CHAPTER 202: CHAPTER 202: DECLAN HAWTHORNE, THE SCHEMER

Seeing that Poppy Hale seemed interested.

Declan Hawthorne ate his pasta while talking about the things Miles Hawthorne had done.

It’s really a long list of misdeeds.

"When I was three years old, my second uncle gifted my parents twenty sets of pajamas and various items to encourage them to have another child."

Poppy Hale immediately understood what kind of pajamas he meant.

"The year grandma passed away, my second uncle thought grandpa was too lonely and gave him a fake doll, saying it was to ease his loneliness."

"When I was eight, he brought actors to our house for a shoot. They filmed a passionate scene on his and my aunt’s bed, which made grandpa so angry that his blood pressure skyrocketed. Then he asked grandpa if he wanted to play a role in the drama and said he could arrange a kissing scene."

"Every year, something like this would happen almost once."

Poppy Hale was stunned, "..."

Miles Hawthorne really was unconventional.

Very artistic.

"How did a traditionalist like grandpa raise three sons like this?"

Declan Hawthorne chuckled.

"Both my second and third uncles were reckless. My dad, on the other hand, never had the chance to be reckless. He met my mom in college, then joined the military for several years, and their commanding officer was my maternal grandfather."

All of Hugo Hawthorne’s wildness was nipped in the bud early on.

After marrying Jackie Barrett and because of what happened with Declan Hawthorne, Jackie suffered from severe depression, and Hugo devoted himself entirely to his wife.

"Perhaps because my dad is the eldest son, grandpa was stricter with him. Because of this, grandpa believed that education must be strict, and he treated me, Tristan, and others equally."

Declan Hawthorne didn’t intend to defend the old man.

But after becoming a father himself, he was able to somewhat understand a father’s feelings.

Deep love results in deep responsibility.

Respect, but not agreement.

-

Near the weekend, Poppy Hale brought Justin Hawthorne and Serena Sutton to Cinderfall.

When they arrived at Simon Sinclair’s residence, they initially faced rejection.

Silas Sinclair, Master Sinclair’s son, refused to let them in.

Creating jewelry requires a tremendous amount of energy.

He didn’t want Simon Sinclair to take on this project.

The old man was already very elderly.

At this age, he should be enjoying retirement, not creating jewelry.

After explaining their purpose, the door was promptly shut.

Poppy Hale and Justin Hawthorne exchanged glances.

Serena Sutton also looked bewildered.

Justin Hawthorne raised an eyebrow, "Shall I jump over the wall?"

Poppy Hale shook her head.

"That’s illegal. Besides, there seems to be a dog in the yard."

Justin Hawthorne looked dejected.

Tomorrow was Florence Lynch’s birthday.

Poppy Hale needed to head back tonight, giving them only one day to linger here.

Could they just give up like that?

But they couldn’t even get inside, and the prepared speeches never had a chance to be delivered.

A woman on a mountain bike whizzed around the corner of the villa area.

Seeing Poppy Hale, her eyes paused. She rode past and then turned back, removing her goggles.

"Young Hale? What are you doing here?"

"Crystal."

Crystal was formerly Poppy Hale’s direct superior.

Since she transferred to Cinderfall, this was the first time Crystal and Poppy met.

Both were somewhat surprised.

"How about coming over to my place for a bit?"

Poppy Hale shook her head, "I’ve resigned and started my own business. I have a set of jewelry that I want Master Sinclair to work on, but I’m facing a closed door and still trying to figure out a way."

Crystal didn’t expect that someone as cautious and meticulous as Poppy would eventually go out and start her own business.

In the past, apart from work, they almost had no interaction.

After leaving the company, they became strangers in each other’s lives.

Yet, meeting now brought a certain warmth.

Crystal parked her bicycle and took out her phone, "Add me as a friend first. I’ll ask my husband when I get back; he’s a chess friend of Master Sinclair’s. If there’s any news, I’ll message you on WeChat."

"That would be great!"

Poppy Hale immediately added Crystal as a friend.

Crystal operated her phone while casually smiling, "I initially thought President Hawthorne transferred me because I did something wrong. But after coming here, I realized it’s more freeing than over in Arvum."

Poppy Hale’s eyelids twitched.

Declan Hawthorne, such a schemer.

"It was President Hawthorne who had you transferred?"

"Yes, it was a decision from above. The group genuinely considered my situation, and with my husband here alone, it’s pitiful. By the way, after I left, who took over my position?"

Justin Hawthorne leaned over, "I did, but I’ve left now too and am joining President Hale in entrepreneurship."

Crystal laughed along.

"Quite charming indeed."

Poppy Hale is steady in her work, not one to cause trouble, easygoing, willing to swap shifts with anyone, gentle yet unassuming.

Entrepreneurship requires both strategy and decision-making.

Being able to form a team shows Poppy has leadership potential.

"I’ll head back first; wait for my update."

"Thank you, Crystal."

They waited outside for about ten minutes.

The door opened again.

Silas Sinclair had a somber look, "Come in."

Crystal’s husband didn’t say anything special, only that watching girls standing in the biting wind wasn’t right, and if they were to be rejected, they could leave quickly.

Silas begrudgingly relented and opened the door.

He also had a daughter about Poppy Hale’s age, and standing in the freezing wind elicited his sympathy.

When they left, it was deep into the night.

Simon Sinclair was difficult to impress.

But upon seeing the submissions from Poppy Hale’s team, his eyes twinkled, and he reluctantly agreed to consider it for a few days.

The projects were excellent, but at his advanced age, coming out of retirement might not achieve the results Poppy Hale and her team hoped for.

But for Poppy Hale’s team, the masters they chose to approach were all capable of creating the ’Breaking the Cocoon’ series.

If Simon Sinclair were to consider it, with his meticulousness, he would surely produce the best ’Breaking the Cocoon.’

As they departed, Silas Sinclair sighed.

"Honestly, I don’t want my dad to take your order. It’s not about the money."

But he also saw Simon Sinclair’s amazement when he looked at the design plans.

Thus, he said no more.

Silas shook his head, "You’d better head back quickly, and have the designer come over again tomorrow."

This was a hopeful sign; they were interested in knowing more about the design details and plans.

Justin Hawthorne and Poppy Hale exchanged glances, both seeing the suppressed joy in each other’s eyes.

Justin Hawthorne immediately nodded, "Sure, I’ll definitely be there!"

The door closed behind them.

"Sister-in-law, please apologize to Florence for me. I can’t attend her first birthday at home because of my absence."

"It’s okay, you’re busy here; I’ll be with Florence on her end."

Serena Sutton was inwardly delighted, "Director Hawthorne and I will stay in Cinderfall. President Hale, do you need to return to Arvum tonight?"

Driving back would only take a bit over two hours.

But with the late hour, they were somewhat worried.

Poppy Hale smiled, wrapped her scarf, and pointed down the road, where amidst the flurries of early snow, a Jeep Wrangler, whose presence was unknown, was parked.

When she pointed at it, the car’s lights flashed, as if responding to her.

"You all head back to the hotel; I have someone picking me up."

Justin Hawthorne exclaimed, "When did big brother arrive?"

"He arrived in the afternoon."

Waving to them, Poppy Hale turned and walked into the snowy night, beneath the lights, snowflakes swirling down, they landed on the man’s shoulders.

He watched as Poppy Hale walked toward him, reaching out to enfold her steadily in his embrace.

The street at this hour was silent, with only the sound of falling snow.

Poppy Hale knew he was there to wait for her.

To take her home.