Mrs Hale, I Surrender
Chapter 234 - 233 Difficult Uncle, a Villain Meets His Match (2 more - s)

Chapter 234: 233 Difficult Uncle, a Villain Meets His Match (2 more Chapters)

His gaze seemed to have long pierced through the nature of their relationship as he scrutinized William Hale until he heard his sister’s voice and withdrew his eyes.

"Why are you standing in the hallway? Come in quickly."

When Julia Yates saw Zoe Bell, her eyes filled with laughter, "This is your uncle; you’ve met him, right?"

Zoe nodded.

Julia then glared at her brother, "Don’t keep a stern face; you’ll scare the child."

Martin Yates replied.

He smiled briefly at Zoe and William Hale.

Zac Cruz, standing behind them, felt a shiver run through his scalp:

Oh heavens!

Even scarier!

Martin Yates’ features were not suited for smiling; it looked remarkably unbecoming when he did.

He exchanged a look with his sister, and as they walked behind, the surroundings were so quiet that Zoe could still hear snippets of their conversation before entering the private room.

"Sister, are you sure this really is Zoe?"

"She’s my own daughter; how could I not recognize her?" Julia whispered, "Tim even had a test report done; you’ve seen it, what’s there to doubt."

"Make sure you don’t talk nonsense in front of her!"

"I know," Martin’s hoarse voice was extremely uncomfortable to listen to, "It just feels like she’s changed a lot."

"Obviously, it’s been twenty years."

"It doesn’t feel right."

"How can you tell it doesn’t feel right?"

"When she was little, she would cry as soon as she saw me. Now, she’s brave enough to look me in the eyes."

"..."

Zoe couldn’t make out the rest of their conversation.

Crying as soon as she saw him.

She must have been very scared of him.

Mario Payne and Tim Payne were in the dining room. When she entered, they helped her to sit, and the Payne Family Members gathered around her, with William Hale naturally taking a seat on the side.

This resulted in him sitting next to Martin Yates.

He got up to pour tea and water for him. Being so close allowed him to observe him closely.

Martin Yates had taken off his coat and hung it aside; without the cover of a high-collared coat, William could clearly see a scar on his neck.

Deep. It must have damaged his vocal cords at the time.

Noticing his observing gaze, Martin set down his chopsticks and took a sip of tea, "I got hurt by local gangs wanting to steal gems while I was mining abroad."

He said it casually.

Upon hearing this, Zoe asked, "Don’t the police handle this?"

"The police are also human, afraid of evil doers, and not every country’s security environment is as good as ours."

Martin lived abroad, always...

carrying a gun.

Even with bodyguards, safety was never 100% guaranteed.

It was only upon returning to his country that he could relax a bit.

"Let’s order first, see what you’d like to eat?" Julia handed the tablet for ordering to Zoe who then passed it to Martin, "Uncle, why don’t you choose?"

Martin didn’t demur.

"Uncle, Zoe and I have prepared a gift for you." William indicated for Zac to bring out the gift, "Knowing you like photography, we chose a set of equipment, but we’re amateurs, it might not be perfect, but we hope you’ll like it."

William’s demeanor was very humble.

In this country, there’s a saying "Mother’s siblings have an important place," highlighting the uncle’s significance.

Martin raised an eyebrow and glanced at it, "Thoughtful."

Zac stood on the side, astounded inwardly:

Ever since the lady acknowledged her relatives, our boss’s status has really plummeted...

Getting married is truly not easy.

To everyone’s surprise, he ordered lychee shrimp balls and a rose lychee drink for her.

The rest of the dishes were almost all high in calcium and protein.

Since her surgery, Lily Lott had specifically instructed the family chef to prepare nutritious meals suitable post-surgery, so she was naturally familiar with these dishes.

Throughout the meal, Martin hardly spoke.

William actively tried to make conversation with him.

His responses were almost never more than five words, making him seem indeed difficult to deal with.

Zoe Bell sneaked several glances at him.

Martin Yates didn’t eat much and talked to Mario Payne about business, mentioning areas where mining was not allowed and where a large quantity of rubies had been found.

He fiddled with a string of beads as their eyes occasionally met.

Zoe Bell quickly lowered her head.

Seeing this, Tim Payne almost laughed out loud:

It’s not that serious,

Uncle is tough to deal with, but he won’t eat her.

"Were you studying dance before?" Martin Yates suddenly asked.

Zoe Bell nodded.

"Can you still work in that field after your foot surgery?"

"Depending on the recovery post-surgery, it might be difficult to become a professional dancer," Zoe Bell said honestly, as her leg injury had set her back many years.

"Don’t just stay at home," Martin Yates looked at her seriously.

"Huh?" Zoe was taken aback.

"No matter what the salary, you should have a job of your own."

"I opened an online shop selling homemade Incense Sticks; business is okay. It’s just that I’ve recently had surgery and still need rehabilitation, so I don’t have much time to manage the shop."

Martin Yates nodded upon hearing this.

Zoe Bell felt great pressure conversing with him.

Not daring to meet his gaze, her eyes fluttered and landed on the yellow rosewood beside his hand.

She was accustomed to handling wooden incense materials.

Yellow rosewood, also known as agarwood substitute, although the book mentioned it can replace agarwood, it’s pricey, and Zoe Bell had never tried making incense with it.

Wondering how it smells?

The one in Martin Yates’ hand...

Definitely a rarity.

"Uncle, how long do you plan to stay abroad this time?" Tim Payne asked.

"I’ll hand over some work to your dad, then leave in a couple of days."

"So soon?"

"Will you miss me?"

As soon as Martin Yates said this, Tim Payne immediately didn’t dare to respond.

"Isn’t that it?" Martin Yates raised an eyebrow, "Or, do you wish I’d leave sooner?"

"That’s not what I meant."

"After dinner, I’ll go with you to the office. There are some work-related matters I need to discuss with you."

"..."

A hint of displeasure crossed Tim Payne’s face.

Discuss work late at night?

Are you kidding!

Zac Cruz almost burst out laughing.

Indeed, a scoundrel meets his match—Junior President Payne had been troubling his own boss recently, and now someone was dealing with him.

"Uncle, it’s pretty late, and you just got off the plane. You should really rest. Whatever it is, we can talk tomorrow." Tim Payne didn’t want to go to the office alone with him so late.

"Are you very tired?"

"I’m okay, just worried about your health."

"I had a physical last month, no issues, and I need to adjust to the jet lag; I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I went home."

"..."

Tim Payne couldn’t argue with him, he looked at his parents hoping they would help him out, but their entire attention was on his sister.

They didn’t spare him an extra glance.

When the meal concluded, Zoe Bell was about to stand up when Martin Yates suddenly came over and handed her a cane.

"Thank you, Uncle."

Just as Zoe Bell was about to take the cane, a string of yellow rosewood beads suddenly appeared in front of her, startling her.

Martin Yates had already shoved the beads into her hand.

Then, he turned and left.

The warmth from his hand still lingered on the beads, warm to the touch. Zoe Bell clutched the beads, feeling an unusual sensation in her heart.

——

Meanwhile, abroad, Lucas Bell had just finished a call with his sister and was heading to the restaurant where he worked, completely unaware that several pairs of eyes were watching him closely.