CHAPTER 132: CHAPTER 132: MANY MEN ARE WATCHING HER

Evening.

Amber Yates and Janine took Poppy Hale to the beach.

A group of children brought sand buckets with them.

They were having a lot of fun.

They were also well-behaved, staying within the designated areas, not venturing to the edge of the beach.

A lot of hotel security guards were around.

Amber Yates lay casually on the beach while her husband diligently applied sunscreen to her back.

Janine chuckled, "It’s almost dark, and you’re applying sunscreen? Why wear a swimsuit if you’re afraid of the sun!"

"You might as well protect yourself while you can. Who wouldn’t wear a swimsuit to the beach? I bought this before having a baby, and if I don’t wear it now, I might never fit into it again."

Janine and Poppy Hale also wore swimsuits.

Janine wore a very conservative one-piece swimsuit, along with a windbreaker to protect from the sun.

Poppy Hale wore a shawl.

The swimsuit underneath was also bought before having a child.

After giving birth, she didn’t have the mind to check out what kinds of swimsuits are in style now.

This time, Truth Hale found it for her and insisted she bring it.

They said it was a rare chance to go out and have fun, so she should make the most of it.

They joked that she wouldn’t have as much free time later.

Enjoy it while she can.

While they were indoors.

Florence Lynch put on her swimsuit and urged Poppy Hale to change as well.

Poppy Hale couldn’t refuse and finally changed.

A bikini she bought several years ago.

The deep blue fabric made her skin look even fairer, and Amber Yates remarked several times that it was dazzling.

The bust area was a bit tight because she had a baby.

Fortunately, the strings provided some cover.

Better than nothing.

Poppy Hale sat there, unaware of how many people kept turning back to look.

Usually, people couldn’t tell, but Poppy Hale’s figure was actually quite stunning.

When her shawl slipped, she reached out to pull it back up.

A few male colleagues couldn’t resist and came up to ask Poppy Hale for her WeChat.

Poppy Hale shook her head.

"I didn’t bring my phone, sorry."

One male colleague rolled his eyes.

"Why didn’t you bring your husband along? Is there trouble between you two?"

Only Amber Yates and Janine knew that Poppy Hale didn’t have a husband at all.

At first, they were also surprised.

Later, they understood.

With Poppy Hale’s beauty and a daughter who could easily become a child model.

If this pack of wolves knew she was actually single.

It might invite a lot of trouble.

A woman having a child out of wedlock is already tough.

Facing societal judgment, it’s easier to claim she has a husband.

No wonder no one had ever met Poppy Hale’s husband before.

Janine snapped, "My husband didn’t come either, so what? Is there a problem?"

Before coming to the Hawthorne Group, Janine was a tough woman who served in the military for a decade.

Several male colleagues stepped back when she showed that expression.

They retorted, "We’re only concerned about the kids, right? Fathers shouldn’t be absent during crucial growth phases."

Their excuse was revealed.

It became about them caring for Poppy Hale’s kid.

At work, Poppy Hale always had low presence, always bare-faced and dressed in unflattering clothes.

Before today, they probably didn’t even know who Poppy Hale was.

Poppy Hale gratefully tugged on Janine.

Calmly saying, "My daughter’s father is here. No need for your concern."

A few of them awkwardly left.

Amber Yates’s husband, unaware of the situation, muttered.

"What’s with these people? How can they bother a married woman like that?"

Amber Yates casually replied, "Some people have odd preferences."

There are some perverts.

Who truly believe married women with kids are more exciting.

Poppy Hale and Janine expressed their disgust.

Janine and the others thought Poppy Hale said that to diffuse the situation, so they didn’t question it much.

Not far away, some employees set up a grill.

The aroma came wafting over with the sea breeze.

Mia Quinn brought over many skewers, specifically separating them into two plates.

"This is for the kids, no chili. This is for you, lots of chili."

"I heard these seafood were caught by President Hawthorne when he went out to sea in the afternoon."

Janine exclaimed.

"We can actually eat seafood caught by the boss? That’s quite something."

Poppy Hale picked up a shrimp skewer and slowly started eating.

Declan Hawthorne liked sea fishing.

During college, he often went out to sea with his dorm mates to fish.

Every break, he spent a few days floating on the sea.

Poppy Hale went a few times back then.

She had asked about the cost of the yacht, subconsciously thinking Declan Hawthorne and his friends couldn’t afford anything too pricey.

She wasn’t interested in sea fishing.

And she got seasick.

After a few trips, Declan Hawthorne probably noticed her disinterest and sent her back.

Connor Lynch also liked fishing.

Back then, Poppy Hale even told Declan Hawthorne he could go fishing with her dad.

She chewed on the shrimp, her thoughts drifting.

Looking at the ocean dyed in twilight, with the glow of the setting sun spreading across the sky.

The sea and sky blended as one.

Rippling waves, lilac clouds carpeting the entire sky, the sea gleaming with rosy hues.

Waves formed on the sea’s surface.

Layers of waves crashing against the rocks, and in the midst of the topmost wave, a man stood on a surfboard, riding the waves, his body moving fluidly between the surging waters.

At that moment, the sunset behind the man, and the ocean beneath him, were merely his backdrop.

It seemed he was born to conquer.

The crowd gasped in awe.

Janine applauded, "President Hawthorne is truly professional!"

Amber Yates nudged her husband, who was just staring blankly.

Among men, how can the difference be so stark?

"What are you staring at?"

Amber Yates’s husband couldn’t take his eyes off, "He’s so cool! Your President Hawthorne is really cool!"

Amber Yates: "..."

Never mind, he’s the man she chose after all.

Besides, Declan Hawthorne really is devastatingly handsome.

Not the kind of looks any ordinary man can compare to.

The tide eventually ebbed.

Declan Hawthorne gracefully rode his surfboard back to shore.

Took the towel Morgan Sloan handed him and casually wiped himself down.

His gaze swept over the people on the beach.

His eyes landed on Poppy Hale sitting there eating.

She sat in a beach chair, her shawl somehow slipping down to her arms.

Her rounded shoulders flashed dazzlingly white.

Revealing the perfect figure beneath her bikini.

The curves alone were enough to stir anyone’s blood.

Did she not realize many men were watching her?

Declan Hawthorne met Poppy Hale’s perplexed gaze.

She was eating shrimp, and when she looked up, her eyes held a trace of confusion.

She raised an eyebrow, her expression asking what he wanted.

Declan Hawthorne glanced at Morgan Sloan.

Morgan Sloan immediately understood and nodded.

The man strode away from the beach.

Cutting off the stares people had fixed on him all along.

Morgan Sloan gestured toward Poppy Hale.

"Young Hale, President Hawthorne wants to see you for a moment, are you free? It’s probably about the project you submitted last time."

Poppy Hale turned to glance at her daughter playing in the sand.

"I’ll go and let Janine know."

After informing Janine and Amber Yates.

Amber Yates waved her off.

"Go on, we’ll watch Florence for you. Capitalists are typical capitalists after all."

Beneath that impossibly handsome exterior, lies a heart that still has employees working even during an outing.