Mrs Hale, I Surrender
Chapter 199: Could it be that he wants to acknowledge her as his sworn sister?

Chapter 199: Could it be that he wants to acknowledge her as his sworn sister?

When Zoe Bell and Assistant Law entered the private room, because the door was not closed, she immediately saw Junior President Payne sitting by the window, the autumn wind blowing his hair into disarray.

He was clearly a charismatic figure, but at that moment, he radiated loneliness and desolation.

Only when he heard the door open did he compose himself and look towards Zoe Bell, saying, "Long time no see."

"Hello," Zoe Bell responded politely with a nod, "I didn’t expect you to come yourself."

"I just happened to be nearby on business."

Assistant Law, standing by the side, poured tea for Zoe Bell and then quietly stood aside, remaining silent.

On business?

His business was probably just daydreaming.

Who knows how long they had already spent in this tea room today.

But it was hard to guess what Junior President Payne was thinking.

Sometimes he could spend days and nights working on design drafts or sit idle all day without a care for the world.

Perhaps that’s just the artist in him—there’s always a bit of eccentricity in their personalities.

"I’ll show you the preliminary draft."

The man said, pulled a folder from the side, and handed it to her. Zoe Bell smiled and accepted it. The design of the ring was simple and elegant, quite different from those commonly seen in the market.

"I’ve made some innovations on the ladies’ ring; the diamond-set part can be detached or flipped. If it’s inconvenient to wear the ring during your work, it could also look good as a necklace." He motioned for Zoe Bell to flip to the next page, which contained the necklace’s initial design.

A ring that doubles as a necklace was indeed very suitable.

Zoe Bell, who usually had to handle spices, indeed found it inconvenient to wear rings for long periods.

"Such a design is really ingenious," Zoe Bell smiled.

"This kind of design has been around for a while, and there are also designs that can double as both a ring and a bracelet, depending on personal need." He looked at Zoe Bell, "If you have any dissatisfaction, please feel free to mention it."

Zoe Bell then suggested a few improvements.

Before they knew it, it had gotten dark.

When dinner time approached, Zoe Bell, not liking to owe anyone, took the initiative to suggest, "Junior President Payne, I really appreciate you taking the time to design this for me. If you don’t have other plans tonight, I’d like to invite you for dinner."

Assistant Law had been busy on the computer, refining and organizing the requests Zoe Bell had raised.

Out of the blue, he heard his Junior President Payne say, "That would be nice."

He was momentarily stunned.

Junior President Payne was a bit of an odd character and rarely accepted invitations.

The two of them went to a nearby Chinese restaurant.

Following his guest’s lead, Junior President Payne let Zoe Bell order, though she was cautious not to know the other’s preferences, her choices inevitably revealed her own favorites, "Miss Bell likes shrimp?"

Because she ordered a dish of lychee stuffed shrimp.

"I think lychees taste quite good, but if you don’t like them, I can change the dish."

"No need, lychee..." the man glanced at Zoe Bell, "is quite good."

Assistant Law, standing by, thought to himself:

His Junior President Payne didn’t like lychees at all.

After all the time he had been with him, he had never seen him eat lychees even once.

During a break between courses, Zoe Bell’s phone vibrated, "Excuse me, it’s Mr. Hale’s call, I’ll step out to take it."

"Where are you having dinner?"

Zoe Bell had informed William Hale earlier that she would not be returning to the old house for dinner.

"Just found a nearby Chinese restaurant, have you reached home?"

"Not yet, got a client."

"He’s rather casual about things, which makes him a bit difficult to handle," Zoe Bell frowned.

Leaving a client hanging like that wasn’t proper, so after only a few words, she returned to the private room. Once all the dishes were served, Zoe Bell raised a cup of tea to Junior President Payne to thank him for designing on her behalf for free.

"Miss Bell is too polite." He wasn’t drinking alcohol, so he took a sip from his tea cup.

Zoe Bell wasn’t very talkative, and Junior President Payne also seemed to be a man of few words, which created a somewhat stifling atmosphere.

Until Junior President Payne suddenly asked, "Miss Bell and Mr. Hale... are you married?"

Assistant Law, whose mind had been wandering, instantly perked up.

Zoe Bell just smiled and did not deny it.

The assistant was dumbfounded.

He thought the two were just dating normally, not as scandalous as the rumors suggested. Little did he know they were already married. Junior President Payne indeed had an insightful eye to see through it.

"Miss Bell looks quite young, 23, maybe 24?"

"24."

Junior President Payne rubbed the teacup in front of him, his face showing no emotion.

"Why did you agree to marry so early?"

"When you meet the right person, a bit earlier or later doesn’t make much difference," Zoe Bell smiled.

"It seems, Mr. Hale is very good to you."

Zoe nodded.

Assistant Law stood by the side, also seldom seeing his boss show interest in someone else’s private life; he was happy to hear some gossip.

All he could say was:

Serena Conner must have had a short circuit. They were legally married, and yet she had the nerve to stir up trouble. It was also the day Mr. Hale wasn’t there; otherwise, her end would have been even more embarrassing.

Zoe Bell wasn’t very familiar with this Junior President Payne and didn’t want to talk too much about her personal life. Changing the subject, she asked, "How has Finn Hale been recently?"

His younger uncle?

"He’s doing well."

"I heard he’s been mostly abroad these past years, it’s been a long time since I last saw him. I’d like to have dinner with him if there’s a chance."

"..."

Zoe just gave a wry smile.

Dinner?

You better not.

They hadn’t drunk alcohol, so time passed quite quickly during the meal. As they were leaving the restaurant, Junior President Payne glanced at Zoe Bell. He was just about to speak when his eyes, slipping past her, flashed a slightly amused smirk.

Zoe turned around and saw William Hale’s car parked not far away, with the window half down.

He only opened the door and got out after seeing her.

It was cold, and William wore a long black overcoat. His presence was already striking, now even more oppressive.

He nodded politely to Junior President Payne and shook his hand lightly, "Junior President Payne, long time no see."

"Indeed, it has been a long time."

"Thank you for taking care of my wife tonight."

William’s tone sounded like a declaration of sovereignty.

Strangely.

Zoe felt there was a scent of gunpowder in the air.

Junior President Payne just smiled, "I was thinking it’s too late for her to go home alone, and it wouldn’t be safe. I was going to have the assistant take her home, but now that you’re here, it’s no longer necessary."

They exchanged a few more polite words and then got into their cars, heading in opposite directions.

——

Assistant Law drove, occasionally glancing at his boss sitting in the back, who was examining the Incense Stick that Zoe Bell had given him. "Just say whatever you want to say. You don’t need to keep staring at me."

"It’s just that, you seem to have a special regard for Miss Bell."

"Do I?"

Assistant Law gave a wry smile, "Usually, you rarely take the initiative to meet with clients."

There were always some clients who were nitpicky, which strained his focus on design. Encountering such clients inevitably wore him out, so typically, the juniors handled client relationships as arranged by the assistant.

"I just feel a good connection with her."

The assistant coughed, "Well... she’s married."

"I know."

"Connection or not doesn’t change that fact."

Junior President Payne lifted his eyelids to look at him, "Assistant Law."

"Yes?"

"Your mind is too dirty. Not everything between men and women has to do with romance."

Assistant Law laughed awkwardly, perhaps you want to adopt her as your god-sister then.