He and Faith Hollis also felt sad because they lost their future daughter-in-law.

These years, no one has mentioned the marriage agreement again, simply to spare Rouge Jarvis from pain and sorrow.

After Eddy Hawthorne finished discussing the events from twenty-one years ago, he said, "Now that Poppy is back, the initial agreement naturally cannot be voided. What wrong have I done?"

Rouge Jarvis: "..."

Originally calling with a burst of anger, she now felt deflated.

How was she to tell Eddy Hawthorne that Tiana had her eyes set on her own family’s fourth child?

After a moment of silence, she finally spoke, "Throughout these years, hasn’t Linden been involved with anyone romantically?"

Eddy Hawthorne didn’t hesitate at all: "No."

Rouge Jarvis frowned, feeling things becoming increasingly difficult, and asked, "How do you know?"

"Since childhood, the family has told Linden that his future spouse would be the Ford family’s daughter. Such a connection has been deeply ingrained in his mind, so how could he date someone else?"

"But earlier, we all believed that Poppy was already..."

Eddy Hawthorne interrupted her sternly, "Rouge, you said it yourself, it’s what we believed, and both your child and mine just thought Poppy was taken away but would certainly be found again."

Upon hearing this, Rouge Jarvis’s face turned slightly pale, a fleeting pallor passing through her eyes.

This was also her inner pain.

Eddy Hawthorne was right, in the hearts of these elders, Poppy was indeed gone.

But the children believed she was still alive, and indeed, now Poppy was truly alive.

When Poppy first went missing, the matter was never discussed in detail, and the agreement at that time was indeed not dissolved.

"So these years, Linden has been really waiting for Poppy to return?"

Eddy Hawthorne nodded: "Yes."

Because of the promises made in childhood, he already considered Celia Ford a part of his life.

When Linden graduated from college at twenty-three, he couldn’t bear to tell him that the person he was waiting for was gone and could not return.

He could only find another way to talk to him, suggesting she might be living well in another city, perhaps dating, married, or even having children, thereby encouraging him not to wait.

At the time, Linden Hawthorne said to him:

Let’s wait seven more years.

Once thirty, he would stop waiting.

They have waited for twenty-one years, waiting a bit more wouldn’t hurt; maybe she would come back.

Now, two years have passed since the seven-year agreement, and just as Linden said, she truly returned, and he, as he said, has waited.

As a father, seeing Linden’s many years of waiting, he naturally hopes they can be together.

It was with this mindset that he posted such a Weibo update.

Linden Hawthorne was also Rouge Jarvis’s godson; for a moment, she felt a mix of emotions: "This child..."

Eddy Hawthorne, remembering these matters, also felt a bit melancholy and continued, "Linden still doesn’t know about Poppy’s return, but he will soon find out about what was posted on Weibo. As for their arranged marriage, find a suitable time to tell her."

"But..."

Rouge Jarvis paused before bravely speaking, "Tiana is already in a relationship now. How can I break up a pair of lovebirds?"

Eddy Hawthorne’s voice noticeably dropped in tone, asking, "Who is she dating?"

"Your godson, Aiden Shaw."

Eddy Hawthorne: "..."

Rouge Jarvis knew this was unfair to the Hawthorne family and Linden Hawthorne, but it wasn’t Tiana’s fault either.

One could only say, destiny plays a cruel hand.

At this moment, Eddy Hawthorne’s silence made her slightly uneasy inside.