Got my laptop back, but now Fanfiction is having a problem with updating stories. Oh well. Hopefully yall see this chapter soon. :P
Chapter 41
"Harley?" the receptionist calls as the purple haired man walks past her.
He stops in his tracks to smile. "Yes, darlin'?"
The receptionist leans over the counter and cautiously eyes the people walking around them. Harley, sensing that this is a sensitive topic, moves closer to her. "Mr. Nicholas Hayden just called."
Harley stops smiling as his mouth turns into a thin straight line. Nicholas is his employer, but Nicholas is the reason Solidad was banished out of LaRousse City. Out of her home. The sweet woman doesn't deserve it, though the Haydens wanted her away from Drew. They feared she would tell him everything. Everything Harley has yet to hear from the woman. Solidad has been quiet about Drew's missing three years.
"He says the young master is on his way here now." the receptionist whispers. Nicholas had just informed her that Drew had taken a private jet straight for Slateport City. While Nicholas tried to get the plane to turn around, Drew managed to convince the pilots to take him here. Nicholas has sent Drew's secretary Owen to bring him back to LaRousse City.
Nodding gratefully, Harley tells her, "Let's keep this between us. You know what will happen if anyone else finds out he's coming."
"Yes, sir."
Harley thanks the receptionist and continues on his way. He was returning from his lunch break when he got stopped. Well, he is about to go on his lunch break. He just went to get lunch for him and his supervisor. Another reason the secretary told Harley this information rather than Solidad is because everyone knows Solidad's reason for being in Slateport City. They also know that Harley is the best person to communicate with her about LaRousse City. People tiptoe around that subject with her, but Harley is close enough to speak with her, though he is still somewhat cautious.
Once inside Solidad's office, the flamboyant secretary plops down the bag containing their lunches on Solidad's desk. "Time for lunch, honey!"
Solidad doesn't even look at him. "I'll eat later." Her attention remains on her computer.
"Solidad, sweetie, you're gonna collapse if you don't eat." She does have a full afternoon of meetings today, but Harley figures she'll cancel them soon.
"I'm fine."
Sighing, the man sits down across from her as he grabs his lunch from the bag. "Well, I'll just enjoy your company."
"I'm busy, Harley." Solidad mumbles.
Smirking, Harley takes a bite of his food. A part of him doesn't want to tell her about Drew. He wants her to be surprised. However, Harley isn't cruel enough to Solidad to do that. He'll warn her ahead of time. Plus, he wants her here for when he arrives rather than in some meeting on the other side of town. Although, he will enjoy leaking this information to her.
"You won't believe what I heard while in the lobby!" gushes the man. As he expects, Solidad is ignoring him. Taking another bite of his food, Harley's smirk grows. "Mrs. Roberts, you know, the receptionist? She told me the most interesting thing on my way back here."
"Harley, I have a lot of work. We can talk tonight." She shoots him a sharp glare.
Winking at her, Harley tells the woman, "Honey, this can't wait until tonight." He bats his eyelashes at her. "I want attention now." Reaching out a hand, he rubs his thumb over the back of her hand, causing Solidad to blush slightly. Harley has been her only source of comfort during her banishment, surprisingly.
"What is it?" the woman defeatedly asks.
Grinning, Harley says, "Promise you won't run away."
She rolls her eyes. "That depends. Is it a snake?"
Chuckling, Harley shakes his head. "We both know I'm more scared of things than you are. I would never bring you a snake."
She takes a bite of his food even though her own food is still in the to go bag. "Then what is it?" Harley is the only person who can get her to actually take a break from work. It reminds her of a certain old friend of hers who would be distracted by work when it comes to love. Solidad's heart aches slightly remembering this, so she dismisses the thought from her mind.
"We're getting a visitor from headquarters today." Harley finally informs her.
Now, the woman raises a curious eyebrow at him. "Who?" The last time someone from headquarters came, it was Margaret to check on the docks. She didn't see Solidad at all. Probably because she feels guilty for pushing Solidad away.
"Guess."
Solidad narrows her eyes at him. "I don't have time for games, Harley."
"I know, but guess. It'll be fun. I promise." teases the man. However, when Solidad returns her attention to her computer, he quickly exclaims, "Fine! I'll tell you! But you can't run away before he gets here!"
"He?" Solidad studies Harley. Who could be coming here? Nicholas? She shivers from the thought of the intimidating chairman visiting the Slateport Branch.
"Promise you won't runaway." Harley insists. There's a reason Drew is coming here, and Harley knows it's for her. However, Harley also knows Solidad is avoiding Drew. She doesn't pick up his calls or answer his texts.
"Who is it, Harley?" she asks in annoyance. He shouldn't keep this information from her. When Harley doesn't respond, Solidad picks up her phone. "I'll just ask Mrs. Roberts myself then."
"It's Drew!" Harley slams the phone back down to prevent someone else from telling Solidad the news. He shouldn't have mentioned the receptionist. Nonetheless, that's enough teasing on Solidad. "Drew's coming. He should be here soon."
Solidad sinks in her seat and sighs. No wonder why Harley kept telling her not to runaway. She wants to hide now. It's easy to ignore Drew's phone calls and texts. Difficult to lie to him over the phone. But it's impossible to lie to him in person. He's like a younger brother to her who she just wants to protect. Who she wants to see happy. She wants the best for him, but she can't give it to him.
"Solidad...honey?..." Harley hesitantly watches the frozen woman.
His voice manages to shake her from her thoughts as she quickly stands up. Grabbing her coat off the coatrack, Solidad mutters, "I gotta go."
Harley, though, grabs the arms of the frantic woman. "Don't run away."
She tries to free herself from his grasp, but he holds on tightly. Eventually, she's enveloped in a tight hug where her face is buried in his chest. The moment she feels that comforting warm body of his, she relaxes slightly. Only Harley can get the busy woman to calm down. "I can't see him." She whimpers.
"Why not?"
"You know why."
"Actually, I don't." Harley reminds her. "You never told me."
"Do I need to tell you?"
He squeezes her in his arms. "No." He doesn't need her to say anything because he can already read her mind. It's how he knew she was going to run as soon as she heard Drew is coming. "I'll protect you."
Giggling, Solidad tells him, "You're just a secretary. No offense, Harley, but you can't protect me."
He frowns from her teasing, but keeps her in his arms. "I can protect your heart, hun."
"I doubt that."
"That's what you said when we met. Now I have two drawers at your place."
Solidad blushes from the comment. Rather than argue back with him, she melts in the hug. The two are enjoying each other's embraces too much to notice the new arrival in the room. By the time his father found out he was headed here, the young man was already nearby. He awkwardly watches his former best friend and the flamboyant secretary he knows all too well. This purple haired man was supposed to be his secretary, but he convinced his wife to give him someone else.
He clears his throat uncomfortably, causing the two people to jolt apart with deep blushes on their faces. Solidad mentally curses herself for getting caught. Their relationship is a secret from the workplace, which is how it's supposed to be. No one would allow her to have a relationship with her secretary. That is forbidden. When she looks up to greet the new arrival, her jaw drops.
Fortunately, Harley comes to her rescue. "Helly, sir!" Harley bows and then pulls out a chair. "Please have a seat! Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? Water?"
"Water's fine." the green haired man gratefully nods. He then makes his way over to Solidad's desk, but Solidad manages to find her voice again.
"You shouldn't be here." She sternly tells him.
Motioning to Harley, who is on his way out the door, Drew tells her, "And you shouldn't be dating your secretary."
The couple both pale, and Harley slips out. As much as Harley would love to stay inside and listen to the gossip, he doesn't want to be questioned about his relationship with Solidad. Plus, Solidad should have space to talk to Drew. From what Harley knows about them, the two are like siblings. It's good for Solidad to have her younger brother back.
When Solidad purses her lips with no response, Drew motions to her desk chair. "Sit. I don't have much time before my parents send someone here to get me."
"They could've just called the guards here to send you back." she informs him.
Drew shrugs. "Those guards can't do anything to me. Few people can." He smirks at her. "The only person here who can send me back is you."
Sighing, Solidad finally sits down. She isn't in the mood for his pleasantries. He needs to leave already because he doesn't belong here. His home is LaRousse City. He made that choice years ago. "Why are you here?"
"So that you can't ignore me." Drew's eyes flash a pang of hurt, but then his cool demeanor returns. "How are you doing, Solidad? I missed you. How's Slateport treating you?" Grins the man.
Solidad narrows her eyes at him in annoyance. "You just said you don't have much time."
He shrugs. "But I haven't seen you in years. I wanna catch up. You don't ever respond to my texts or pick up the phone."
She awkwardly looks away in guilt. There's a reason she's limited communication with him. Gosh. If only Harley hadn't kept her here. Then she could've slipped out to her meetings and avoided Drew altogether. "Your parents don't want you here. You should go back."
"My parents don't want a lot of things." Drew boredly recites. "I just do what I want. You know me." He was once a very reckless heir.
"Make it quick." Solidad ignores his arrogance. "I have meetings soon."
"You can cancel them for me."
"I won't." She narrows her eyes at him. "Some of us actually takes their jobs seriously. I'm not gonna cancel things because you decided to drop by unannounced."
"This is the only way I'd see you!" Drew counters. "Even if I told you I was coming, you wouldn't pick up the call! You wouldn't respond to the text. You still would've ignored me!"
"I'm busy!"
"Too busy for me?"
She takes in a deep breath and looks away from him. "It's time you leave."
"I won't." Drew seethes. "I need answers."
"I don't have them."
"Bullshit." Drew glares at her. "Only I lost my memories, but how come everyone is acting like they did too? Brianna, my parents, May, you-"
"May?" Solidad raises a confused eyebrow at him.
"Yeah, May. Why? Do you know her?" He studies his friend's face. Why did Solidad point out May's name out of everyone? Solidad was in that Christmas photo from a few years ago at the orphanage. Was she close to May?
Shaking her head, Solidad mutters, "No."
Got her! Smirking victoriously, Drew pulls out his phone to show Solidad a picture. "Liar. That's you in there. Christmas 3 years ago. May even confirmed it." When Solidad frowns, Drew knows he caught her, and she knows it too. Maybe she'll stop lying to him now. "How do you know her?"
Sighing, Solidad tells him, "I was the public relations coordinator. We were doing a toy drive for the orphanage. That's it. I don't know her. I just delivered the toys and took a picture for PR purposes." Solidad shrugs. "I totally forgot about it until now."
"Stop lying to me!" exasperates the man, shocking Solidad. "You were the one who was so against me pulling the funding from the orphanage a couple of months ago! You told me to visit it before I do that! That was the first time you've ever called me since my accident." Drew points to the photo on his phone. "And now you want to deny having any relationship with the place? I know when you're lying, Solidad! Just like you know when I'm lying!"
"You need to go." Solidad starts to stand, but Drew reaches over to grab her arm.
"You can't even look at me in the eyes." He chokes out, "You can't even say my name." Gently releasing her arm, Drew adds, "I miss you so much, Solidad."
Growing up, he was alone. His parents were always working. The world he lived in didn't care about emotions. It was just money. However, having Solidad made everything better because she was like an older sister to him. She wasn't blinded by the money like everyone else. He had a real authentic relationship with her. Solidad is the only one he could ever trust, and now she's lying to him. It hurts him to see her want her distance when he doesn't know why.
Solidad looks back down at the photo on his phone. She closes her eyes and takes in a long breath. This hurts her more than it hurts him. He just doesn't understand, and she hopes he never does. It's better that he lost his memories. Drew shouldn't be hurting anymore, though he does deserve it. "I can't answer your questions."
"Can't or you won't?"
She opens her eyes, and for the first time since he woke up from his accident, she sees those mesmerizing emerald green orbs of his. The same ones his mother has, but these eyes are a lot more welcoming. They're not intimidating. They're not cautious. They're just Drew, her best friend. Her little brother. Her confidant. Finding her voice again, Solidad is surprised at her next word, "Drew…"
He blinks at her in shock. She's finally said his name. And she looked him in the eyes. He sees a hint of the old Solidad in hers, like she wants to tell him everything. The old Solidad who he could trust with his life. The old Solidad who didn't keep any secrets from him. "I'll protect you, Solidad. I won't let anyone hurt you. Please trust me."
She trusts him. She's always trusted him; however, he doesn't have the kind of power to protect her. He couldn't protect the orphanage or May without suffering himself, and Solidad wouldn't let herself put Drew through that. No way will she allow him to save her at his expense. She's supposed to be his older sister, so she's supposed to look out for him. She's supposed to protect him, which is exactly why she can't tell him anything.
"Don't come back here, Drew." She gazes into his hurt eyes. "Please."
Solidad grabs her purse and jacket. Before she reaches the door, Drew asks, "Why does it feel like I've lost more than my memories?" She turns her head slightly to see he's still seated with his back to her.
She feels that same intense ache in her chest. However, the last time she tried to help Drew find happiness, she was fortunate enough to only be banished to Slateport City. She could've been sent anywhere much worse. Or she could've lost her job, which would have made her highly un-hireable to other employers. The old Drew, with all his memories, made his choice. Solidad needs to honor that and stop meddling. Too many people got hurt last time. She won't let there be a repeat of that.
Once at the door, she slowly opens it. She lets out a defeated breath as she gazes at the ground in front of her. "I'm sorry, Drew." With that, the woman walks out, leaving Drew alone to his thoughts.
Drew slumps down in the chair. He could've chased her. He could've stopped her from leaving, but he didn't. That's because a part of him knew he wouldn't get anything out of her. He's never been one to pry from Solidad. She doesn't deserve to be put in those uncomfortable situations. It's already a lot working for Hayden Corporation. Drew doesn't need to be that added stress on her. Maybe that's also why she left? For some peace.
He's back at square 1: finding his memories by himself. No one will help him. He knows his family and Brianna are hiding something from him. And May and Solidad are too scared to tell him anything. Drew furrows his brows as he rests his head against Solidad's desk. He'll just wait here for Owen to get him, and then he'll lie that he missed Solidad. That way, Solidad won't get in trouble for talking to him alone.
After thinking to himself some more, as well as catching some shut eye due to the lack of sleep, Drew's phone buzzes on the desk. He looks up curiously wondering who it could be because he already blocked his parents, wife, and other Hayden Corporation affiliates. He'll unblock them after he returns, but he only did that now in case someone like May calls. He never wants to miss a call from May, even if he is upset that she won't tell him anything. She knows Brianna, and he knows it too. However, she keeps denying it when he caught her.
Glancing at the caller, Drew sends them to voicemail. He's in no mood to talk business right now. The man just feels so defeated and that he should retreat to a private hotel room and sleep off this disappointment. This is what happens when he tries to achieve something on his own. Something that's not related to money. His world is cursed with these constant failed relationships.
His phone buzzes again, but just once this time. Sighing, the man deems he's been loathing in self pity enough. He sits up to grab his phone and text back who he assumes is the Berlitz heiress. She was the one trying to call him a few minutes ago. Looking at the text, he reads, We have a business meeting right now, Mr. Hayden.
Drew pales. He totally forgot about the meeting. He forgot about work due to his heated argument with May yesterday. All he was focused on was getting answers from Solidad. Now that he's back in his Hayden Heir mindset, he feels like an idiot for standing up a business deal he worked hard for. A deal where it took him forever to even get a call from her, and here he is ignoring her call.
As Drew prepares to call her back, a thought occurs to him. The only reason he got a deal with her was because she didn't want him to shut down the orphanage… Brianna also said Drew chose her over Dawn back when they were dating, which was during the three years he lost. If Dawn knew him during that time, and she somehow wants to protect the orphanage, then maybe she knows about his memory loss?
Even though she's probably protecting the orphanage for May's sake, Drew will take the gamble. No one else is telling him anything, so he'll try his luck with her. Moreover, Dawn is an heiress. While Berlitz Beauties has less money than Hayden Corporation, Drew's company is in too much trouble trying to bail out Wakana Enterprises to put up much of a fight against the thriving Berlitz Beauties.
Thus, Dawn won't fear his family. His family is hiding something from him pertaining to his lost memories. May and Solidad are too scared of them to tell him. But Dawn, she has no reason to fear them. The only reason Drew can come up with for her not telling him anything would be that she's his ex. She may not want to tell him anything out of spite. The only reason she agreed to work with him was for May. Nevertheless, Drew will take his chances. Dawn is all he has left.
Thus, when she answers the call, he completely ignores her irritated question of why he stood her up. Instead, he exasperates, "Can we meet?"
She knowingly remarks, "We were supposed to be meeting now. You better give me a damn good reason why you wasted my time, Mr. Hayden."
Drew stands up to quickly leave. "I'm sorry about that."
Dawn raises a confused eyebrow. Drew Hayden apologized. This new and improved arrogant Drew Hayden apologized to her, especially with her giving him an attitude. "Uh. Who is this?"
"It's Drew Hayden." He is confused about why she's asking this. She knows it's him. "Can we meet...again?" He won't forget this time.
"I'm busy. I can't fit you in until next month at the earliest." Dawn won't wait around for him today. She has places to be and won't waste her time having a 5 minute meeting with him. Business meetings need more than 5 minutes.
"How about tomorrow night?" Drew has heard rumors about how Dawn doesn't work past 7PM. She will wake up early to work, but she always clocks out at 7PM. Occasionally, she'll go to night parties of famous and rich families, but that's just for formalities. Ever since she's been gaining more ground over the board in her company, she hasn't had to go to as many of these gatherings anymore. She's almost her own person now.
"I said next month." Dawn reminds him. "I have to go. My secretary will call y-"
"The orphanage!" Drew exclaims, and Dawn narrows her eyes. She better not threaten him with the orphanage. That's just cruel.
"What about it?"
Drew sighs as he runs a hand through his hair. "I've been volunteering there." Dawn holds her breath. She worriedly looks over at Paul who has no idea what's going on. "I know May and everyone there is hiding something from me." Drew lets out a breath. "My family and Brianna are too. Look, the reason I missed our meeting is because I went to see my friend in Slateport City. She left after I lost my memories, and she still won't tell me anything."
Dawn knows he's talking about Solidad. The bluenette feels her heart ache remembering the little friend group she had years ago. Being friends with Solidad, May, and Drew was one of her happiest moments. "Why are you telling me all of this?" She'll play dumb. Dawn won't fall into the hectic cruel Hayden family's drama. That happened one too many times already.
Drew pauses at the door leading to the hall. "You're the last person I can trust…"
"You don't even know me."
"We were exes. You know me." he reminds her, and Dawn practically chokes on air.
"What? We never dated!" She shouts, getting Paul's attention. He glares at her phone. As far as he knows, she's never dated anyone since he's been assigned to her. Moreover, Dawn has never had a romantic relationship with Drew.
"Brianna said you're my ex. That I chose her over you." Drew quizzically explains.
Dawn furiously shakes her head. "You chose her over M-" The woman clamps a hand over her mouth. He doesn't remember, and she won't tell him. He doesn't deserve it. Awkwardly clearing her throat, she mutters, "That's a lie."
Drew heard her though, so he asks, "I chose her over who?" She had said a name with an M sound. "Ma-"
"Me!" Dawn squeeks out and winces. Gosh. She really messed up. She might as well go along with Brianna's lie now. "Yeah. You got me." Lies the woman. "You chose Brianna over me."
"But you just said-"
"I have to go! You know. Meetings. Bye, Drew!" Dawn quickly hangs up to prevent herself from digging herself in a deeper hole.
Nevertheless, this leaves Drew even more curious. She called him by his first name. She rarely acts familiar with him. She's always so calm and collected and professional. Something doesn't add up, so he'll pay her a visit when he returns. Drew Hayden feels like he's getting closer to answers. People have been slipping up around him, with Brianna being the most recent one. Maybe he can get Dawn to tell him more about their relationship he doesn't remember?
When Drew opens the door to leave Solidad's office, he is instantly greeted by a sweaty Harley. Drew narrows his eyes in annoyance at the secretary. He doesn't have good experiences with Harley's flirtatious nature. It's the reason Drew chose quiet nervous Owen over Harley. Speaking of Owen, Drew expects his secretary to be here in a few hours to drag him back to LaRousse City.
As Drew tries to side step Harley, Harley shouts, "Mr. Drew!"
Drew mentally curses himself for stopping. However, he does want to give Harley a piece of his mind. Thus, Drew turns back around, grabs Harley by the shirt collar, and drags them both inside to the privacy of Solidad's office. Pinning Harley against the wall, Drew's fierce emerald orbs pierce into Harley's slightly scared ones. "You hurt her, and I'll hurt you."
Harley's eyes show a twinkle of amusement. The relationship between Drew and Solidad really is one of siblings. It makes the secretary wish the two were still close. If only none of this stuff with Drew's parents had to happen. "I would never do such a thing." Harley tells Drew. "She's been hurt enough recently." Solidad is hurting herself the most by keeping her distance from Drew.
Somewhat satisfied with the answer, Drew releases Harley. Nevertheless, before Drew can finally leave, Harley tosses something to him. "Catch!"
The elegant Drew Hayden effortlessly catches the unsuspecting object. He curiously glances down at it and recognizes it immediately. "Why do you have this?" He seethes at Harley.
Harley raises his hands up defensively. "Solidad had it! She's kept it hidden in her apartment, but I found it a while ago." The older man sighs. "I asked her about it once, and she got really mad at me. She hid it again. When I found it again, I didn't let her know. I just ran back to her place to get it while you were here." He points to Drew's hands. "It's yours, so you should have it."
Drew looks back down at the worn wallet. When he had left the hospital, he noticed that he was missing his wallet. He assumed that it must've been destroyed in the crash by the flames or it was lost. Or some scummy officer took it. Being concerned with his memory loss, he didn't care too much for the missing wallet. He can afford plenty of wallets.
Opening it, Drew sees his old drivers license, a few credit cards, and some cash. Why did Solidad have his wallet? He knows she would never steal from him. Plus, the cash wouldn't still be in here if she did. His family would've been notified if his cards were used. The wallet looks like nothing has been taken out of it in years. Should he wait at Solidad's place to ask her about it? He knows she won't answer his calls or texts. However, Owen will be here long before Solidad comes back, so Drew can't even wait for her.
Sighing, he gives Harley a grateful nod. "What're you gonna say when she finds out it's gone."
Harley shrugs. "The truth." He winks at Drew, causing Drew to shiver uncomfortably. "Too many people are hiding from it. The truth should never be hidden." If Harley knew about Drew's lost memories, he would tell the heir himself. Unfortunately for them both, Harley knows nothing besides for Solidad's relationship with Drew.
"Uh. Well, thanks." Drew then opens the door.
"Tootles, Mr. Drew.
Once Drew walks out of the office, he hurries down the hall. He doesn't want to give Harley a chance to catch up to him. That secretary gives him the creep, though Drew is grateful for the wallet. He knows Harley wouldn't hurt Solidad because Solidad wouldn't get close to someone she doesn't trust. Is that why she left Drew? Because she doesn't trust him anymore? Did he do something to her that he doesn't remember? And she's too nice to remind him of it?
Drew shakes his head of the thought as he gets in a company vehicle to head to the airport. He might as well get back now to find Dawn. She's his last hope of any truth, but why does he already have a feeling that she won't tell him anything too? Glancing down at the wallet in his hands, Drew clutches it tightly.
When he arrived home after the accident, he didn't have anything memorable there. It felt empty despite it containing everything he knew he had, such as his expensive clothing and items. This wallet, however, makes him feel complete. This old somewhat expensive wallet has sentimental value to him because it's all he has left from that accident.
