Hailey’s expression betrayed no emotion as she met his gaze directly.“I’m sorry,” she repeated in an impassive tone. “I was out of line. I shouldn’t have interfered.”Christian blinked. Well, this was certainly a first.Normally, whenever women apologized, it was to gain something out of him. Maybe she had something concocted there in that pretty little head of hers?“I thought you said that you have a sense of justice,” he pointed out. “That you did not do anything wrong and that you refuse to apologize to someone like me.”“I still think that way,” she said simply.Well, that was a surprise.“Oh really?” he said sarcastically.She sighed. “But even so, I should’ve approached the matter in a more mature way. Calling you an asshole went too far. I should’ve explained calmly and let the matter go, because like you said, it’s really none of my business.”He listened to her words, feeling the surprise in his heart increase.“You people are not my family or my friends, so…” Her voice tra
When he got downstairs for breakfast fully dressed, the food was already served on the table. However, Camille was nowhere to be seen.“Where is she?” he asked one of the maids nearby.The maid, Marie, approached him and said politely, “Miss Parker went ahead to the company, Mr. Callahan. She said to inform you that she will go to work early to finalize preparations for the Solar Project.”“I see,” Christian said. Marie quickly excused herself to the kitchen.He watched her leave with a slightly raised eyebrow. He had noticed that she never met his eyes the whole time. In fact, there seemed to be a hint of fear in her demeanor.Had he been unruly last night? He still couldn’t remember much, but if so, that would be humiliating. He had always prided himself on being calm and decisive at all times. If he had behaved like a foolish drunk last night…Christian decided that he would have to confront Camille about this later at the company. He had an inkling as to why she left before him, a
“Good morning, Mr. Huckington,” Camille greeted politely, forcing a smile on her lips. She hoped that it didn’t look too strained.“Good morning, Miss Parker,” Harold said. “A fine morning we’re having so far, isn’t it?”“Ah, yes. Perhaps.”“Hmm? What’s the matter? Are you having a bad day already?”Camille was having a hard time keeping the smile on her face. “Not at all, Mr. Huckington. I just personally think that it’s too early to tell.”She felt a little stumped. Whenever Harold visited the company, Christian was always here to handle him. She had never been left alone with Harold before, and she was starting to get a little nervous.‘No. I can do this without that bastard’s help,’ she thought in determination. ‘Let’s just not give him any ideas.’“Well, as for me, I’m having a rather interesting day, Miss Parker,” Harold said with a grin. “Would you like to know why?”Camille refused to fall for the bait. “Mr. Huckington, if you’re here for Mr. Callahan, he hasn’t arrived yet. Y
Harold immediately let go of Camille, but he did not move an inch from his position. In fact, he almost seemed smug.‘How foolish,’ Camille thought in her head, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.“What were you doing just now?” Christian’s voice was icy cold.“Just talking with your little secretary,” Harold had the guts to respond.“Excuse me?”Meanwhile, Camille took a few steps back, dusting off her collar and fixing her blouse in place. She could not keep the disgust off her expression. She would let Christian deal with this now, thank god.That just now was one of the most revolting situations she had ever been placed into. Normally she would pummel touchy men like that into the ground, but seeing as this was one of the more influential men in the city, she could not afford to be too hasty. Reputation mattered in this town, unfortunately.She also did not want to be in the spotlight too much. The Callahans made sure that her new identity was not suspicious at all and pulled a l
The atmosphere in the office instantly changed. The murderous look in Christian’s eyes faded away, replaced by a startling blankness.Startled, Camille wondered what exactly Harold meant by that.‘The truth about Pamela Callahan’s death?’ she thought, shocked. ‘I only heard that Gregory Callahan lost his wife to an illness, but at that time, she had already left him and their kids.’‘Come to think of it, I’m not sure if they got an actual divorce back then…’At that moment, employees started to notice the commotion. Camille stepped back and tried not to seem like she was involved in any of this. Gossip was merciless in a society like this one.Christian knew this as well, so he backed off a bit. Interestingly, he no longer looked furious. Instead, there was this cold, calculative look in his eyes.“We will talk about this tomorrow,” he said icily. “Alone.”Harold looked satisfied at this. “Very well. Like you, I don’t want any trouble, either. I’m glad that we have both come to a mutu
“When are you going to get married?” The lively dining table went silent in an instant, and there was a lingering anticipation in the air that did not go unnoticed by anyone in the room. Michael McGregor could hear his father’s voice loud and clear, but he chose to ignore it, focusing on the meal before him. It was a question that he had grown accustomed to over the years. There was no need for him to give a verbal response. After all, his answer would remain the same. Around the table sat five individuals overall: the Chairman of Haynes-McGregor Industries, his wife, Michael, and the latter’s two siblings, namely William and Joanna. John McGregor sat at the head of the table with a scowl, obviously displeased by his son’s blatant lack of response. He slammed his fork down on the plate, making a loud noise that caused the others to jolt in surprise. “I am talking to you,” John said, his eyes narrowing in anger. “When are you going to stop refusing marriage prospects and blind dat
[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 famil
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,