CHAPTER 204: CHAPTER 204: WISHING TO ANNOUNCE TO THE WORLD

The elderly couple couldn’t sleep.

They spent the entire night thinking about what clothes to wear tomorrow, how to dress to look their best.

This would be Florence’s first birthday celebration with the Hawthorne Family.

Starting tomorrow, she would be introduced to their circle of relatives and friends, and everyone would know that the Hawthorne Family had a new member.

She’s Hugo Hawthorne’s eldest granddaughter, Declan Hawthorne’s first daughter.

Just the thought of it was enough to keep Jackie Barrett awake.

She was thrilled!

"Hey, Old Man Hawthorne, how about I wear that velvet cheongsam and coat I ordered last time? It’s low-key and won’t steal the spotlight."

She said this while trying to get up to find the clothes in the walk-in closet, seemingly intending to change into them right then and there.

"Dressed like that, are you planning to sing at Old Veridia?"

Jackie Barrett clicked her tongue.

"True, but it’s too late to order new clothes now. Ah, maybe I should go out and buy some now?"

Poppy Hale couldn’t take it any longer and called out.

"Mom, it’s late! Are you both staying up to pull an all-nighter?"

Turning around, Hugo Hawthorne and Jackie Barrett saw their son and daughter-in-law standing there, slightly embarrassed.

"Just going to sleep, just going to sleep."

Poppy Hale said helplessly, "Florence is only three years old; it’s just a little birthday. You two don’t need to be so anxious. There will be plenty more birthdays to come, so many that you’ll find them annoying."

Jackie Barrett thought about it and felt overjoyed.

Hopefully, Poppy Hale would have a few more children, so she wouldn’t have to do anything else except prepare for their birthdays every year.

Too blissful.

Thinking about it, Jackie Barrett couldn’t help but smile and dragged Hugo Hawthorne upstairs happily.

Poppy Hale had just finished showering and was about to go to bed when the door was knocked.

Opening the door, Jackie Barrett poked her head in, "Poppy, do you think this outfit is suitable for me tomorrow?"

Jackie Barrett had too many clothes.

They’re all stored on her phone, where a professional stylist had already matched them into sets. Whenever she wants to wear something, she simply flips through her phone and has the housekeeper find it.

Poppy Hale looked seriously at the clothes.

She swiped through a few images.

"Wear this one; the collar has the same pattern as Florence’s dress for tomorrow. As soon as guests see it, they’ll know you’re Florence’s grandma."

"Hey? Great idea! This is perfect!"

Satisfied, Jackie Barrett went to sleep.

Poppy Hale lay back down.

A moment later, Declan Hawthorne came out of the bathroom, and the man beside her turned over and hugged her.

"Wife, my parents really like Florence."

When no one else was around, the way he called her "wife" sounded like he was whining.

For such a big guy, whining seemed completely out of place, didn’t it?

Poppy Hale uttered a soft "mm."

"My mom just likes your child, even if it wasn’t Florence, she’d still be this fond of them."

"Impossible." Declan Hawthorne declared firmly, "Even before Mom knew Florence was her granddaughter, she would go every day to pick up Florence."

Poppy Hale also recalled that Jackie Barrett was so intent on buying a puppy for Florence that even in a car accident, she protected Barrett.

"That only shows blood ties are mysterious. Even when Florence didn’t know you were her dad, she liked you a lot."

Declan Hawthorne pushed further, "How about you, do you like me?"

The room lights were off, and moonlight streamed in through a gap in the curtain, illuminating Declan Hawthorne’s face.

He looked at Poppy Hale.

Gentle ripples in his eyes, like moonlight reflections on water, contained an alluring whirlpool, tempting Poppy Hale to indulge.

Willingly, she let herself be drawn in.

Poppy Hale closed her eyes and dreamily murmured, "Of course I like you; why else would I chase you when I was in school?"

To Declan Hawthorne, such words felt a bit perfunctory.

There was a deep sigh resonating in the empty space within his heart, echoing in his chest, making it tingle.

He knew that even though the person before him chose him and was willing to bring their child into his family, it was because she had feelings for him, but they were not as profound as before.

Pursuing something lost was indeed pitiful.

But he was greedy, unable to resist wanting everything from her.

Declan Hawthorne’s voice was muffled.

"Wife, when can I make it public?"

"You’ve already made it public, haven’t you?"

Now, except for not publicizing his spouse, who doesn’t know that Declan Hawthorne is married?

No one else flaunts their wedding ring to the media so flamboyantly.

Strangely, that ring wasn’t even as expensive as the suit he wore that day.

Yet he considered it a treasure.

Declan Hawthorne shook his head.

"It’s not the same. I want to make it public that you’re my wife."

"Not now; I still have a lot of work to do."

Poppy Hale didn’t want reporters and media piling up at her door as soon as she went to work.

She could handle the spectacle once or twice, but too many times would be annoying.

Moreover, she didn’t want to leverage Declan Hawthorne’s name for her work.

The title "Declan Hawthorne’s wife" was too prominent.

She needed to maintain a low profile for now.

Declan Hawthorne understood her concerns.

But in the past, Poppy Hale always thought he didn’t publicly acknowledge her as his girlfriend, harboring resentment.

Now, it’s him being refused while pursuing public acknowledgment.

For a moment, Declan Hawthorne realized how insecure Poppy Hale must have felt back then.

If everything could start over, if he could go back to those days, he would definitely tell everyone on the first day of their relationship.

That this was his girlfriend, Poppy Hale, who would also become his future wife.

But time never rewinds.

Declan Hawthorne softly said, "Wife, please give me another chance, okay?"

No response came.

Poppy Hale had already fallen into a deep sleep within his arms.

-

Early the next morning.

Florence was dressed up like a princess from a castle, from head to toe, all carefully matched by Truth Hale and Jackie Barrett.

Florence was quite satisfied.

She spun several times in front of the mirror, asking, "Mirror, mirror, tell me, other than my mom, who’s the most beautiful girl in the world?"

The mirror replied in a deep voice, "Of course, it’s our little princess Florence!"

Florence was startled and turned to see Hugo Hawthorne, squatting behind the mirror, wearing a wig.

"Grandpa!"

Hugo Hawthorne lifted Florence and looked in the mirror again, very pleased.

Too handsome.

Not needing the mirror’s confirmation, he was definitely the handsomest grandpa in the world.

Holding Florence, he went downstairs.

The guests had already arrived.

The Hawthorne Family had agreed this time not to publicly share photos of Florence, and they must be censored.

They wanted to protect Florence well.

The guests present were also seeing a Hawthorne child for the first time, initially thinking today’s birthday party was for Iris Quill.

Upon arriving, they discovered it was a little princess!

Hugo Hawthorne proudly took Florence around to greet people.

When Poppy Hale got up, Florence had already been taken downstairs to meet people. She wasn’t shy at all; whatever Hugo Hawthorne asked her to say, she would say without hesitation.

Until Hugo Hawthorne took her to Old Master Hawthorne.

Old Master Hawthorne had a stern look.

He had quite a few opinions about Declan Hawthorne marrying a woman with a child.

But marriage has happened; if they divorce, Declan Hawthorne might not marry again in this life.

No matter what, it wasn’t as outrageous as Miles Hawthorne.

In the Hawthorne Family, Miles Hawthorne had become synonymous with bottom line.

Old Master Hawthorne looked at Florence.

How could she look exactly like Jackie Barrett?

He liked her even less.

Florence and he stared at each other with wide eyes, not speaking.

This grandpa looked so fierce.

Florence didn’t like him.