"Drewybear!" Brianna pouts while laying on his chest. Despite being physically with her, his mind is constantly elsewhere. He's always thinking about work, and he's currently on his phone.
"Hm?" he asks without looking away from the device.
Brianna, curious about his new project, looks at the phone screen. When she sees that logo, she angrily exclaims, "Why are you looking at Berlitz Beauties? You know I would never wear anything from there!"
Now, Drew sets his phone down to curiously look at the fuming woman. Why is she so upset? She doesn't even know why he was looking at Berlitz Beauties. Could it be the same reason her father was upset about his father contemplating working with Berlitz Beauties? "What's wrong?"
Brianna wants to yell at him about how Dawn objected at their wedding, but that would just bring out more questions. Instead, the woman opts for, "She was trying to date you while we were together."
Ah. That makes sense then. No wonder why Dawn seemed to hate him. However, if she wanted to date him, how come she was unfazed by his flirting? Unless she's over him and just despises him? She seems very down to earth. Why did Drew choose Brianna over her? Unless he was into the ditzy show girls, like Brianna, and the Wakana family is wealthier than the Berlitz's.
Sighing, Drew kisses Brianna's forehead. "I'm trying to buy out Berlitz Beauties then."
Brianna can't help but smirk. Yes. Take away that woman's business. She moves from Drew's arm to straddle his hips and kiss his lips. "Take a break from work, baby."
Seeing Brianna's lustful eyes make Drew want to groan. He's not in the mood for this. Plus, his headache hasn't gone away. It's not terrible, but it's very annoying. He gives her a small smile. "I'm tired, Brianna. Maybe some other time."
Before Brianna can plead with him or force him, Drew lightly pushes her off of him. He then gets up to go to the bathroom where he will at least have some privacy. Gosh. The married life is a hassle. No wonder why the wealthy only do it for business. However, he apparently did it for business and love. Why did he love Brianna? No one has ever told him, though they all tell him he loved her.
Walking out to the balcony, he pulls out his phone again to call his best friend. Of course, she doesn't pick up. The only times he hears from her are when she calls him for business purposes. Maybe he should visit her in Slateport City? He'll do that after his parents come back because he wants to surprise them with everything he's done while they are gone.
Since the Berlitz Beauties thing hasn't worked out so far, he'll focus on the excess funding Hayden Corporation has been putting into the LaRousse City orphanage. Why is Hayden Corporation spending so much money on the orphanage? They're not even getting any publicity from it! They never have, even when the program was first started four years ago.
He's read reports about life skills coaches, tutors, college readiness instructors, and even daily cleaning staff are hired to go to the orphanage regularly. There have also been many repairs and renovations throughout the years. Why are they spending all this money on the orphanage? Even scholarships! Drew doesn't see why they're doing charity work if they're not getting recognition for it.
He had wanted to ask his father, but Nicholas left before he could. Also, the time the orphanage funding started was during one of the years he lost his memory. No one talks about those three years, though Drew thinks they should so that he'll gain his memories back. It's very frustrating being the only one left in the dark about this. He had asked Owen, but Owen was hired after Drew returned from his accident.
As much as Drew's conscience tells him not to do it, he knows he has to. He's a businessman, so he will cut the orphanage funding. No. He'll completely pull out of it. Since there's no media on it at all, then no one will even notice them leaving. Hayden Corporation can then invest that money elsewhere, like taking over Berlitz Beauties. No one wrongs Drew Hayden and gets away with it!
The man leans over the balcony railings as his head starts aching again. Damn! It's worse than when he saw Dawn's photo. Closing his eyes tightly, Drew groans aloud. This is excruciating. The doctors had prescribed him medicine, but Drew doesn't take them for fear of the side effects. Thus, Drew lets the migraine run their course. However, this one is so terrible he finds himself falling to the ground as a flash of sapphire appears in his mind.
Eventually, pounding on the bathroom door inside gets his attention, and Drew's pain is at a tolerable enough level to say, "I'm fine!"
When Drew hadn't come out, Brianna got worried. She also just loves spending time with him. Drew, though, can't entertain her right now. Not with his pounding head and with him trying to take over the company. He's 27 years old! He needs to grow up, even if he lost 3 years of his youth.
Rushing inside, he vomits into the toilet. Yes. These headaches are getting worse, but he won't give up on regaining his memories. Drew Hayden is the heir to Hayden Corporation and he's married to the heiress of Wakana Enterprises. He will grow his family's business like he was raised to do. And in business, there are no feelings. The orphanage will lose its funding, and Dawn Berlitz will lose Berlitz Beauties. Drew Hayden will make sure of all of this.
Days Later
Drew is walking through the garden of Hayden Mansion to clear his mind. He hopes nature and fresh air will keep the headaches away. Also, he's always loved the garden since he was a kid who would run around in it with Solidad. Drew frowns while thinking about his friend who has been ignoring him. He's texted her a few times asking what he did, though she never replies.
"Mr. Drew!" the gardener grins at Drew. Smiling back, Drew greets him too. "Your mother wanted us to plant these flowers over here. Did you want to see them?"
Drew nods. "Sure." It beats going back inside to spend time with his wife he's supposed to love. However, when Drew walks into the extended part of the garden, his head instantly starts pounding. Dropping to the ground, Drew hunches over as he groans loudly. The gardener panics and screams for help. The moment Drew saw the newly planted roses, he experienced the worst headache he's ever had. These headaches are just getting worse and worse.
In the past, when Drew would see roses, his head would hurt, but not this much. Are they getting worse with time? What's triggering this? It all started the day he saw Dawn's photo, so he should see a doctor quickly. Drew doesn't want to lose any more memories. Clutching his head tightly, Drew forces himself to stand up.
He squints as he scans the garden and the worried workers' faces on him. Gosh. Drew's never liked roses. Well, he loved them as a kid, but he finds that he hates them now. Did he fall into a rose bush once and that's why he hates them? Whatever the case is, he doesn't like them, so he turns to walk away.
The gardener worriedly follows. "Are you okay, Mr. Drew?"
"Yeah." Drew mutters as his head continues to pound. He just wants to go lay down, though he knows Brianna's mouth won't leave him alone. It'll only make his headache worse. He needs to find someplace quiet to hide until this headache disappears. Closing his eyes as he walks away, sapphire blue pops in his mind again, causing him to quickly open his eyes. Why does that color keep appearing?
Once Drew finds a hammock, he lays in it. Fortunately, the yard is large enough where it'll take time for Brianna to find him. He's also far enough away from people that he can listen to the sounds of nature. Yes, this is helping clear his head. Maybe he should start taking the medicine the doctors have been prescribing him? As much as Drew doesn't want to put any chemicals in his body, this pain is unbearable.
Days Later - Hayden Corporation
After seeing the doctor the other day, Drew was told his headaches could be caused due to stress. He's been increasing his workload lately and things are difficult, which has added a lot of stress on him. He's advised to take his medicine, though Drew will hold off on that. He doesn't want to suffer from the side effects, especially since he knows his headaches are caused by stress. He just needs to take breaks every now and then so that he relaxes.
"Why are we spending so much money on the orphanage?" Drew asks his secretary, Owen, without looking up from his paperwork.
Being recently hired after Drew's accident, the secretary isn't sure. "Probably to show our commitment to community service. It helps with stocks and investors."
Furrowing his brows, Drew knows otherwise. He's already crunched the numbers, as well as other accountants. They're losing more money investing all of these resources into the orphanage than the amount of money coming in from investors. Most of their investors are wealthy like them, so they don't care about the orphanage.
"We're funding scholarships, tutoring programs, and life-skills workshops. We're a business company. Not a children's fund. Why are we spending so much money on this?" Drew asks again. Maybe he should ask his parents about this? Shaking his head, he tells himself no. He won't rely on them anymore. They're giving him responsibilities now, so he can handle these issues on his own.
"Did you want me to ask someone?" Owen asks.
"No." Drew replies. "Just cut the funding. We don't need it when it's not benefitting us much." Yes, it's cruel, but Drew is a businessman. And this is the way of his world. If he's not making money, then he's a bad businessman. He's supposed to take on his family's company some day, and cutting these costs will surely make him look better to his parents. There won't be any media repercussions since none of these programs have been released to the media. What can be taken away if it was never documented to be there?
Nodding, Owen rushes out of the room to make the necessary phone calls to end the program at the orphanage. Drew leans back in his chair exhausted. Maybe he'll take a nap? Yes, it's midday, but Brianna only stops by late at night when she suspects he won't be going back to the mansion. She also stresses him out, however how can he tell her this when she loves him so much?
Groaning, Drew looks back at the papers on his desk. One of the papers is about the orphanage while the rest are other work his parents left for him. Grabbing the orphanage paper, Drew frowns. He hates himself for cutting all of these programs, though it needs to be done. Time will heal his guilt. Besides, when has Drew Hayden felt guilt before? Aside from Brianna who he knows he needs to love.
Drew pulls out his phone to text Solidad again. She has never responded, so all he sees are his messages to her. Maybe she'll respond if he asks about the orphanage? She always had a kinder heart than him. After sending a message to Solidad requesting information on the funding at the orphanage, Drew slips his phone back in his pocket. Yeah. He'll take that nap. It'll help with this killer headache he's getting from his conscience.
Petalburg City
"May?"
"Hm?" the brunette groggily replies while in his arms.
Kissing the back of her head, Brenden says, "I love you." He had just returned from his business trip, and May welcomed him with open arms. Of course, he surprised her by picking her up from work with flowers. Brenden is always so sweet with her. The two are currently laying in bed with Brenden being the big spoon, and May's back pressed against his chest.
May doesn't answer, like always. Rather than kiss him, though, she's too exhausted to turn around, so she just remains silent. Sighing, Brenden pulls her closer to him. He'll be patient. He waited years for her to give him a chance again, thus, he can wait for her to fall in love with him. He owes her that after leaving her twice.
"I don't have to leave for a while."
"That's good." May quietly replies. "I miss you when you're gone."
Kissing her head again, Brenden tells her, "I always miss you, May."
He enjoys their peaceful life compared to the hectic one in LaRousse City. Brenden feels like his lawyer career is going to kick off soon. He just needs to be patient like he's been with May. Then he'll be able to give her everything she's wanted. He'll be able to provide for them so that she can finally accomplish her dreams of going to college. May has supported him this whole time, so he knows he really doesn't deserve her.
With the brunette dozing in his arms, Brenden whispers, "I love you, May." Since he never told her when they were younger, she moved on. Brenden won't ever let her not know his feelings again, therefore, he constantly tells her, regardless of her reply. He soon drifts off to sleep too because tomorrow is a day off for both of them to enjoy themselves for once.