Mrs Hale, I Surrender
Chapter 233: Uncle 232, sharp as a knife, not to be trifled with

Chapter 233: Uncle 232, sharp as a knife, not to be trifled with

Zoe Bell thought about her first meeting with her uncle, hoping to leave a good impression. She specifically asked her big brother what her uncle liked, aiming to appeal to his interests.

"He?" Tim Payne chuckled lowly, "He likes raising horses, birdwatching, and playing table tennis."

"His hobbies are quite diverse."

"Life is rich and colorful."

"..."

"His biggest hobby is tormenting foreigners who don’t know how to play table tennis."

Zoe was taken aback.

Tim Payne continued to add, "He doesn’t even spare the kids, once made a child cry directly."

"That harsh?"

"Really tricky, but you don’t need to worry too much. Except for my mom, he’s the same with everyone. He never gave a good face to me or our dad. When you were little, he would often make you cry."

Tim Payne suddenly laughed, "Right, you used to be most afraid of him. Whenever you misbehaved or didn’t eat your meals well, our mom would scare you with uncle."

"Merely mentioning him, and you’d become incredibly well-behaved."

Zoe pressed her lips tightly together.

Is he that difficult to handle?

She consulted with Wyatt Hale and decided to gift him a set of professional birdwatching equipment. She thought that someone who liked animals couldn’t have a bad personality, but she still felt a bit uneasy on the way to the hotel.

"Nervous?" William Hale looked at her with a smile.

"Somewhat."

William Hale gently took her hand, his fingertips lightly caressing the back of her hand, inducing a tingling, ticklish sensation. When Zoe tried to withdraw her hand, he unexpectedly leaned over and kissed her.

Zac Cruz, driving in the front, had his pupils suddenly dilate, hurriedly opening the partition between the front and back seats.

His lips, thin and soft.

Yet their warmth was scorching.

Zoe’s right leg was not very comfortable. She reached out to push him away but was effortlessly lifted onto his lap and leaned on his shoulder, catching her breath, while William Hale’s voice was close to her ear.

"Does this feel more comfortable?"

He was naturally referring to her leg.

But in this situation, Zoe felt her ears inexplicably heating up.

Her face reddened, like freshly brewed peach blossom wine, tempting one to take a sip. His breath was so hot it scorched her face, and William Hale bowed his head again to kiss her.

The partition blocked the view from the front but did little to muffle sound. Zoe restrained herself from making any noise, her arms wrapping around his neck, clinging to him, letting him have his way.

When they finished, she obediently leaned in William Hale’s embrace.

He played with her long hair around his finger, making circles, his gaze dark.

This uncle...

Because he had been abroad for many years, there was not much information available about him. She only knew that he would visit his sister in Summerland several times a year, that he had his own horse farm, and that he liked equestrian sports in his youth. Only after the incident with Zoe did he join the company, taking over Mario Payne’s position.

By nature, he was exceptionally bold!

Thus, he quickly established a foothold in Payne Corps.

Was he, in the end, on the side of good or evil?

Leaning in his embrace, she could not see his face and did not know that at this moment, his expression was serious. Her phone vibrated; it was a call from Lucas Bell.

"Lucas?"

"Sis, when did you get hurt?"

"..."

"What happened? Kidnapped? Why didn’t you tell me anything!" Lucas’s tone was urgent.

"Who told you about it?"

"Don’t worry about that."

Lucas was far away overseas, with the end of the semester approaching, he was swamped with his studies, and he was also working part-time to earn money. Zoe had wanted to cover his tuition and living expenses, but he had politely declined.

With the Bell family’s downfall, those rich second-generation friends had already kicked him out of their circles. Moreover, because Zoe had deliberately concealed the news, he had not been informed.

"Did Wyatt tell you?" Zoe massaged her forehead; the only person she could think of was Wyatt Hale, "I wasn’t hurt, just encountered a little accident, and after discussing with the doctors, I decided to have the surgery before the official start of winter."

"Really?"

"How about we video call? It’s just that I’m in the car, and the lighting isn’t great."

Lucas Bell felt reassured upon hearing this.

"How have your studies been lately? Finals are approaching, right?"

"Not bad."

"When do you get off for vacation?"

"Early December."

"Then, when you’re on vacation, I’ll book your flight tickets and you can come visit me."

Zoe Bell rambled on with more nagging advice before finally hanging up, like a mother whose heart had been broken into pieces. After ending the call, she bit her teeth and muttered, "Wyatt Hale, that little brat, I’ll settle our scores when I get home."

At that moment, Wyatt Hale, who was helping his sister-in-law pack incense sticks, suddenly sneezed several times.

It made Joy Watson frown and ask, "Do you have a cold?"

"No, it feels like someone is talking badly about me."

"With that mouth of yours, you offend many people on a regular basis, so it’s normal for someone to speak ill of you."

"Sister Joy," Wyatt Hale said exasperatedly, "even you say this about me, but I often treat you to milk tea!"

"And then, after sitting in front of the computer without moving for extended periods, I gained three pounds in half a month."

"..."

Wyatt Hale snorted, feeling his good intentions were being treated with ingratitude.

**

At this time, Zoe Bell and William Hale had arrived at the hotel. From the underground garage, they took the VIP elevator straight to the top floor. When the elevator doors opened, Zac Cruz thoughtfully held them open because Zoe Bell was using a crutch and moved a bit slowly.

William instinctively reached out to help her but was refused by Zoe, "I can manage on my own."

As soon as she successfully stepped out of the elevator and looked around to find the location of the private room...

She caught sight of a stranger sizing her up.

The man was in his fifties, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a Huali wood bead bracelet, his gaze sharp as a hawk circling the desolate desert sky, eyes locked fiercely onto its prey.

He was dressed in black, with exceptionally pronounced facial features, as if chiseled by an axe.

Just one look from him could make someone’s skin crawl.

His features bore a slight resemblance to Tim Payne, and Zoe Bell almost immediately guessed his identity.

Politely, she said, "Hello, Uncle."

William Hale also followed her lead, calling out, "Uncle."

Martin Yates nodded, continuing to scrutinize her.

His gaze was as sharp as a knife, causing Zoe’s scalp to tighten, her hand clutching the crutch firmly.

"Follow me," Martin Yates said as he withdrew his gaze and turned to walk away, Zoe then picked up her crutch, following along with William Hale.

Even his back seemed to broadcast three words:

Not to be messed with!

"I heard your leg was injured before and that’s why you had surgery? How is the recovery going?" Martin Yates suddenly broke the silence; his voice seemed rough, almost disturbingly hoarse.

It had the heaviness of sandpaper.

Even his voice carried an oppressive force.

Zoe Bell’s scalp tingled as she replied, not daring to meet his gaze, "The recovery is pretty good."

He hummed calmly and then suddenly turned his head, looking at William Hale: "You got married quite early."

Zac Cruz, trailing behind, silently broke into a cold sweat on behalf of his boss and thought how difficult this man seemed to be.

William Hale smiled, "When there’s mutual love, things happen naturally, and marriage just follows."

"Natural?"

Martin Yates’s gaze met William Hale’s, as he pondered the meaning of these four words.

His eyes seemed to convey:

You’re full of it, kid!