Mrs Hale, I Surrender
Chapter 104: She runs, he chases; she finds no escape even if she had wings (2nd update)

Chapter 104: She runs, he chases; she finds no escape even if she had wings (2nd update)

William Hale stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her, his gaze icy, his brows and eyes filled with a frosty chill.

"Spit it out, how exactly did you scheme to deceive her into your clutches?"

"I’m genuinely curious."

Her eyes and brows were exceptionally beautiful, with fine eyebrows and foxy eyes, and even in a simple beige maxi dress, her demeanor was still charming and graceful.

Seeing his silence, she just laughed and said:

"Curious about how I know she doesn’t like this?"

The woman’s fingers lightly tapped the table, "Don’t be stunned, a cup of flat white."

William Hale didn’t speak.

But he turned to pour her coffee.

"By the way, I like my coffee with latte art on top, as for the design, feel free to improvise."

"Don’t go too far."

"Her voice sounds quite nice."

"..."

"The young girl studies ballet. I’ve seen her photos and videos. She has a good figure, those eyes are bright and sparkling, and her face is beautiful too. Wyatt says she has a nice personality. You’re pretty lucky."

"Why didn’t she just choose something else instead of getting married? And to you, no less."

William Hale raised an eyebrow, "Jealous? You should go get married too."

"What’s so good about marriage? I only want to focus on making money."

It wasn’t until he placed a cup of coffee on the table that he looked at her seriously, "Tell me, what else do you know?"

"She called you an hour ago."

"What?"

"I answered."

"..."

"Told her you were sleeping."

William Hale rubbed his temples, his head aching, "Why didn’t you wake me up?"

"I did, but who knew you’d be sleeping so soundly?" She took a sip of her coffee, "How many days have you gone without sleep?"

"Don’t just answer my phone."

"Then you should bring her back. Hiding and keeping secrets even after getting the certificate, sneaking around. From what Wyatt described, you really like her, and of course I’m curious about who could make you head over heels."

"Curiosity killed the cat," William Hale said with a cold tone.

"She didn’t even ask who I was, just heard you were asleep and seemed quite calm about it. Your wife, does she trust you too much, or does she just not care about you at all?"

The woman continued as she sipped her coffee, "But from your phone call, she recently asked you if you were living alone... "

"I think she likes you."

"During your next meeting, who knows, there might be an unexpected gain."

"I’m just afraid you’ll mess it up." William Hale took a sip of his coffee, bitterness spreading across his taste buds, "She’s been hurt before, and I’m afraid if you provoke her on purpose, she’ll run."

"Then you chase after her."

The woman propped her cheek in her hand and said, "How does the saying go? If she runs, he chases, and she cannot fly away even with wings."

"..."

"The more someone has her kind of personality, the more they need a little stimulation."

William Hale’s eyes were dark and unreadable, devoid of emotion, "And if things get messed up, what then?"

"Are you that incompetent?"

"Once you finish your coffee, wash the cup, and then you can leave."

"So heartless."

William Hale returned to his study and checked his phone. There indeed was a call from an hour ago, lasting less than a minute.

**

Meanwhile, Zoe Bell spent the night tossing and turning in bed, completely unable to sleep, with Lucas Bell’s words running through her mind:

You’re done for!

You’ve fallen deep!

Even if Zoe was slow to catch on in matters of the heart, she knew something was off.

She began to contemplate uncontrollably, what would William Hale do if he found out she harbored different feelings for him?

There were essentially three outcomes:

One, divorce;

Two, handle it coldly, warning her not to overstep her bounds, and then, over the next five years, maintain a superficial respect and act like a loving fake husband and wife;

III. Accept Her.

Zoe Bell tossed and turned all night, and finally decided that before the competition ended, she would stop thinking about this matter. Besides, William Hale was not around, and constantly brooding over it was only adding to her worry.

To make herself look better, she even put on light makeup when she got up and continued with her dance practice.

So when Kyle Lowe reported the situation to William Hale, he said:

[The lady’s in good spirits today.]

William Hale: [Good spirits? How do you know?]

[She put on makeup.]

[...]

[After leaving the dance studio, on her way home, she passed by a flower shop and specifically bought a bouquet of flowers. She fed the fish when she got home and even cooked dinner herself.]

William Hale’s expression remained calm, betraying no emotion, but the fingers that were fidgeting with the lighter tightened slightly, the knuckles turning white.

In the past, Zoe would have taken the initiative to call him, but she hadn’t recently.

The critical thing was that on the rare occasion they did speak on the phone, she didn’t ask who had answered his calls.

Did she truly not care about him?

William had always been telling himself not to rush, to take things slow, but their recent interactions had been harmonious, and he felt that Zoe had some feelings for him.

Was he overthinking it?

It was Zac Cruz who suffered recently.

Originally, the boss had given him time off and he had rested well, returning to work in top form.

But the moment he saw William Hale, he had a bad feeling.

Because his "live dad,"

looked gloomy.

He couldn’t have fought with the lady, could he?

Cruz didn’t dare to inquire about the boss’s personal life, but when he accompanied him back to the old house, Old Sir Hale asked, "How have you been with that girl recently?"

"Pretty good."

"If things are so good, who are you scowling at!"

"..."

William was raised by Old Sir Hale himself, and when it came to concealing emotions, other people might not see through him, but Old Sir Hale could see through him with just one glance.

"Did you argue?" Old Sir Hale pressed his grandson, "About what? Tell me, I’ll help you analyze it."

He wasn’t looking to help analyze; he obviously wanted to enjoy the drama.

**

Time flew by, and the day of Zoe Bell’s finals arrived. Not only were there audience members, but the organizers also invited many people, all local celebrities in Greenland.

Unexpectedly, Kevin Bell also came.

The organizers hadn’t invited him, considering the Bell Family’s situation, but since he showed up uninvited, they couldn’t turn him away and had to arrange a seat for him at the last minute.

Kevin sought help everywhere but no one paid attention to him.

Knowing that many people would come today, he wanted to see if anyone could give him a hand at this time.

Normally, not so many people would come to such a competition, but when the organizers were seeking sponsorship, they deliberately mentioned Zoe Bell’s participation and subtly hinted at her relationship with William Hale.

The implication was clear:

William Hale might come.

What was originally an unremarkable competition suddenly attracted the big shots from all over Greenland.

Those unaware thought it was some grand event.

Naturally, the Stone Family was also there.

The subsequent developments between Brandon Stone and Zoe Bell were unknown to outsiders. Seeing him show up with a bouquet of flowers and heading backstage, they expected to witness an explosive scene of two men vying for one woman.

"For you, wishing you a smooth competition." The organizer was someone who knew how to play the game and had arranged a separate dressing room for Zoe Bell.

"Thank you."

Brandon Stone had moved on a long time ago, and after a period of adjustment, his attitude was very calm upon seeing her.

Looking at the room filled with flower baskets and glancing at the signature on the cards, he exclaimed in amazement: "Still, Mr. Hale wields great influence. Just the rumor of him possibly showing up has attracted so many people."

"There’s a whole group of eager people outside, all waiting for him."

"Is Mr. Hale coming today?"

Zoe Bell just smiled, "Who knows?"

Lately, she had been focusing on preparing for the contest and had very little contact with William Hale.

This could very well be the only professional competition in her lifetime, and naturally, she hoped William Hale would come. However, with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching and knowing how busy he was, she hadn’t invited him.

What she didn’t know was that at this moment, William Hale had already arrived in Greenland.