Life has been a lil hectic. With work, working out, and enjoying my summer, I don't have much time to focus on my stories like I used to. It's why I didn't upload a chapter yesterday. When fall hits, life will slow down, so expect more updates...but then I might forget my plots lol. IDK. Bear with me! I won't leave y'all hanging! All my stories will get endings eventually. Hopefully, I grind out more chapters this weekend, though my family is building a shed outside I need to help with. :P We'll see!

Chapter 32

"Remember me, Drew."

"What? Remember who?" the green haired man asks. Gosh, he's back in the dark hazy room again with that same unidentifiable voice. What's going on?

"Me."

"Who's me?" C'mon, voice! Be more specific!

"The orphanage."

"What about the orphanage?"

However, like last time, Drew doesn't get an answer because he's woken up. Groaning, he throws the covers off of him. He doesn't care about the time since he knows he won't be able to go back to sleep. Why did he have this dream again? Is it a dream? It feels too real to be one though. Maybe if it happens again, he'll take it seriously?

"The orphanage." Drew breathes out in confusion. He didn't even know about it's existence until a few weeks ago. Nevertheless, the more he's learned about it, the more he finds himself tied to it. His family's company has been funding it for years now, starting from one of the years he's lost. It is so important to Solidad that it's the only reason she contacts him. It's important enough to Dawn to initiate a business relationship with him when she had flat out ignored him for a week. And now he has this dream mentioning it? Just how does the orphanage tie into all of this?

After drinking some coffee, Drew opts to do a quick morning workout. He has the time, and then he'll do his own research on the orphanage later. In the shower, Drew contemplates reaching out to the orphanage again. Well, he has to if he and Dawn are working together. It's a part of her deal, though Drew isn't sure if he should take her up on it. He still needs to crunch the numbers to see if they'll make enough of a profit to keep funding the orphanage. Maybe he'll get some news stations at the orphanage too to increase the public image of Hayden Corporation?

Once Drew leaves the shower, he changes into his clothes for the day. Grabbing his phone, he notices it is still fairly early. Maybe he'll start on this research now? Dawn hasn't contacted him after yesterday, and he doesn't want to seem desperate. He'll visit her later if she doesn't contact him. Drew Hayden doesn't like being played around with like this, so if she wastes his time, he'll make sure she suffers.

Drew groans once he's on the webpage about the LaRousse City orphanage. There's nothing about the three years he lost. The About Me contains information on the current staff as well as the facilities at the orphanage. There is a photo album that started two years ago, which was not during any of the years he lost. Just why is this orphanage so important?

If Drew trusted everyone in the corporation, he'd ask one of the technicians to look into the history of the orphanage. However, everyone works devotedly to his parents and the Wakanas, who are the primary people keeping his old life a secret. Maybe he could hire someone from the outside to look into this? But what if information gets back to his parents? As much as he loves his parents, he knows everyone puts the company first. If the orphanage is somehow jeopardizing the company, his family will do something about it. Drew doesn't want any information, if there is any, to be hidden too.

Taking a break, Drew eats a quick breakfast he cooks in his suite. Owen calling on the phone gets his attention. The secretary is currently in a room nearby for when Drew needs him. Picking up the call as he takes another bite of his eggs, Drew answers, "Hey, Owen."

"Are you ready to go, Mr. Drew?"

"I'm busy right now, Owen. Let's go to the mall later, okay?" Drew still wants to research more about the orphanage. He's trying to look up any news articles on the orphanage from those three years he lost. However, it seems like anything major has been wiped from the internet.

"Okay, sir. I'll be ready whenever you are."

"Thanks, Owen." Drew hangs up as he finishes the last of his breakfast.

A few hours later, the man rubs his forehead due to his fatigue. The lack of sleep along with the intense research is adding to his constant headache. However, he only trusts himself to get his memories back. Owen was hired after Drew returned to the company. Clicking on what seems like the hundredth link that morning, Drew scans the article. The title indicates that it's about the LaRousse City orphanage's children.

Drew has found that there are no articles from the three years he's missing, which adds to his suspicions that the orphanage must be related somehow, right? Because if there are no articles during those three years about Drew or Hayden Corporation, then that must mean someone is hiding something from him, which also means that someone wants to hide something about the orphanage from him too.

This current article is about how a child, Brenden Birch, was at the orphanage for 10 years because his father went missing on a research excursion in another region. With no other relatives, Brenden was placed at the LaRousse City Orphanage. His father was found, and the two were reunited. With Professor Birch being famous in Hoenn for his research, this story made it to its own article.

The main picture on the article is of a teenage boy, who Drew assumes is this Brenden kid, and Professor Birch smiling. Scrolling down further, Drew spots a photo of the Brenden guy hugging a brunette girl. The caption reads, Brenden Birch saying goodbye to his childhood friend. Childhood friend? Drew scans the paragraphs proceeding the article, which state that Brenden became close friends with a girl at the orphanage.

Brenden quotes, "May's my best friend. I'll visit her when I can!"

May? Drew closes his eyes as his head starts pounding again. At least it's alleviating the intense ache in his chest. Gosh, this sucks. Are the doctors sure he's okay? That he's just stressed? Taking in a deep breath, Drew looks at the photo of Brenden and May hugging. Why is he frowning at this picture? Why doesn't he want to look at it?

However, he's forcing himself to because he's trying to figure out who these people are. The girl obviously has brown hair with a red bandana in her hair, but her hair is shielding her face, which is buried in Brenden's shoulder. Drew can't tell what she looks like, and brown hair is not uncommon. May. Maybe he can look up the children at the orphanage who were named May? This article is from about 10 years ago, so May must be a few years younger than him.

Sighing, Drew finally looks away from the annoying photo where he notices the time on the wall. He should take a break and head to the mall already. That way, if Dawn bails, then he still has enough time to go back to LaRousse City and study up on the orphanage himself. He doesn't have time to be playing Dawn's little game, whatever it may be.

Calling up Owen, Drew says, "I'm ready."

Petalburg Mall

"Maybe we should just go back to LaRousse City?" Owen suggests as they walk through the mall and earn stares.

Drew smirks at the fangirls while flicking his hair to make them all swoon at him. "Why, Owen? This is fun."

"I just think we can utilize our time in other ways."

"Like?" Drew winks at another group of fangirls, making one faint.

Letting out a defeated breath as he realizes his boss is enjoying the attention, Owen replies, "Finishing those projects your father left you."

"Those are boring. I like the challenge of trying to get Berlitz Beauties to work with us." Drew then pats Owen's shoulder. "You know, if you stop worrying and smile more, maybe one of these women will ask for your number."

Owen frantically waves his hands at Drew. "No way, sir! I cannot compete with your beauty!"

"I'll take handsome or sexy. Don't call me beautiful again." Drew sweatdrops at his secretary. With Drew's attention on teasing his secretary, he doesn't notice the woman in the crowded mall who bumps into him. He does notice the cold feeling of a liquid soaking his suit.

Glaring down at whoever ruined his expensive outfit, he gets ready to reprimand them when shocked sapphire blue meets his equally surprised emerald orbs. It's the same woman from yesterday who he grabbed. Why does she look so familiar? That brown hair and those blue eyes. Who is she? Bringing his hand up to his head, Drew lets out a loud groan in pain. They really do just keep getting worse.

"Mr. Drew!" Owen exclaims as he quickly helps support the staggering man. When Owen spots the woman trying to escape, he reaches out a hand to grab her arm. "No way! You ruined his suit, so we need compensation." Owen scans her outfit where he notices her nametag. "May."

Trying to free herself from his grasp, May tells him, "It's his fault he wasn't paying attention where he was walking!" Gosh! Why is he here again? How did she not notice his green hair? Well, the cafeteria is busy with it being lunch time, and obviously he has a lot of fans around. But he just has to be here! Did Dawn say something? Should May really have trusted her? May hasn't talked to Dawn since lunch yesterday, but Dawn also hasn't contacted her. Therefore, Dawn must be guilty, right?

Owen leads Drew and May down the mall and to Berlitz Beauties where Cheryl opens the door for them in confusion. It's the only place Owen knows they'll have privacy. "Ms. Dawn isn't here yet." Cheryl tells the three. Why are all three of these people together? While they all know Dawn to some extent, Cheryl doesn't see how they would know each other.

"We need somewhere quiet to talk." Owen replies.

Drew's headache is becoming more manageable, so he leans against a wall to glare at the woman. Gosh, his suit is ruined. "How are you going to repay me for this expensive suit?"

May has been avoiding eye contact with him this whole time. She was a little concerned seeing him in pain, but it's not her problem anymore. May is surprised that Drew's lanky secretary had the strength to drag her and Drew here. However, hearing that arrogant voice of his is really annoying. She returns his glare to say, "You should've watched where you were going."

"Me?" Drew exclaims in anger. "You're the one who ran into me!"

"You were too busy with your fangirls that you walked into me!" May shouts back at him. Cheryl and the other workers worriedly watch the argument. They like May, and although May has Berlitz Beauties' support, the company is nothing compared to Hayden Corporation. May really shouldn't be pissing off the heir.

"Ma'am," Owen tries to interrupt the bickering adults to no avail.

Instead, Cheryl puts a hand on his shoulder to shake her head. "Ms. Berlitz will be here soon. We should let her handle them." With Dawn being from the same world as Drew, she's the best person to alleviate the situation. And she knows May too. "Let me just call her real quick." Cheryl suggests before running off to the backroom to use the phone.

"Well you better get a new shirt." May spats at Drew.

"You're gonna be giving me a new shirt!"

May bites her tongue to stop herself from saying, "I gave you plenty." She resists the urge to frown as she recalls all the times she'd give Drew new volunteer shirts because he refused to wear them and then he didn't know how to use a washer and dryer. She doesn't want to remember all of the times he'd annoy her with his snobby wealth. She doesn't want to remember all the times he would help with the children. She doesn't want to remember all the times he would support her. She doesn't want to remember him.

This man in front of her is not the man she remembers falling in love with. Therefore, May needs to continue moving on, and she can't let him regain his memories. Everything happens for a reason, with this reason being that she and him were never meant to be together. Taking in a deep breath, May prepares to just walk away from the argument. He's not worth her time anymore, so she doesn't need to keep entertaining him.

May's pause makes Drew smirk at her victoriously. "It's okay. I know someone of your status can't afford even a tie I would wear. Maybe if you get on your knees and apologize, I'll forgive you."

Okay. May Maple is pissed. He really is an arrogant asshole again. She'll leave after giving him a piece of her mind...again. "Screw you." Owen's mouth falls in shock at this commoner's words.

However, Drew just flicks his hair at her. "A lot of women want to, but I don't sleep with commoners."

May clenches her fists to prevent herself from telling him everything. Just because he's annoying her right now doesn't mean she needs to lose her cool and bring him back into her life. She doesn't want that. She wants him to stay out of it. "You're an asshole."

"And you're a lowly woman who owes me an apology."

Shaking her head, May reaches into her pocket to pull out a permanent marker. "Fine."

Drew and everyone curiously watch her, but when she uncaps the marker and does a quick scribble on Drew's shirt, the man backs up away from her. "What the fuck?" Drew shouts at the smirking brunette who puts her marker back in her pocket.

"I don't apologize to assholes, especially rich assholes. Watch your attitude. You never know who you're talking to."

Before May can leave, Drew angrily grabs her arm. "No one wrongs Drew Hayden and gets away with it."

"Let me go before I sue you for harassment." Drew is surprised by this woman's fearlessness. Just who is this commoner challenging him, Drew Hayden, heir to Hayden Corporation?

If she works here, she must have a nametag somewhere, right? Unless it's on a lanyard that she left in the shop, but that'll be easy for Drew to find her name anyway. Like Owen had done previously, Drew scans May's outfit until his eyes land on her nametag. "May...May?" He repeats her name like a question, which makes him drop her arm as he falls against the wall to clutch his head. Similar to what happened at the orphanage, this headache, along with his aching heart, are too much, causing Drew to pass out from the pain.