CHAPTER 76: CHAPTER 76: HE DOESN’T MIND IF IT GETS MORE WRINKLED

Monday, with yawns all around.

Poppy Hale had just sat down at her workstation.

When she received a call from Eugene Lynch.

Poppy Hale’s uncle, Sean’s father.

She stepped into the hallway to answer.

"Uncle."

"Hey, Poppy, how have you been lately?"

Poppy Hale left home in the morning and went to the hospital.

The house is close to the hospital, so she agreed with Mrs. Hale to visit every day.

She went once in the morning, and although Mrs. Hale complained that the hospital did have breakfast,

it wasn’t worth her making a trip.

But the joy was visible to the naked eye.

She also mentioned Eugene Lynch.

Between the lines, she still hoped Poppy Hale wouldn’t have a falling out with Sean’s family.

Poppy replied casually, "I’m good. Is there something you called about?"

"Isn’t Sean getting married soon? I wanted to ask if you could come? Stella said she’d like you to be her bridesmaid."

Stella wants her to be a bridesmaid.

Who knows whom she’s trying to provoke.

Poppy said helplessly, "I’m not going. I can’t be Stella’s bridesmaid, Uncle. If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up."

"Poppy!" Eugene Lynch said anxiously, "All those little squabbles from before, can’t you just let them slide for your uncle’s sake? Now that Stella’s pregnant, the child she gives birth to will be your family too."

Every time she talks to her relatives,

it stirs up the inner resentment that Poppy has wrapped up gently and buried deep.

Having not slept well, Poppy had no patience at all.

She raised an eyebrow, mocking, "What face? The one you showed by getting drunk and causing trouble at my dad’s funeral?"

Eugene Lynch was at a loss for words.

In that incident, he was indeed at fault.

"I’m still your elder after all, this child. Stella said you were her best friend, that’s why I called. Why don’t you appreciate it?"

"Poppy, do you really have to make yourself into a loner to feel happy?"

Eugene Lynch also knew that his elder logic wouldn’t work on Poppy Hale.

If Poppy Hale really got mad, Eugene Lynch wouldn’t benefit either.

He hurriedly spit out a few harsh words.

Muttering under his breath, he hung up quickly.

Poppy Hale stood in the hallway.

In the office next door, a colleague was having breakfast, having just peeled a hard-boiled egg, releasing a fishy smell.

Poppy Hale hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, and the smell made her suddenly feel nauseous.

She rushed to the restroom, dry-heaving for a long time, but nothing came up.

Turning on the faucet to wash her face, Poppy cupped water and buried her face in her hands.

She didn’t move for a long time.

Eugene Lynch said she’d made herself a loner.

Maybe he wasn’t wrong.

A strong hand gripped her shoulder, and the person pried open Poppy Hale’s hands, offering her an open bottle of water.

Declan Hawthorne’s face was stern, "Drink some water."

Poppy Hale looked up blankly.

Her face was wet, and her eyes were red and watery, the blood vessels visible in her eyes, her porcelain-white face forced slightly upward, water trickling down her chin.

She stared blankly at Declan Hawthorne.

As if she didn’t know why he suddenly appeared there.

This was the women’s restroom.

Declan Hawthorne held her chin, making her sip water in small gulps.

The disgusting feeling in her mouth dissipated.

The man leaned in, giving her chin a light kiss.

He quickly pulled away.

He licked the corner of his mouth.

It was salty, not the taste tap water would normally have.

He took a handkerchief to wipe the water from Poppy Hale’s face, his movements gentle.

Though it was early, not yet ten, quite a few colleagues used the restroom.

Hearing footsteps outside, Poppy Hale was startled, pushing Declan Hawthorne into a stall.

She locked the stall door.

Outside were two female colleagues coming in to touch up their makeup, standing in front of the sink chatting.

"Did you see President Hawthorne this morning? So handsome!"

The other female colleague shook her head indifferently, "What handsome guy? I only saw the King of Hell."

Amusing.

For working people, even the most attractive guy, once cloaked in the garb of capital, is akin to King Yama.

"Don’t say that, I heard President Hawthorne is single. I heard he went on a blind date over the weekend, someone from another department saw him shopping for clothes with the woman and a kid."

"Why would President Hawthorne go on a blind date with a woman who has a kid?"

The indifferent female colleague continued her input.

"First, why assume the kid is the woman’s? What if it’s the woman going on a blind date with President Hawthorne who has a kid? How do you know the kid isn’t President Hawthorne’s?"

"Second, it’s President Hawthorne’s private affair."

"Third, there’s a meeting today, and the she-devil is there. If you waste a few more minutes, handsome guys aside, you’ll really face the King of Hell."

The female colleague squealed, finishing her makeup quickly, and the two left the restroom.

Inside the stall.

Poppy Hale didn’t dare to breathe deeply.

The instigator, on the other hand, sat leisurely on the toilet.

The company restroom stalls weren’t as spacious as those in malls, and with Declan Hawthorne’s long legs, he sat so that his knees almost hit the door.

Poppy stood in the gap between his legs, barely keeping her balance.

Hearing the female colleagues’ conversation outside, Declan Hawthorne pretended not to hear.

Hearing a colleague say, "How do you know the kid isn’t President Hawthorne’s?"

Declan Hawthorne’s hand on Poppy’s waist suddenly tightened slightly.

Poppy became even more tense.

He wiped her face, chin, and neck with the handkerchief.

The water trickled down from her neck, dampening her chest area.

The man’s hand holding the handkerchief moved further down, and Poppy quickly grabbed his hand, glaring at him with her head down.

Embarrassed and angry, she said, "What are you doing."

Declan Hawthorne raised an eyebrow.

Despite wearing a suit, he exuded a bit of a roguish charm in this situation.

"Are you sure you want to chat here?"

If she had this preference, he wouldn’t mind.

Poppy’s face flushed red.

She opened the stall door, and seeing no one outside, she walked out.

Not caring at all about the man following behind.

Originally intending to return to her office, she walked by a mirror and saw her eyes were completely red.

Her clothes bore numerous wet spots, and the fabric around her waist was wrinkled.

She was in no condition to be seen by others.

Declan Hawthorne glanced down, "There’s a hair dryer and steamer in my office. You can use them."

Poppy spoke softly, "Thank you, President Hawthorne."

The man walked ahead, a slight smile on his lips.

He had actually come down just passing by.

Seeing her on the phone, as he walked past, he heard Poppy’s sharp, prickly tone.

Clearly, she was upset.

After she hung up, she stared off for a long time.

Then turned into the restroom, and he heard the sound of retching.

Declan Hawthorne grabbed a bottle of water from the break room, and when he returned, he saw her staring blankly there.

Her face indistinguishable between tears and cold water, she stared numbly at him.

In that instant, Declan Hawthorne regretted it.

He didn’t want her upset.

Inside the office, everything was in place.

But using the steamer and hairdryer required removing her clothes to use them conveniently.

Poppy clutched her clothes, biting her lip as she looked at him.

"Aren’t you going out?"

His private lounge wasn’t small, but accommodating two people made it feel cramped.

Declan Hawthorne looked at Poppy’s face.

She was very pale, and after crying, the skin around her eyes was red, and her lips were moist from being bitten.

His Adam’s apple bobbed.

Suddenly, he wanted to do something.

Logic overtaken, by the time Poppy came to her senses, the man’s lips were already on hers.

Perfectly sealed against hers.

Her clothes were already very wrinkled.

He didn’t mind them getting a bit more wrinkled.