CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40: NOTHING LEFT UNRESOLVED

Poppy Hale quickly ate a few buns.

She saw Declan Hawthorne put down his phone and seemingly look at her.

Out of nowhere, she said, "Would you like one?"

After all, she did get a free ride.

Unexpectedly, the man who just refused her at the door now nodded.

Looking directly at her, he said, "My hands aren’t free."

Poppy Hale’s eyes widened slightly, "Aren’t we at a red light right now?"

"It’s dirty."

Declan Hawthorne was somewhat of a germaphobe, though not excessively so.

But he always had high standards for anything he ate.

Poppy Hale understood, and had to feed the bun to Declan Hawthorne through a layer of plastic wrap.

Even though there was a layer of plastic, she could still feel the warmth, softness, and strength of his lips and teeth brushing her fingers.

Poppy Hale withdrew her hand and waited for Declan Hawthorne to finish eating.

He looked at her again, gesturing for her to continue.

Poppy Hale then gave him the remaining three buns.

She instinctively said, "There are scallions in them."

"No problem," he replied.

Poppy Hale lowered her gaze.

They had been broken up for three years. Perhaps Declan Hawthorne’s tastes had changed.

She once thought she knew him well.

But that was once upon a time.

Declan Hawthorne heard Poppy Hale softly say, "Let’s just forget about last night."

The Hawthorne Group’s building was located in the bustling downtown of Arvum. After coming off the overpass, there were countless traffic lights. With city traffic restrictions, the car moved forward like a line of snails.

In the intervals between red lights, Declan Hawthorne received a response from Allen Shaw.

His slender fingers picked up the phone.

The latest model of the phone seemed a bit small in his hands.

"Which specific area do you want to investigate? Checking everything will be a slow process."

Declan Hawthorne quickly typed on the keyboard and soon sent out two words.

"Marriage."

After sending the message, he tossed the phone aside.

The traffic lights alternated, and the car moved forward.

His fingers rested on the steering wheel, and he casually asked, "How to call it even?"

He seemed like a natural dominator of everything.

When he looked over, his gaze carried a teasing tone that made Poppy Hale’s back stiffen.

She didn’t even dare to lean against the seat back.

In fact, when she was with Declan Hawthorne, she was always unable to relax.

It was like that before, and it’s like that now.

Poppy Hale took a deep breath.

"I hope in the future, President Hawthorne won’t bring up the past, and won’t let other colleagues know we... dated."

The salary and benefits at the Hawthorne Group were already the best in the industry.

Not to mention they also provided lunch and dinner, with double allowances for business trips, and were generous with overtime pay.

Poppy Hale cherished this job very much.

Although there were always undercurrents and schemes among colleagues, as long as she didn’t get involved or dig into others’ business, she maintained her peace.

The few colleagues Poppy Hale was close to also had personalities that avoided unnecessary involvement.

If they found out that she was Declan Hawthorne’s ex-girlfriend, or possibly even his ex-ex-girlfriend, or even earlier, they would look at her with strange eyes.

They might also speculate about her identity.

The more Poppy Hale thought about it, the more worried she became.

So, she simply decided to make things clear with Declan Hawthorne.

Yet, she heard the man laugh derisively and say indifferently, "Sure, whatever you want."

He was amused.

In the past, he didn’t like to post on social media, nor did he want the Hawthorne Family to prematurely meet and interfere with Poppy Hale, causing her unnecessary trouble.

So, he never posted their photos together in public.

Declan Hawthorne liked to have everything in order before acting.

If one day he posted a woman’s photo in public, there was only one possibility.

She was already his wife.

Back then, he did mention he wasn’t sure if he would marry Poppy Hale.

That was because he wasn’t sure if he could get the Hawthorne Family to accept Poppy Hale.

But marriage.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about it.

Every time he thought of marriage, Declan Hawthorne’s heart swelled a bit; he wasn’t even sure if Poppy Hale would be willing to marry him.

It was also then that he realized he started to like her.

But he didn’t dare to admit it.

In the past, when he didn’t make their relationship public, she got angry.

Now, it was her, demanding him not to mention their past love affair.

As if he, Declan Hawthorne, was some kind of ex not worth mentioning.

Poppy Hale just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Declan Hawthorne casually say, "What if I don’t agree? Are you planning to quit?"

When he mentioned quitting, both of them thought of the times Poppy Hale sent her resume to other companies.

For a moment, Poppy Hale felt a little awkward.

"...That’s not what I mean."

"Whatever, it’s your freedom anyway, as long as you’re good at leaving without a word."

Poppy Hale looked at Declan Hawthorne.

She opened her mouth.

Clearly, it’s not like that. Didn’t she say last night?

"Last night I didn’t—"

The car suddenly accelerated.

Stopped at a convenience store near the company.

The man’s face was sullen, cutting her off, "Get out."

It was very close to the company, just around the corner.

Poppy Hale quickly got out.

Before she could say anything, she watched the man leave swiftly.

Leaving her with nothing but a cloud of car exhaust.

Poppy Hale stood in place and sighed.

-

The CEO’s office at the Hawthorne Group.

Declan Hawthorne made an international call.

The other side quickly picked up, Justin Hawthorne laughed and said, "Big brother? What makes you call me?"

"I have something I want to ask you."

After chatting with Allen Shaw earlier, Declan Hawthorne felt much better.

But last night, Poppy Hale cried.

Whenever he closed his eyes, he remembered how she looked at him with tears in her eyes.

Declan Hawthorne felt unprecedented helplessness and exhaustion, along with self-blame.

He never thought he did anything wrong before.

As a favored son of heaven like Declan Hawthorne, how could he bow down to a woman?

But he wanted to know, from a woman’s perspective, if what he did was wrong.

After he finished, Justin Hawthorne laughed in surprise.

"That’s it? Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"

"The truth."

Justin Hawthorne chuckled, "If you weren’t my brother, but my boyfriend, and did something like that, I’d definitely slap you twice and tell you to stay far away from me."

"But you know my character, your ex-girlfriend might not be the same as me."

Justin Hawthorne was the only daughter in her generation of the Hawthorne Family.

So she had a somewhat spoiled and willful personality.

She had a typical spoiled temperament.

But Poppy Hale was also like that before.

It seemed Declan Hawthorne understood something.

He frowned, grasping that subtle, barely noticeable emotion.

"But if you did tolerate it?"

"Then I must really like that man, but during a relationship, everyone has a score. If the points are docked too much, no matter how much you like, it will be gone."

Justin Hawthorne knew Declan Hawthorne’s love life was currently blank.

She was aware he dated in college.

But she didn’t know the woman ended things.

Justin Hawthorne teasingly said, "Big brother, that’s your situation now; all your points are gone."

"But, I had reasons before."

"So what?" Justin Hawthorne was utterly speechless with Declan Hawthorne, "But you don’t talk! What’s the point of your mouth if you only use it to kiss but not explain?"

"Now she’s married with kids, just let it go."

Declan Hawthorne instinctively refuted.

"I haven’t held on."