Mrs Hale, I Surrender
Chapter 140: He fits the definition of a beast in human clothing.

Chapter 140: He fits the definition of a beast in human clothing.

A sentence pulled the memories of last night to the surface, and a myriad of emotions surged forth.

At this point,

the image of William Hale in her heart had been completely overturned.

But that wasn’t really important,

because when he was involved, the words he intentionally said were truly unbearable to hear.

He wouldn’t be satisfied until he had made her blush and crumble.

It was truly unbearable.

Zoe Bell struggled to get out of bed, and William, fearing she would fall, held her slender, soft waist. In the mirror of the bathroom, her skin looked like a peeled lychee, very white...

He leaned in to kiss her cheek, and it was tinged with carmine by him.

"Stop it, I need to brush my teeth."

She hadn’t even brushed her teeth, what was there to kiss.

"You do your thing."

William just leaned on the doorway, watching her lazily.

He looked like...

a wolf that had feasted.

He smiled as he surveyed her, seemingly pondering where to start from next.

Their eyes met unintentionally, and easily hooked together.

It seemed like sparks could fly in the next second.

"My leg hurts," Zoe preempted.

"The forecast said it might rain in the afternoon or at night."

Zoe nodded, but her leg pain wasn’t just because of the weather; it was inseparably linked to his antics last night. It looked like she needed to find time to visit the hospital recommended by Old Sir Lewis for a massage.

When she was tying her hair up to wash up, she noticed several red marks on the side of her neck.

And on her chest...

Even her legs had some marks. In this condition, how could she go for a massage!

She turned to look at him, her eyes filled with reproach.

The person, however, lazily said, "After all, you’re a girl, your skin is tender; I didn’t even use much strength."

"..."

His tone, as if blaming her.

It seemed,

the gentleman had not had his fill last night.

Zoe felt indignant, and William had already changed the topic, "What do you want to eat?"

"Anything."

"Then let’s have meat, you need to build your strength, you look too frail."

It was the first time someone said she looked frail. Usually, dancing required a lot of energy, and except for her injured leg, she was in very good health.

But Zoe didn’t feel like arguing with him. She brushed her teeth, took a quick shower—she should have washed up last night, but she really didn’t want to fuss.

When she went to the master bedroom to get some fresh clothes, the bed was neatly made. Nanny Parker had not returned yet, so it must have been William who had tidied up.

She should be thankful that Nanny Parker was not around; otherwise...

With the room in that condition, she would have been too ashamed to face anyone.

And she didn’t know what had been done with that cheongsam.

A perfectly good dress, why ruin it?

Zoe frowned:

Could it be,

he had some peculiar fetish?

Meanwhile, William was cooking. He had already placed a glass of warm water on the table and reminded her, "My sister called you earlier, call her back when you have time."

When Zoe connected the call, she heard a soft chuckle from the other side, "Just woke up?"

"Yeah."

"Stayed up late last night?"

Zoe gave a wry smile, "Do you need something?"

"I originally wanted to invite you shopping this afternoon, but you were still sleeping, so I arranged some work instead. If I finish early, let’s meet up tonight."

"Sure."

Probably due to her upbringing, Zoe tended to be passive, which made friends like Hannah Johnson, who were active and enthusiastic, quite necessary for her.

"Is your cousin a year older than you?" Zoe held her cup of water and also fed some cauliflower to Sweetbean.

The little one was excited to see her as well.

William nodded, "She just turned 30, so her father is really anxious. He thinks she’s not getting any younger and should consider settling down. They’ve had countless arguments over this."

"She’s so outstanding; there must be many who pursue her, just not the right one yet."

"On the contrary, almost no one pursues her."

Zoe was surprised, "That’s unexpected. She’s so beautiful and capable, and also compassionate."

Hannah embodied all the ideals and virtues of a distinguished family’s daughter in her mind.

Bright and dazzling.

"If you want to chase her, you have to get past me first."

"..."

Persons like William Hale hung high above, true superiors; finding a match for my cousin that could catch his eye was indeed no easy task.

"She did have suitors during her school days."

"And afterwards?" Zoe Bell was curious.

"Chased her for most of the semester, all kinds of courtship. He was a year younger than me; my sister said she didn’t like younger brothers."

"So she rejected him?"

"Yeah, he later became friends with me."

Zoe Bell was stunned, wondering why things turned out this way.

"His personality couldn’t hold a candle to my sister. She has a sort of temperament that’s hard to manage unless she is willing, and back then I wanted to figure him out; he also tried to get close to my sister by pleasing me..."

"Then, he just said, he felt more comfortable around me."

"My sister almost thought he twisted after being rejected, assumed he liked men."

Zoe Bell burst into laughter, "So that’s how you became friends?"

"Yeah, and our grandfathers knew each other, there were interactions, it’s just that we didn’t know each other before."

"And he has always wanted to meet you."

"Meet me?" Zoe Bell was surprised.

"He’s very curious about you."

Meanwhile, William Hale had prepared the meal and placed it on the table, with steak, shrimp and asparagus cooked, fruit and vegetable salad made, and also toasted sourdough bread.

After the meal, Zoe Bell took it upon herself to handle the dishwashing, merely needing to place them in the dishwasher.

Her body was still sore, and she couldn’t help but yawn again.

She had hardly slept last night, and it felt like no amount of daytime sleep could compensate for it.

"Tired? Do you want to take a nap?"

Sleep again?

Zoe Bell shook her head, "I’m not tired!"

William Hale smiled but said nothing, only asking her to sit on the sofa. He sat on the other side and started massaging her legs. The TV was on, playing an old movie.

William Hale’s palm was large, fully covering her ankle, bringing warmth that was quite comforting.

Outside, the heavy clouds obscured the daylight, the distant sky dense like ink, as if you could wring water from it.

In the movie, the male and female protagonists were breaking up, making Zoe Bell feel emotional, her eyes slightly reddened.

Then William Hale asked,

"What kind of wedding do you like?"

"Hmm?" She was startled.

"The wedding, whether before or after the surgery, it’s your call, but I want to start preparing for it early," William Hale said seriously.

He was too busy; organizing a wedding and going on a honeymoon, he needed to schedule his time properly.

During their marriage registration, William Hale had mentioned the wedding before, but then many things happened, and she had forgotten about it.

"Do you prefer a Chinese or Western style, or do you have other ideas?"

Zoe Bell had previously thought their relationship was merely for show, never seriously considering how to plan the wedding.

"You can think about it slowly."

A wedding had to be something she liked.

Zoe Bell turned to look at him, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"When did you actually start liking me?" She always felt that someone like William Hale, controlled and rational, wouldn’t fall in love at first sight, "I was already engaged at that time."

"So what?"

Zoe Bell was taken aback.

So, this gentleman never really considered Brandon Stone a threat.

William Hale looked at her, "Do you want to know?"

"Hmm."

"Make me happy, and I’ll tell you."

"..."

He just lay back lazily on the sofa, his expression clearly saying:

Please me.

Zoe Bell had been tormented the night before and now she was supposed to please him?

No way!

She wanted to leave, but her ankle was still clutched in his hands; she tried to break free, but William Hale suddenly leaned over, throwing Zoe Bell off balance and sinking into the sofa...

She had nowhere to hide, dragged along as if plummeting into a warm spring.

Drowning, breathless.

Once it was over, her clothes were disheveled, and William Hale’s shirt was still on, fittingly matching four words:

Cloaked beast.