CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: HAVE YOUR HUSBAND PICK YOU UP

Holding the mirror, Poppy Hale knocked on Declan Hawthorne’s office door.

A deep voice from inside responded.

"Come in."

Once inside, Poppy placed the mirror on Declan’s desk.

Picking up the mirror and glancing at it, Declan casually remarked, "The one from university?"

Poppy felt a wave of frustration inside.

How could she have forgotten?

This mirror was indeed bought during university when she went shopping with Declan.

Back then, Poppy loved buying pretty but useless little things.

Entering a jewelry store, she couldn’t move away when she saw such items.

The more important reason, she didn’t mention.

The pattern on the back of the mirror was drawn by her.

The client made it into a product for limited sale and even said they’d send her some, but Poppy declined.

She had drawn so many designs, and there were plenty of authorized derivatives. If she accepted all the samples, her dorm would be overwhelmed.

Moreover, she didn’t like telling people about the alias she used for fan art.

To this day, only a few people knew that alias was Finn Young.

Even though she hadn’t accepted the client’s offered merchandise, seeing her designs made into products for sale still made her happy.

So she immediately bought that mirror.

Declan paid for it.

It was one of the few gifts he bought her during university.

In fact, Declan gave her a lot of things, but Poppy never accepted them or asked him to return them.

She thought he was short on money.

Once, Declan gave her a ring. Seeing the brand, Poppy was scared to death.

She thought Declan must have done something illegal.

She didn’t accept it.

She asked Declan to return it.

Thinking back now, even though the brand’s ring would be unaffordable for an average person working for a year, for Declan, it was just a trivial matter.

To a wealthy heir, it might not even compare to the cost of an accessory he casually bought.

After they broke up, Poppy didn’t take any of the gifts Declan had given her, sending them back to his dorm.

Except for this mirror.

Because it was Poppy’s own design, she genuinely forgot that Declan paid for it.

Now, that mirror was in Declan’s hand.

Declan looked at the marks on it; it was lipstick.

"Do many people use this shade?"

"A lot."

It’s just a common red with some gold shimmer. It’s hard to distinguish the exact shade and brand.

Even if you identified the brand and color, among so many female employees at the Hawthorne Group, many would likely be using the same ones.

Declan scrutinized it repeatedly, took a photo, and handed the mirror back to her.

"Be careful lately. Don’t walk alone after work. It’s best if your husband picks you up."

Poppy nodded, slightly dazed.

She took the mirror, thanked him, and left the president’s office.

Back at her desk, Amber Yates asked Poppy what President Hawthorne had said.

Poppy wiped the marks off with a tissue, "Nothing much, just told me to be safe and to have my husband pick me up after work."

Amber was enlightened, "Wow, I didn’t expect President Hawthorne to look so otherworldly, like a little fairy prince, yet be so considerate."

Across the table, Janine just spluttered her coffee.

"What’s so funny? If I weren’t married, or if I were five years younger, I’d be bringing President Hawthorne coffee every day too."

Janine laughed till she was bending over.

"Do you know how many people brought President Hawthorne coffee today? There were thirty-five cups at the office entrance this morning!"

The entire secretarial staff, including interns, couldn’t finish them all.

Poppy was hearing about this for the first time.

However, back in school, he was already quite popular.

Every time he played basketball, countless girls would surround the court, making it impenetrable.

After his game, he’d come looking for her.

And Poppy too, would feel targeted by the complex gazes of those girls.

Poppy never said it, but she really didn’t like those situations.

It felt like she had become the target of everyone’s scrutiny.

But Declan never said anything, and she dared not speak up, fearing he’d be upset.

Amber nudged Poppy with her elbow, "Poppy, didn’t you say you and President Hawthorne were schoolmates? Was he really that popular back then?"

Poppy responded with a simple "Yes."

"He was very popular. If he had a game, seats would fill up before you could even try to get in."

"Wow! Are there any photos?"

Talking about handsome guys made Amber look at Poppy with starry eyes, unafraid of any superior present.

Even Janine blinked her eyes and turned to look.

"I didn’t save any."

There wasn’t a single trace of Declan on this phone.

Amber teased, "With such a stunning guy beside you, and you don’t even glance at him, how handsome must your husband be?"

Poppy gave a perfunctory smile, not saying a word.

After work in the afternoon, it started raining outside.

The sudden heavy rain swept through the city streets and alleys.

Poppy stood downstairs of her company, unsurprisingly saw the news that some metro lines had stopped running due to the weather.

She had to take a cab instead.

While waiting for a driver to accept the fare, Poppy kept refreshing her screen.

But half an hour passed without a driver accepting her request.

After another ten minutes.

A black Jeep Wrangler pulled up in front of her, the window rolling down.

Declan’s stern face appeared, peering through the raindrops, giving Poppy a glance that made her heart race.

From the backseat, Iris Quill cheerfully said, "Aunt Poppy, Florence is here too! Get in!"

Her daughter was also there?

Poppy quickly got into the car and fastened her seatbelt.

The man closed the window, shutting out the rain.

When Poppy looked back, she indeed saw Florence sitting obediently in the safety seat, not at all shy.

Just like that, Declan picked them up?

Poppy was shocked.

Even Sean Lynch had failed to take Florence from kindergarten before; she remembered her mom saying Florence could only go home with her mom and grandma.

Even her uncle wasn’t allowed.

Yet Declan went to pick her up, and Florence agreed to go with him.

Poppy’s surprised gaze fell on Declan.

The man turned the steering wheel, casually explaining, "Iris said it was raining, so she asked me to pick her up too."

Florence nodded obediently, "Mom, I called Grandma, and she said it’s okay to go home with Uncle."

Uncle.

It really is a peculiar term that kids use.

Declan’s lips carried a faint smile.

The car dashed into the rain.

Poppy softly said, "Thank you, President Hawthorne, sorry for the trouble."

"It’s no trouble. Just on the way."

Declan looked at the road ahead, recalling the message he received that afternoon.

The man glanced at Poppy.

"Iris wants to grab a burger nearby, why don’t you guys join us."

"Oh, no, it’s too much trouble. Just drop Florence and me off nearby, and we’ll take a cab home."

Before Declan could reply, Iris protested.

"No way! I want to eat with Aunt Poppy!"

With no other choice, the four of them went to a nearby mall together.