CHAPTER 131: CHAPTER 131: IT’S ALL FATE

Declan Hawthorne looked every bit the doting father.

Allen Shaw stared at him.

His face filled with disbelief and a daze.

Sitting down next to Declan, Allen spoke from the heart, "Declan, Declan, are you deliberately trying to mess with me?"

Declan had plenty of ways to avoid the engagement if he wanted to.

Did he have to choose such a disreputable option?

Declan remained calm and composed.

"Not willing?"

Allen thought to himself, what normal person would be willing?

Before he could utter the words "even a dog wouldn’t do this," Declan slowly chimed in.

"She’s your type."

"When you were in high school, didn’t you write a love letter to a junior girl?"

Allen was stunned for a moment.

"What nonsense are you talking? I didn’t even know her name, and that wasn’t a love letter... are you saying that girl was Serena Sutton?"

Declan gave a slight nod.

"If you don’t want to go, forget it. I’ll let Owen Donovan handle it. The Donovan Family had previously thought about an alliance with the Sutton Family."

Allen quickly stood up.

"I’ll go! But let me be clear, I’m just going to make contact, and that’s it."

Thinking back to high school.

At that time, Allen just happened to glance at Serena Sutton.

He didn’t even know her name or which class she was in.

The so-called love letter Declan mentioned was just a small note.

After the evening class, Allen and Declan walked side by side towards the school gate.

There were only the two of them in the corridor, and as they went downstairs, there was a girl also descending the stairs.

Allen noticed that her pants were stained with blood.

Probably her period; she hadn’t noticed.

Walking out like that, there were several more floors with many students who had just finished school.

Allen wanted to give her a heads-up but felt it was impolite.

Being a boy, it was awkward to mention such things directly.

So, he asked Declan to wait a couple of seconds while he wrote a note.

As he walked past Serena, he slipped the note into her hand.

Then he handed her his school uniform jacket.

He and Declan turned and left.

There was no follow-up.

Allen had even forgotten about this incident.

But now that Declan brought it up, a vague memory surfaced in his mind.

He remembered.

She was an introverted-looking girl.

If she truly got engaged to Declan, she might faint every morning just from seeing his cold face.

Declan didn’t even glance at Allen.

"You can leave now."

"Alright, I’ll be out of your hair so your daughter can sleep, right? Later, have the kid come over to say hi. As her uncle, I should at least give her a big red envelope."

Allen was a smart guy.

Recalling the things Declan had told him earlier.

He could also see how much Florence’s face resembled Mrs. Hawthorne’s.

It just so happened that Declan’s ex-girlfriend had given birth to a girl who looked exactly like Declan’s mom.

Just thinking about it made everything clear.

Allen felt a bit wistful.

"Who would’ve thought you’d be the first among us to have a kid?"

Declan also smiled.

"I didn’t expect it either, but it’s about time."

If back then.

There hadn’t been so many twists and turns between them.

After graduation, they might have already been married, with kids.

Allen didn’t linger.

He got up to ask Morgan Sloan for his room number.

Strolled down the stairs leisurely.

The room quieted down.

Even though Declan and Allen had kept their voices low, they hadn’t tried to hide their conversation from Poppy Hale, who was also in the room.

She lay on the bed on her back.

Beside her was the sound of Florence’s steady breathing.

Which comforted her.

Hearing what Declan and Allen discussed, Poppy was a bit startled too.

In recent days, whether the company was too big or everyone too busy, she didn’t know.

Even though they worked in the same department, she hadn’t seen Serena Sutton.

She had caught a glimpse of her today from afar.

Poppy felt nothing towards Serena.

Even if she might become Declan’s fiancée.

It seemed irrelevant to Poppy.

She had no grounds to question anything.

Poppy quietly watched the little girl sleeping soundly next to her.

From her features, she could indeed see many traces of Mrs. Hawthorne.

And echoes of Declan.

Perhaps because Florence had been sticking to Declan lately.

After spending so much time together, the child unconsciously mimicked the people around her.

Faces that didn’t initially look so similar, now the more she looked, the more alike they became.

At times, Poppy even felt an illusion.

As if she was seeing young Declan lying beside her.

In the silent room, with only the sound of Poppy’s heartbeat, and Florence’s heartbeat.

They once shared one body, sharing everything with each other.

She and her mother, the same.

The three of them had the deepest connections among one another.

And it would always be like that.

-

The elevator arrived at the lower floors.

In the corridor, a woman stood in the middle, looking down at her phone.

Her brows slightly furrowed.

On the phone were messages from the Sutton Family, urging Serena to quickly improve her relationship with Declan and cultivate feelings for the sake of their engagement.

Serena’s fingers trembled.

She wanted to say that she didn’t like Declan.

Whenever she got close to him, she couldn’t stop shaking.

She even felt nauseous.

It was a physiological response brought on by fear.

Serena herself didn’t know why she was so afraid of Declan.

It was probably because of the scene she witnessed that day, so shocking.

Every time she woke from a dream at midnight.

She dreamed of the student who jumped, and the blood splattered on Declan’s eyes, his face.

He looked at Serena expressionlessly.

Tears and blood trickled together from his eyes.

Freezing Serena’s blood, waking her from her screams, drenched in cold sweat.

Again and again, Serena’s fear of Declan reached its peak.

But if she said so.

Her family would definitely scold her, insult her.

While Serena hesitated, dazed.

A hotel delivery robot, with its fat and round body, came by, beeping all the way.

Her wrist was grabbed and pulled aside.

Making way for the robot.

Serena was taken aback.

Allen explained, "This guy’s a bit clumsy; it can only walk in the middle; you have to let it pass."

Releasing Serena’s wrist, Allen apologized, "Sorry, that was abrupt."

Serena shook her head.

She looked up at Allen.

As Declan’s childhood friend, the two looked completely different.

Declan was cold as ice, always wore a stern face, deeply shrewd.

Allen smiled freely, with his hair tied in a wolf tail at the back, exuding a roguish charm.

With just one glance, Serena recognized him.

He was the senior who had once helped her during school.

For a moment, Serena felt a bit nervous.

"No, it’s nothing... do you live here too?"

Allen pointed to the room next door.

"I live here."

Taking out his room card, Allen prepared to swipe it for access.

He heard Serena softly speak behind him.

"Well... to thank you for helping me, can I buy you a meal? Just at the hotel restaurant, not far."

"That, earlier, was just a small favor."

Serena shook her head.

"It’s not about what happened just now."

She was shy and uneasy.

Unsure if Allen would feel she was being presumptuous.

After all, Allen might have already forgotten about her.

He probably wouldn’t remember something that happened nearly ten years ago.

Fortunately, Allen was considering Declan’s request, and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, see you tonight then."