Mrs Hale, I Surrender
Chapter 231 - 230 Creating an ’Encounter,’ a Fierce and Terrifying Man

Chapter 231: 230 Creating an ’Encounter,’ a Fierce and Terrifying Man

Isaac Shea glanced at his phone, the Payne Family had become the recent focal point of heated discussions in the Circle of Capital City.

[The Payne Family has been getting quite cozy with the Hale Family lately.]

[Indeed, it’s been common lately to see Mario Payne and his wife frequenting the Hale Family’s estate, which is odd, given that the two families had no prior dealings. Why, all of a sudden, are they so close?]

[I’m just curious, how did Junior President Payne and the Younger Uncle of Hale Family bury the hatchet?]

...

However, it soon became clear when the Payne Family started renovating their old mansion, and Finn Hale was seen supervising the work on site.

The Payne Family must have enlisted Finn Hale for the design.

No wonder the two families had grown so close.

Renovating an old mansion is no small task; it made sense for Mario Payne and his wife to be personally involved.

After finishing his company work late at night, William Hale passed Finn Hale’s study and noticed light seeping from beneath the door. When he knocked and entered, he saw the floor plan of the old Payne mansion spread across the desk.

"Uncle, are you still busy? It’s quite late."

Finn Hale glanced at him, "Isn’t it because of you?"

"Me?"

"Tim Payne, that guy, now treats me like a general contractor."

"..."

"I’m responsible for the design, and even the construction personnel were recruited with my help. Now, I don’t do anything else but work for him alone. You probably don’t understand how difficult your uncle can be."

As the client, Tim Payne had many demands, giving Finn Hale quite a headache.

"You have my sympathies." William Hale poured him a cup of coffee, and Finn Hale took a sip before speaking, "By the way, have you ever been to the old Payne estate?"

"No."

"They have a museum."

"Oh?"

Finn Hale pointed to a structure on the blueprint, "The Payne Family has a nearly 1,000-square-meter private collection, filled with treasures. Beyond jewelry, there are all kinds of antiques, and some pieces are even stored in a warehouse."

"I knew the Payne Family was wealthy, but I never imagined they were this rich."

"No wonder Tim Payne’s aunt and uncle both want to take charge of the family."

William Hale glanced at the blueprint on the desk; aside from the collection gallery, there were garden pavilions and even a large artificial lake, "Do you know much about Payne’s aunt and uncle?"

"I’ve never interacted with them deeply. However, during the site visit to the Payne estate, I happened to meet his aunt, who lives in the old mansion with her husband and daughter."

"Over the years, it’s been them accompanying the Payne elders."

William Hale nodded.

Finn Hale added, "Tim Payne’s uncle married into the family, and the daughter takes her mother’s surname, which caused quite a rift with the rest of the family."

"His aunt seems quite approachable."

William Hale just listened quietly.

Seems approachable?

But she’s the one managing the Payne Corps business, and those with a gentle disposition probably would have been wiped out in the business world long ago.

"Oh, that’s right..." Finn Hale took a sip of his coffee, as if something just occurred to him, "Tim Payne’s uncle, he’s been single for many years, never married, with no children of his own."

"He’s in charge of purchasing raw gemstones for Payne Corps Jewelry, spending most of his time on business trips outside. I’ve heard he’s quite formidable and not easy to deal with."

"From what little Tim has hinted, it seems his uncle will soon return to Capital City."

"The Payne Family is not as simple as it seems on the surface. You should remind your niece-in-law that apart from her parents and brother, she shouldn’t open up to anyone too easily—being cautious is always beneficial," Finn Hale advised.

William Hale nodded in agreement.

The most crucial point was:

The identity of the murderer from those years ago was still unknown!

According to what he knew so far, Zoe Bell’s "passing" was an accident, leaving Mario Payne and his wife too heartbroken to attend to any business, and Tim Payne was too young.

The ones who benefited the most were just two:

The aunt and the uncle!

Could the murderer be among them?

Zoe Bell was lately immersed in the joy of finding her lost relatives. Besides making incense, she was actively undergoing treatment at the rehabilitation center, and now she could walk on her own with the aid of crutches.

She even believed that she had gotten lost and abducted because she wandered off by accident.

William Hale massaged his temples with a headache:

How was he supposed to tell her,

that back then, someone had wanted her dead!

**

Rehabilitation Hospital

Zoe Bell was dedicated to her treatment, hoping to walk without crutches as soon as possible. When her right foot touched the ground, her ankle still hurt terribly. She often sweated profusely after a rehabilitation session.

"Everyone who comes here for rehabilitation hopes to recover quickly, but we can’t rush the process. It must be gradual," the doctor reminded.

"I know, thank you."

Julia Yates wanted to accompany Zoe to her rehabilitation sessions, but Zoe politely declined.

The process of recovery was hard, and she was afraid Julia would not be able to bear watching.

Both William Hale and Hannah Johnson would accompany her at times, but most often, it was Kyle Lowe who followed her. Since the last incident, he really didn’t dare leave Zoe by herself.

He was almost...

following her into the restroom.

At this moment, there was a pair of eyes nearby, watching her with great interest.

The temperature had dropped sharply recently, and it would be another half-month before Capital City started heating. The rehabilitation center had the heating on, and Zoe had sweated a lot after a round of rehabilitation.

For ease of movement, she wasn’t wearing much, and her damp clothes clung to her well-proportioned waist, outlining her attractive figure.

"She looks quite thin, but her figure is actually very good. She’s much better-looking than in her photos," the man’s gaze roamed over her body.

The corner of his mouth held a wicked smile, his eyes greedy.

"No wonder William Hale is head over heels for her."

Ryan Wells had been observing Zoe Bell for some days and had roughly figured out her schedule for coming to the Rehabilitation Hospital.

He managed to encounter her almost every time.

If William Hale was there personally accompanying her, Ryan Wells would leave early, but today, in William Hale’s absence, Ryan’s underling stuck close to Zoe, never leaving her side.

This made him even more certain:

Zoe Bell was definitely William Hale’s vulnerability!

At this point, Zoe had finished a round of rehabilitation and was sweating heavily. She sat down on a chair to rest.

"Here’s some water for you," Kyle Lowe said as he opened the thermos and handed it to her.

Zoe thanked him and took it, but because she had over-exercised in a short period, her hands trembled and she didn’t hold the cup firmly, causing all the water to spill out. Her trousers were wet in a large spot, and most of the water spilled onto the floor.

Kyle Lowe frowned and hurriedly handed her a towel and tissue to wipe herself, while he picked up the cup.

Fortunately, it was warm water and not scalding.

"I’m sorry, my hands are a bit shaky, I didn’t hold it securely," Zoe said, feeling apologetic.

Kyle shook his head, "No worries."

Although there was a one-on-one doctor to guide the rehabilitation, this was the main training hall with many other patients. If they didn’t clean up the water, someone could slip and fall, which would be bad.

"I’ll go find a cleaner."

The training hall was crowded, so Kyle wasn’t worried about accidents happening.

But since it wasn’t time for cleaning, he couldn’t find any janitors and had to look for cleaning tools himself.

Zoe was rubbing her numb wrist when she caught a glimpse of someone approaching out of the corner of her eye and quickly looked up, raising her voice to warn, "There’s water on the floor, please be careful."

As she looked up,

and their eyes met, Zoe’s face remained calm, but inside she felt a slight shock.

In the Rehabilitation Hospital, it was common to see many injured patients, but the person in front of her had a scar that ran from the back of his neck down to his chest, which looked ferocious. His uneven eyes, with a drooping left eye corner, gave off a very unpleasant vibe.