identity. She was older now, no longer the teenager from back then.A woman in her early thirties who had a career of her own, but was alone with no family. She had never really planned on dating or getting married, and she had no real goal of her own, either.Because she felt trapped.All because of one stupid favor.After leaving the van Gowen family behind, she settled down in a faraway country with the help of her savings, in a small, peaceful city called Vesdale. It hadn’t been easy, but she had the help of a kind nurse who took her in afterwards, so she at l
Hailey had definitely heard of the name Gregory Callahan.Who wouldn’t?Gregory Callahan, or better known as Greg and Mr. Callahan by his friends and the public respectively, was one of the most hardened CEOs in the country. He built his own empire from scratch and worked hard ever since he was young, so he was mostly known for his hard work and intelligence.He was also ruthless whenever it came to decision-making and negotiations. He would not back down from anything and jumped at every opportunity that was meant for the benefit of his company.He was cold and merciless to anyone who dared go against him. Also, he was quite meticulous with every process and detail, which included his staff. If anybody was even the slightest bit incompetent or had a weakness or even messed up just one time, he would fire them immediately and search for someone who was much more efficient.Which wasn’t exactly difficult since everybody — rather, the professionals and the confident ones — wanted a job
“On contract only, of course,” Christian assured in a smooth tone of voice, sounding as though he were simply negotiating with a client. “You can stop working here in the company and come live with me in my mansion. I will make sure that you are well-treated and given everything that you desire.”Camille’s head was spinning. This was all going too fast for her liking. “Wait a second,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “I’m not going to be your wife, Mr. Callahan.”“Of course you are,” Christian said with an arch of his eyebrow. “Do I not have all of the qualities of a fine husband? Besides, you should be grateful. I will give you all that you need. My only condition is for you to not meddle in my business and behave like a good little wife.”“Mr. Callahan,” Camille said stonily. “I am not going to marry you.”She then turned around and attempted to leave the room.“Stop right there, Miss van Gowen.”Camille instantly froze in place.Christian watched her stiff shoulders from behind, smirk
“Leave him out of this,” Camille managed to say.However, she forgot to even out her tone, so the anger in her voice was quite clear.“Oh? Quite sensitive now, are we?” Christian said, having picked up on the change of note.“…”“Is he going to be a nuisance to our cooperation?” he asked.“We have no such cooperation between us, Mr. Callahan,” Camille growled. “And I would appreciate it if you cease meddling in my life and attempting to control it the way you want.”“I have many ways to threaten you, Miss van Gowen. I’m sure you know that quite well.” Christian’s smile widened. “Your mother, your father, your brothers… even Michael McGregor’s notoriety in the past, seeing how much you seem to care about him.”“You—”“But as much as it’s entertaining to keep teasing you, I’m afraid you have no other choice.” He shrugged casually. “I’ve already told my father about how madly in love I am with you.”“What?” Camille was dumbfounded.“I’m quite a good actor, you know. I managed to convince
That was how it all started. Christian Callahan had a trump card up his sleeve, and she had no choice but to go along with his whims. She hated it, but at least she knew that he wasn’t interested in her. She wasn’t his type at all, and she preferred to keep it that way.He was only using her for his own gain.Camille sighed as she went back to her desk, her mind muddled with all sorts of thoughts. She turned on the screen of her phone and scrolled down her contacts list, her gaze resting on the name ‘Noah’.To think that he gave her his private number so freely.They had arranged to meet up on Monday since she wasn’t free during the weekends. During the weekends, she needed to take the role of a good wife at home despite not even being married to Christian yet. He insisted on living together so that it wouldn’t be hard to keep up appearances later on.He even decided that the date of their wedding would take place in October, which was about seven months away. He had it all planned wh