CHAPTER 92: CHAPTER 92: PRESIDENT HAWTHORNE ACTS INHUMANLY

Poppy Hale had gotten out of the car.

She carefully cradled the still-sleeping Florence Lynch in her arms.

"I’ll consider President Hawthorne’s proposal. Next time my mom sets up a blind date, I’ll definitely go."

With that, she shut the car door.

Through the glass, Declan Hawthorne could see the woman’s lips moving.

"Thank you, President Hawthorne, for making the trip. Be careful on your way back."

She acted as if she regarded him entirely as a chauffeur.

Declan Hawthorne watched as the woman’s figure, holding the child, disappeared into the underground parking lot.

He pulled a cigarette from the pack beside him and took a drag.

Whenever she talked about her ex-husband or Florence’s father, it was like she grew a layer of thorns.

Declan Hawthorne was well aware of this.

He had many other choices.

That evening, Allen Shaw had asked him if she was the only one for him.

Declan had asked himself this question many times over the years.

He numbed his nerves with work, nicotine, and alcohol.

Everything he wanted was within reach.

But when it came to emotions, no one was like her.

Declan used to think that it was all youthful folly.

Why could she leave heartlessly, and he couldn’t be just as ruthless?

To walk away, even find someone else to marry and have kids with?

He couldn’t.

Whenever he was about to meet the women the Hawthorne Family arranged for him, Declan felt genuine aversion.

Their affection was too fragile.

He couldn’t quite articulate what he wanted then.

But now.

He was very clear about what he wanted.

This evening, he had Heather Underwood pick up Florence Lynch.

He wanted Mrs. Hawthorne to get to know Florence first.

So that she wouldn’t resist them in the future as mother and daughter.

In fact, Mrs. Hawthorne’s fondness for Florence was even beyond Declan’s expectations.

His brow furrowed, fingers swiping on the phone screen.

He found a contact he had used before and dialed the number.

"Any feedback on the investigation last time?"

"Yes, President Hawthorne. Ms. Poppy Hale indeed gave birth at Crestview Hospital, but retrieving the childbirth records will take some time."

Overseas, such matters are managed very strictly.

But Declan Hawthorne had both the money and the connections.

If he wanted to investigate, he would find the truth.

The man took a drag from his cigarette. "No need. Just check the dates of Poppy Hale’s hospital stay and the surveillance when she was discharged, nothing else."

All he needed to confirm was the child’s birth date from beginning to end.

Not investigating the child’s birth records made things much simpler.

The respondent promised feedback within a few days and hung up.

After finishing a few cigarettes, Declan opened the car door.

He got out and went upstairs.

He opened the door to the room next to Poppy Hale’s and returned home.

The corridor descended into silence.

-

Friday arrived quickly.

Amber Yates returned from the secretarial team, looking at Poppy Hale with a pitiful expression.

She clasped her hands in a pleading gesture, almost ready to kneel in front of Poppy.

"Poppy, there’s a job that requires me to travel, but I need to take my baby for surgery this weekend. Can you help me out?"

Poppy Hale looked up. "What job absolutely requires traveling at this time?"

She had no plans for the weekend.

But if she left, there’d be no one to look after Florence.

"The branch in Cinderfall is holding a last-minute meeting, and there are supply issues with several factory vendors. The marketing department needs to go for quality checks."

Cinderfall is just next door, only an hour by high-speed train.

Amber Yates’s daughter recently needed a minor surgery, and arranging the doctor and hospital bed required many connections. It’s understandable that she couldn’t spare the time.

Poppy Hale felt a bit troubled. "I can do it, but there’s no one to take care of Florence."

Janine spoke up, "Leave her at my place!"

The work between Amber’s team and Poppy’s team overlaps a lot, and for business trips, she could only ask Poppy.

Even if Janine could go, she wouldn’t know where to start.

Poppy Hale sighed, not refusing Amber Yates directly wasn’t ideal, especially since she was out of options.

"I’ll ask if Florence is willing."

Seeing her relent, Amber Yates almost cried.

As mothers, they could empathize with each other on these matters.

Poppy’s phone received a soft, childish reply from Florence.

"Okay, Mommy, good luck with work. But can I go to Iris Quill’s house? Aunt Janine already has two babies; adding me would be too much."

"Iris Quill’s grandma invited me over last time, and I haven’t gone yet."

Originally for the weekend, plans were made for Florence to visit Heather Underwood’s house to play with Iris Quill.

The two little ones had chosen to watch the Paw Patrol movie together.

Hearing Florence’s thoughtful voice, Janine felt like crying.

Truly a little angel.

At that moment, Poppy Hale also felt somewhat overwhelmed.

Heather Underwood’s message had already come through.

She probably found out from Iris Quill that Poppy had to travel over the weekend.

She sent a voice message.

"Does the company have you travel over the weekend? Your President Hawthorne is such a jerk. Don’t worry about Florence, I got this! My aunt loves her, she’ll take good care of her!"

When sending the voice message, she didn’t spare Declan Hawthorne any face.

After all, having to travel over the weekend, truly a jerk.

But Heather also knew that Declan was traveling in Cinderfall himself.

Still, choosing to foster relationships and scold capital, she chose both.

Poppy Hale explained the situation to Florence, agreeing to Amber Yates’s travel request.

Amber Yates embraced Poppy Hale, placing a hand on Poppy’s ample chest.

"Thank you, darling. If I were a man, I’d let you stay the night as thanks."

Poppy pushed her away, showing disdain.

"A man like you, I don’t like."

Amber let out an exaggerated wail.

Mia Quinn, who had been silent across from them, watched their antics with a smile.

She didn’t expect that Poppy Hale was married and had a daughter.

Previously during a meeting, she had seen Declan Hawthorne.

But so much time had passed, and all thoughts of him had vanished.

-

At Cinderfall.

Poppy Hale first went to the factory to pick up samples to send back to the company, then took a cab to the branch office.

She was told the person in charge had already left for the day, and the meeting would have to wait until Monday.

Poppy Hale needed to stay here until Monday.

Conveniently, there were more factories to visit over the weekend.

The Hawthorne Group arranged hotel reservations for employees on business trips and allowed them to book their accommodations, reimbursing them later.

Poppy Ha was too lazy to book her hotel, and instead of making a profit on travel expenses, she’d rather spend the time drawing more sketches.

The Hawthorne Group’s hotels were generally very safe.

No need to worry about hidden cameras.

As she walked into the hotel, she happened to run into a former colleague from the marketing department, now transferred to another department, who was also here for business.

The colleague greeted Poppy Hale.

Poppy remembered that this colleague’s name was Troy Turner.

They exchanged a few words and stepped into the elevator.

In the elevator stood a man in the middle.

Upon their entry, he moved to the side slightly.

His mood was low, exuding an aura of cold detachment that was hard to ignore.

Troy Turner was pleasantly surprised, "Hello, President Hawthorne."

Poppy Hale braced herself and greeted him too.

Why was Declan Hawthorne here?

The man responded coldly, with no intention of engaging in small talk.

The man beside Poppy paid it no mind, continuing his casual chat with her.

He seemed warmly enthusiastic.

The elevator stopped on the next floor, and Troy bid them farewell, then exited.

Leaving only Declan Hawthorne and Poppy Hale in the elevator.

For a moment, the atmosphere was eerily quiet.

The elevator arrived at Poppy Hale’s floor.

She got out, and the man behind her followed suit.