Mrs Hale, I Surrender
Chapter 106 Mr. Hale: Yes, I like you (2 more updates)

Chapter 106: 106 Mr. Hale: Yes, I like you (2 more updates)

A single word, "family member," made Zoe Bell’s cheeks flush a deep red.

She had just finished dancing and was panting slightly.

William Hale didn’t assist her back to the makeup room, and the staff, noticing something was off with her body, quickly stepped forward to ask if she needed a doctor. They were at a professional competition, and there was a medical doctor on standby.

"No need, it’s an old issue," Zoe replied, declining politely.

"Could someone get me a chair, thank you," William Hale requested instead.

Zoe felt a relief in her right leg as soon as she sat down.

She always carried painkillers in her bag. She was about to ask Kyle Lowe to fetch them for her, but to her surprise, William Hale actually bent down, half-kneeling, and began to massage her ankle.

"Mr. Hale..."

This was, after all, a public place.

Most of the dancers who had just finished their performance were there, along with a few Greenland elite who had come over, attracted by the commotion, hoping to make connections.

Everyone held their breath, daring not to speak.

"Don’t move, doesn’t your foot hurt?" His voice was cool, yet seemingly filled with endless tenderness.

While he spoke, Zac Cruz had already run over with a shoebox, which contained a pair of exceptionally soft, flat shoes.

In front of everyone’s gaze, William Hale began to untie the ribbon of her ballet shoes.

He always seemed to stand so tall, as if he should be worshipped by people,

And now, he was willing to bend.

Changing her shoes with his own hands, Zoe felt a warmth creeping into her eyes. She wanted to pull her foot back but found it firmly gripped by him, rendering her unable to move.

"So many people are watching, are you going to reject me?" William Hale looked up at her.

That posture was like submission.

Zoe didn’t move anymore and let him help her take off the dance shoes and switch to the soft flat shoes. They fit perfectly on inspection.

Did he have to go this far for an arranged marriage?

He could completely ignore her,

Not care about her,

Even not need to consider her feelings.

She wasn’t a fool; the words of Lucas Bell echoed in her ears again.

"How does it look? Do you like it?" he asked quietly.

"It’s nice."

The few people who came to network were dumbstruck.

Who was this William Hale? He was an absolute controller, someone who would get what he wanted naturally offered to him on a silver platter, without needing this kind of...

Flattery.

They dared not think further, but William Hale’s behavior seemed to confirm it.

After draping his jacket over Zoe’s shoulders, he lifted her into his arms, his aggressive features now appeared remarkably gentle.

William Hale originally wanted to take her to the hospital, but Zoe decided to wait for the results of the competition.

Under the curious gaze of the onlookers, the two entered the makeup room.

The door closed behind them, and Zac Cruz and Kyle Lowe stood guard on either side.

No one could enter.

————

Inside the makeup room at this moment, Zoe wanted to get down but was turned around by William Hale and seated on the vanity table. He propped himself up with his hands, trapping her body between them.

"Mr. Hale, you..."

She couldn’t finish her last word before it was sealed off.

Trapped, she was powerless to struggle.

The kiss

Was scorching, fervent.

In the makeup room that did little to block out sound, the hurried footsteps outside mixed with the melodious music of the stage. Zoe’s heart raced rapidly from his kiss.

The fierceness of his kiss was overwhelming.

Zoe suppressed herself, holding back, as faint noises diffused from between their lips and teeth.

When the kiss ended, her breathing was too rapid to speak.

Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were filled with lingering mist.

He watched her intently, the heat in his gaze...

Burning intensely.

The suit that had been draped over her had long fallen, revealing her shoulders from the performance costume. Before she could catch her breath, William Hale had already leaned down and bit her shoulder.

Zoe took a deep breath, "Mr. Hale?"

He didn’t want to bite too deeply, so after a light bite, he relented, resting his head on her neck and shoulder, chuckling hoarsely.

"Zoe Bell..."

"In the end, you’re the one with the cruel heart."

He rarely called her by her name, so when he suddenly did, it made her heart suddenly constrict, "What do you mean by that?"

"I’ve been waiting for your call, waiting for you to ask me, who was that woman that day?"

"Why didn’t you ask?"

Zoe Bell was stunned.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to ask, she was afraid to.

She feared that once she spoke, there would be no turning back.

"If I don’t contact you, you won’t reach out to me?" William Hale’s voice was very low, he lifted his head, staring intently at her, his gaze landing on her lips, the places he had ravaged. The lipstick was smeared messily.

He reached out, gently wiping it away for her.

His fingertips caressed the corners of her lips, softening her heart completely.

"I was afraid you were busy, it would disturb you," Zoe’s voice was soft and delicate.

Her mind was a mess at the moment.

"So, you don’t want to know who that woman was at all?" William’s gaze locked tightly on her.

There was another layer of meaning to his words:

You don’t care about me at all?

Zoe was considering how to respond.

He suddenly remembered the way he felt when he learned of her engagement to Brandon Stone, the dull ache of years of repression hit him again.

William’s heart suddenly clenched.

He was a man with a cruel heart,

but he couldn’t bear to press her.

He bowed his head, kissed the corner of her eye without changing his expression, "Your lipstick seems to be smeared, you should clean it up yourself."

He straightened up, intending to step back, but Zoe’s body reacted faster than her brain could think.

She reached out,

clutching at his sleeve!

William was taken aback, then saw her eyes lowered, seemingly struggling hard to ask, "I want to know who she is."

"What did you say?"

At that moment, William’s heart was filled with ecstasy, yet he forced himself to suppress his emotions.

"So, who is she, really?" Asking for the first time is always hard, but the second time was much easier. Zoe finally lifted her eyes to meet his gaze.

William chuckled softly, "Her? She’s someone very close to me."

Zoe was stunned, a huge sense of loss and bitterness welled up in her heart.

The hand that had been holding onto his sleeve let go.

The next second,

his hand gripped hers tightly again, the warmth of his palm lightly enveloped hers, his fingertips gently grazing the back of her hand, tickling slightly.

"My mother, and a brother."

Zoe bit her lip, how did the conversation turn to his mother?

"My uncle has a daughter, one year older than me."

"..."

Zoe suddenly realized, so the woman who answered the phone that day was his cousin?

"Zoe, if you care, can I take it as, you’re jealous?" William’s lips curved into a slight arc.

Zoe, having received her answer, finally released the pressure of emotions that had been building up for days.

Tonight, might be the last time she stepped onto the professional stage.

She was nervous, excited, and also apprehensive.

Now that the competition was over, the result wasn’t that important to her. But recently, she had been troubled by something Lucas Bell said. Since she had mentioned caring about that woman, she didn’t mind asking one more question.

At most, it would end in divorce.

This marriage, even if it ended now, she wouldn’t be at a loss.

Better than falling deeper and deeper.

And ending up utterly devastated.

She let out a laugh, as if joking, "We’re just a pretend husband and wife. Do you care if I get jealous? Could it be that you like me?"

"Yes, I like you," he said.

She had asked nonchalantly, but his answer was extraordinarily serious.

At that moment, as gazes met, Zoe’s heart skipped a beat, and her mind was a torrent of confusion, alarms blaring...

It seemed, she was truly doomed!