CHAPTER 109: CHAPTER 109: MUST WE DRAW A LINE?

"Florence wants to go to the amusement park, so we made a little deal."

Declan Hawthorne held a slight smile.

"If she can recognize all the words we agreed on, I’ll take her."

"But Florence said that you teach her very well, and maybe my method has issues, so you get to decide."

In the daily life of Poppy Hale and Florence, they often used such conditional exchanges as leverage.

She nodded.

"That sounds good. Let me know when you’re going, I won’t interfere."

Declan Hawthorne gave a bitter smile.

"Do you really have to draw such a clear boundary with me?"

Even in the elevator, she was unwilling to stand next to him in the same row.

Such positioning makes them look like complete strangers.

Distinctly separated.

As if nothing remained between them.

As the car waited at a red light, the shadows of the treetops fell upon Poppy Hale’s face.

She calmly said, "Otherwise, does President Hawthorne think there shouldn’t be boundaries between us?"

Declan instinctively wanted to take out his cigarette pack, but remembering Poppy Hale was in the car, he gave up.

His fingers tightened around the steering wheel, the knuckles turning white.

Clearly, before this.

Her attitude wasn’t like this.

Now, apart from indifference, it’s all barbs and taunts, like all the spikes on a hedgehog finally aimed at him as he wished.

The car restarted and stopped at a convenience store near the Hawthorne Group.

She didn’t like being seen getting out of Declan Hawthorne’s car.

This was also a boundary Poppy Hale set from the beginning.

Poppy Hale tried to open the door but found it wouldn’t budge.

Declan Hawthorne looked at her for a moment.

Then opened the car door.

There was no further exchange between the two.

The words spoken in the car weren’t even more than those exchanged between a Didi driver and a passenger.

Declan Hawthorne sat in the car, watching Poppy Hale’s graceful figure disappear at the intersection.

Minutes later, his phone buzzed with a notification about Poppy Hale clocking in at work.

The phone spun between his fingers.

He opened a chat window and sent out a message.

-

Morgan Sloan knocked on the door of the president’s office.

"President Hawthorne, it seems Finn Young has rejected our commission request."

"Who was responsible for contacting them?"

Morgan Sloan mentioned a name, Wendy Archer.

This matter was always the responsibility of the public relations department.

Wendy Archer was now the head of the PR department, it was her duty to handle this.

Declan Hawthorne frowned, his expression darkening.

"Have her come in."

Morgan Sloan immediately went to call her.

Wendy Archer spritzed on some perfume, fixed her makeup, and followed Morgan Sloan into the president’s office.

The man sitting on the leather sofa exuded a calm demeanor, the flickering red tip of his cigarette visible, though the new ventilation system kept the office free from excess smoke, surrounding Declan Hawthorne in a hazy aura.

Instilling an air of unapproachable nobility.

Wendy Archer’s heart skipped a beat.

Suppressing the racing of her heart, she stepped in and greeted President Hawthorne.

Morgan Sloan didn’t hurry to leave, he stood aside, eyes averted in a manner that suggested he was minding his own business.

The way this woman looked at President Hawthorne was the same way he looked at his bed after a week of overtime.

Bright and gleaming.

Her intentions were unmistakable.

Declan Hawthorne spoke directly, "Were you the one who contacted Finn Young?"

"Yes, I was very polite. It was an invitation to submit a work proposal, polished by the PR department, but Teacher Young rejected outright; perhaps he simply doesn’t fancy the Hawthorne Group."

Wendy Archer’s tone carried a hint of disdain.

"Don’t worry, President Hawthorne, I’ve already contacted other illustrators, this matter won’t be delayed."

Declan Hawthorne raised his eyes.

His face expressionless, his gaze sharp.

As if he saw right through something.

"Send me a screenshot."

The smile on Wendy Archer’s face vanished instantly, the light in her eyes flickering evasively.

The illustrator she contacted was a friend, the fee for this commission from the Hawthorne Group was significant, and Wendy Archer had already agreed with the illustrator to give them a thirty percent rebate later.

When discussing the price with Finn Young, she had cut the offer by half.

Wendy Archer cautiously said, "President Hawthorne, there’s no need for that. Finn Young’s attitude was harsh. Seeing it would only upset you, there’s no need to trouble yourself with such trivial matters."

Declan Hawthorne’s demeanor cooled.

"Morgan Sloan, get me the screenshots. Also, get one from Finn Young."

"Yes, President Hawthorne."

To instruct Morgan Sloan to retrieve the account screenshots and then get a comparison screenshot from Finn Young.

Implying.

A concern that Wendy Archer might doctor the screenshot!

In Wendy Archer’s heart, any romantic notions dissipated instantly; it felt as though Declan Hawthorne’s gaze had already scrutinized her completely.

"President Hawthorne, is that really necessary..."

Declan Hawthorne said displeased, "Are you teaching me how to do things? Get out, there’s nothing left for you here."

Sweat appeared on Wendy Archer’s forehead, yet internally she remained composed.

At worst, she could claim she remembered the price incorrectly.

If she misspoke, it wouldn’t be a big issue.

-

In the afternoon, Amber Yates was holding a phone.

"Poppy, the group is sponsoring an island trip this weekend and we can bring family members. Would you like to join?"

Annually, around this time, the Hawthorne Group would fund trips to nearby cities for leisure.

Amber Yates and Janine had already started planning to bring their kids.

They asked if Poppy Hale wanted to bring Florence along.

"Has Florence ever seen the sea?"

Poppy Hale chuckled softly, "The hospital where Florence was born wasn’t far from the coast. I’d often go there while pregnant, so it’s safe to say she’s seen it."

"But that’s not the same; why not take Florence along? You should bring your husband as well!"

Poppy Hale thought about it.

"She’s still young, and the beach might not be very safe, but I’ll think about it."

Amber Yates was nonchalant, "Oh come on, we’d be watching her constantly. How unsafe can it be? It’s not like you’d let Florence venture into the sea by herself!"

Indeed.

Poppy Hale laughed along with her.

"Alright, I’ll ask her if she wants to go."

If Florence wanted to go, Poppy Hale would consider signing up.

Her phone received a message.

It was a formal apology letter from the Hawthorne Group to Finn Young, asking about the incident.

Poppy Hale directly sent a screenshot of the conversation along with her commission price list, without saying much else.

However, because of this incident, Poppy Hale decided to check her mobile bank account.

Since the other company returned her funds, plus compensated the Hale Group for some losses, her account balance now looked quite substantial.

Substantial enough that Poppy Hale felt she no longer needed to worry about the future.

She could buy a house and move out of Declan Hawthorne’s home.

She could also resign from the Hawthorne Group.

After purchasing adequate insurance for herself, Truth Hale, and Florence, she could be a full-time illustrator.

Thinking about it this way, it seemed quite appealing.

A message from the kindergarten teacher popped up on WeChat.

It said that Florence had a fever and asked if Poppy Hale could pick her up.

Poppy Hale hurriedly inquired about the situation and mentioned it to Amber Yates beside her, then quickly submitted a leave request backstage.

Unaware that since her supervisor left, her approvals would be sent directly to Declan Hawthorne.

Just as she reached the department entrance, the elevator reserved for senior executives opened right in front of her.

Declan Hawthorne grasped her wrist and pulled her into the elevator.

"Come in, I’ll take you there."