Mrs Hale, I Surrender
Chapter 223 - 222, did Mr. Hale elope with Zoe? They’ve run away...

Chapter 223: 222, did Mr. Hale elope with Zoe? They’ve run away...

Inside the hospital ward

Julia Yates cried for a long while before she finally calmed her emotions. Clutching Zoe Bell’s hand tightly, her fingers trembled as she tried to touch Zoe’s face, careful not to disturb her.

As if she was afraid it was all a dream.

And that it would shatter upon contact.

Her voice quivering, she said, "My daughter has grown up so beautiful."

"Even more beautiful than I imagined."

"Just a little too thin."

Zoe Bell could only smile. At the Bell family, no matter how well she did, she never received a word of praise from her foster parents, leading to a detached sense of kinship. Now faced with her biological parents, she felt somewhat at a loss.

Unsure of what to say or do.

She appeared restrained and cautious.

Seeing Zoe’s hesitancy, Julia changed the subject, "What happened to your leg?"

"An old injury from dancing."

"You learned to dance?"

Zoe nodded, "I’ve danced ballet for a while and also taught it to students."

Julia’s eyes reddened in an instant.

Her memory of her daughter was one of indulgence and affection.

Especially her husband, who learned to walk and yet loved being held; ever since she was little, she loved clinging to her father, delicate and tender, whining for her dad or brother at the slightest hurt...

Julia only knew a few simple social dances, but she understood that dancing was not easy.

Learning to dance must have been very hard for her.

"How did you get to Summerland with your injured leg? Did your dad and brother arrange it?" Julia held back her tears as they threatened to spill over, "Long-distance travel isn’t good for your leg, those two are really..."

Mario Payne wanted to explain, but Zoe spoke up first:

"It wasn’t arranged by them."

"I wanted to come on my own."

Julia was touched, "How did you come all by yourself?"

"My husband accompanied me."

"You..." Julia was stunned, the revelation a small shock to her since she had always thought of her daughter as still being young, "You’re married?"

"Yes." Zoe nodded.

Julia looked at her husband, and Mario nodded in confirmation, "From the Hale family, he’s outside."

"When did he come?"

"He’s been here all along, it’s just that you didn’t notice him."

"..."

As hospital wards are not soundproof, outside the door, Junior President Payne heard this and glanced at William Hale, whispering, "Shall we go in? I’ll introduce you to my mom."

William nodded.

He had not gone in, not wanting to disturb their family reunion.

When he entered the ward with Tim Payne, he politely nodded and greeted Julia.

Julia sized him up, "What’s your relationship with Finn Hale?"

"He’s my uncle; my father is Brock Hale."

Julia acknowledged with a nod, "I have met your mother a few times, don’t just stand there, have a seat."

"It’s been a tiring journey, thank you for taking care of my daughter."

"It’s what I should do."

"Caring for a patient isn’t easy; it requires patience and attention to detail. Seeing her in good spirits, you must have been thorough and considerate."

"You give me too much credit."

It was Zoe’s first time seeing her husband...

being so humble.

After all, at home, he didn’t spare even his grandfather when he had a retort.

Julia, still holding onto Zoe as if she had endless things to say, was reminded by Mario, "They’ve traveled a long way and must be exhausted. It’s nearly noon, at least let the kids go have lunch first."

She seemed to come back to her senses then, yet her grip on Zoe’s hand never loosened for a moment.

"Would Uncle Payne trouble you to order us a meal? I and Zoe would like to dine here with auntie," William spoke up proactively.

"Zoe’s leg has just undergone surgery and she needs to stay in the hospital for recovery. I’ve brought her medical records. I’m not familiar with Summerland so, if possible, could Uncle Payne or Junior President Payne assist with the hospital arrangements?"

The Payne father and son, both astute, understood that William was creating an opportunity for them:

Having found Zoe, they naturally wanted to make amends and do something for her.

Yet they were somewhat at a loss for how to begin,

William really knew how to handle the situation.

The implication of his words about the hospital stay:

was that Zoe would be in Summerland for a while, which was an opportunity they desperately wanted.

"I’ll go order the meals and also arrange for the hospital stay," Junior President Payne volunteered, with William also getting up to join him. He was the most familiar with Zoe’s medical condition.

Before leaving Capital City, Old Sir Lewis gave him some precautions to keep in mind, which he needed to pass on to the doctor who would be responsible for Zoe thereafter.

Junior President Payne was the practical sort and swiftly handled the hospitalization process.

While William Hale discussed Zoe Bell’s condition with the doctor, he observed the man before him.

He had looked into his sister’s situation.

To be honest, he had to thank William Hale.

No matter how they came to be together or why they married, in the end, it was he who had reached out in time to pull his sister from the mire, which then led to exposing Director Hall’s pretense.

Otherwise,

he feared he might never see her again.

After leaving the doctor’s office, Zac Cruz and Kyle Lowe had already brought Zoe Bell’s luggage over, and the doctor had added an extra bed in Julia Yates’ room so the mother and daughter could stay together.

Zac Cruz and Kyle Lowe, at this point, were completely baffled.

They received the notification in the middle of the night.

Saying that their lady was to be transferred to another hospital.

The two guessed, could it be that she was moving to the People’s Hospital closer to home for treatment?

But they were informed:

To Summerland!

The two cities were more than a thousand miles apart.

Wanting to ask but not daring to, they couldn’t figure out what had happened between their lady and her husband because she had red-rimmed eyes as if she had been crying.

Upon arriving at Summerland Hospital, they waited in the car until they received a message to bring the luggage to the inpatient department.

Junior President Payne glanced at the luggage and then at William Hale, chuckling softly, "The word outside is that you get along well with your uncle."

"My relationship with him is average, we’re just close in age."

Zac Cruz: (O_o)??

Kyle Lowe: (ー`´ー)

Junior President Payne nodded, "You’re much more likable than your uncle, that man... really isn’t great."

William Hale smiled without commenting.

Zac Cruz and Kyle Lowe were speechless:

Sir, just when did you infiltrate the enemy’s ranks?

If this gets back to the Hale family, there will be trouble.

Once they had moved the luggage into the room and saw Zoe Bell being pampered by both of the Mario Paynes, their eyes all red like rabbits, what on earth was going on?

It wasn’t until they left the room that William Hale finally said, "Go grab something to eat, feel free to wander around. I’ll contact you if there’s anything."

"Sir, hope you won’t blame me for being nosy," Zac Cruz couldn’t hold back.

"If you know it’s nosy, then don’t ask."

"Is the lady related to the Payne family somehow?" Zac Cruz still asked.

"The Payne family lost a daughter a while back."

Zac Cruz and Kyle Lowe were stunned as they walked away.

As they sat in a fast-food restaurant, Zac Cruz suddenly came to a realization, "Kyle Lowe, did I hear that wrong just now? Does our sir mean... the lady is the Payne family’s lost daughter?"

"Yeah, that’s what he meant."

"We’re finished!"

"What’s wrong?"

"Junior President Payne and our uncle don’t get along, and suddenly they’ve become in-laws."

"It’s an excellent opportunity to turn foes into friends."

"I’m worried these two won’t reconcile, and then our sir will be caught in the middle, with his brother-in-law on one side and his uncle on the other, putting him in a tough spot."

——

Meanwhile, far away in the Capital City, Finn Hale was down with a cold these past few days.

He figured it was the cold wind he caught while working at night and his mother wouldn’t let him leave, so he stayed at the old house recently.

As soon as he got to the dining table, he sneezed non-stop, causing Old Sir Hale to frown deeply, "Your cold hasn’t cleared yet? Have you been taking medicine and resting properly?"

"I have."

Finn Hale said this:

Medicine, not taken;

Rest, certainly not properly.

"It was much better the last few days, but today, for some reason, it started feeling uncomfortable again," Finn Hale frowned.

Upon hearing this, Old Sir Hale laughed, "My boy, I bet you’ve done too many misdeeds, and someone is cursing you behind your back."

"..."

"You never liked taking medicine when you were sick, but now you’re over 30, your body isn’t the same as before, you can’t withstand viruses like you used to, man, you need to accept your age."

Finn Hale, with a cold making his head hurt, had no energy to entertain his father.

Accept your age?

Over thirty is old?

Having no appetite for lunch, he took his medicine and went back to his room to rest.

As a result, he missed the information that followed perfectly.

At that moment, Wyatt Hale suddenly ran into the room, "Grandpa, Grandma, big trouble! My brother has eloped with his wife, they’ve run away!"