Chapter 3 Things Have Changed

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, though. She still had those enchanting olive-green eyes that seemed to pierce into his soul.

Michael couldn't stop staring at her employee ID photo. Back then, Hailey hated makeup and preferred a natural look, but now, she wore eyeshadow, eyeliner, and red lipstick which made her look even more mature. It seemed that she trimmed her eyebrows as well.

If he were to look at this photo without knowing anything at all, he never would've recognized her.

It looked like she even changed her birth date. Her family information was different as well, something that puzzled Michael greatly.

Apparently, she had a mother, but her father died before she was born.

What did this mean?

So it was true that she wasn't on good terms with her family at all?

Fourteen years ago, after high school graduation, Hailey suddenly stopped everything. She refused to go to college and simply walked out of her home when she turned eighteen, bringing with her her hard-earned savings and a few bags.

By the time Michael had found out, it was already too late.

She only left him a single letter addressed to his home, and that was the only thing he had left of her.

At that time, the media had painted her as a rebellious, ungrateful daughter who only used her family for money and education before going off to elope with some random college guy. The van Gowens had been faced with bad publicity at that time, and Hailey's parents refused to say anything about the issue except for one statement.

"We did everything for her, and we'll still wait for her to come back."

Michael leaned back against the couch, suddenly feeling drained. First the family dinner, and now this.

What on earth had happened to Hailey?

And...

Would she even recognize him now?

After all, Hailey wasn't the only one who changed.

Michael changed as well.

When they were in high school, he used to dye his hair in different colors. On some days, he would go for blond. Sometimes, he felt like having bright red hair or light brown hair. He even once tried out green hair and gray hair just for the heck of it.

Hailey had scolded him a lot for it back in those days. Even though she was the student council president, she didn't really hold any power over him since their families were equal in power, and there was no logic in involving them with trivial issues.

So she simply watched over him and pointed out his wrongdoings, such as smoking on school grounds and bringing alcohol to school. Although Michael liked to rebel against everyone, he wasn't the type of person to hit or curse at a girl, so he had no choice but to ignore her all the time.

It hadn't been easy, but as time passed, his opinion of Hailey changed, and his heart softened for her each day no matter how much he tried to resist it.

At first, she was like a calm and polite authoritative figure who wanted to set things straight at school, and that included him. As the months passed, she became more like a warm mother who chided him gently.

And then she was like a friend who wanted to look out for him.

The only constant thing in life was change.

Just like how their relationship developed slowly over time, it went without saying that a lot of things would change drastically in the span of fourteen years. He didn't really expect that they would still look the same, but he never thought that it would be this huge of a change. Hailey seemed to have undergone a complete makeover.

Michael, on the other hand, became much more mature. Gone was the baby fat from his cheeks, replaced with masculine features and sharp edges. Due to his stress and exhaustion over the years of managing the business, there were faint lines on his face, but the rest of his appearance was elegant and refined.

His hair went undyed for years, his original brown hair color intact. His style became a constant clean haircut that had his strands combed back neatly. His eyes were a dark shade of honey, and flecks of amber would appear on his irises once reflected by the sunlight.

He didn't look like the foolish teenager he once was back then anymore, but if looked closely, his features were similar enough to his past self. Most of the people here knew his name by now, and although he never talked about his rebellious past, he didn't find any shame in talking about it when prompted to, either.

It was nearly impossible for Hailey not to seek him out, especially after hearing his name and reputation going around.

Which probably meant that she didn't think of their friendship as anything worthwhile at all, and that he was the only one who actually cared.

The thought of it made his chest ache a little.

However, he wasn't going to give up. Not yet, and not anytime soon.

After all, he made her a promise fourteen years ago.

-

"Wherever you go, and whenever you need me, I will do my best to find you."