Mrs Hale, I Surrender
Chapter 235 - 234 punishes the people she cares about?

Chapter 235: 234 punishes the people she cares about?

On the way home, Zoe Bell played with the string of beads in her hand, "These Huanghuali beads are made of old sea-yellow materials, with all these burl patterns. They must be pretty valuable. Why did he give them to me?"

"You kept looking at it, so he probably thought you liked it," William Hale said straightforwardly.

"Did I?"

He nodded. Sitting next to Martin Yates gave him a clear view of his wife’s every move.

"When did you start liking bead strings?"

Zoe Bell pursed her lips. "I’m not interested in bead strings. I was just thinking that grinding this Huanghuali into powder for incense would probably smell quite nice."

"..."

Zac Cruz drove the car with a bewildered expression.

This sort of top-grade Huanghuali is hard to come by. You actually want to grind it into powder?

If Mr. Yates knew, he would probably be so dejected to death.

"Uncle is just a bit quirky, but he’s very attentive and considerate." Zoe Bell clutched the bead string, feeling a bit sleepy, and leaned towards William Hale, who then comfortably drew her into his embrace.

"If you’re tired, sleep for a bit. I’ll wake you when we get home."

Zoe Bell nodded and closed her eyes to rest.

William Hale, however, fell into deep thought.

If Martin Yates is a person, then is Aunt Payne a ghost?

Actually, there are two other possibilities:

Either both of them are ghosts, just pretending to be humans;

Or they are all good people. The ghost is someone else, and he’s overthinking.

---

At the moment, Martin Yates did not go to the company with Tim Payne; instead, he had gone to his residence.

He looked around.

"Are you sure this is your house?" Martin Yates’s expression was serious.

He spent most of his time abroad, and when he did return to the country, he would visit his sister in Summerland. This was his first visit to his nephew’s place in Capital City.

Tim nodded. "Yes, it’s my house."

"There’s not a trace of life here; you might as well stay at a hotel."

Tim had long gotten used to his way of speaking and poured him a glass of water. "Uncle, you’re looking for me so late, it’s not about work, is it?"

"Is William Hale a good person?"

"He’s pretty good. Why do you suddenly ask?"

"Aren’t you always saying that his uncle has a terrible personality? A nephew is likely to resemble his uncle."

"I’m already good friends with Finn Hale."

Martin Yates sipped his water, examining Tim, as if doubting the truth of his words.

"Some time ago, I accompanied my sister back to the Hale family and made up with Finn Hale."

"That’s just a story to fool your sister."

"..."

"Spit it out, what mischief are you holding back?"

Tim coughed, "It’s just that my parents want to renovate the old house and move my sister back, so they looked for a lot of designers. After much consideration, it seems that Finn Hale is the most reliable."

"How did he meet your sister?"

"I don’t know."

"Why a shotgun wedding?"

"I’m not very clear on that."

"What do you actually know?" Martin Yates frowned.

"He’s genuinely in love with Zoe, loves her a lot."

"Can love last a lifetime? That thing is the most elusive."

"Uncle," Tim raked a hand through his hair, "You don’t believe in it and haven’t encountered true love, so you never married. Talking about this... you wouldn’t understand."

"Get out—"

"Uncle, this is my house."

"So should I get out?"

Tim smirked ruefully; his uncle clearly wanted to stay with him. He’d asked many questions about his sister, and naturally, Tim was at liberty to tell all.

"Uncle, it’s quite late. Why don’t you rest early?"

"Can you bring me the camera she gave me? I want to check it out."

The result was that, after taking a shower and finishing two design drafts that needed revisions, Tim realized his uncle was still fiddling with the camera. He glanced at him, "Do you have plans tomorrow?"

"Nothing much."

"Come with me for birdwatching."

"..."

Bird photography was merely photographing birds, and Tim Payne had absolutely no interest in it.

His uncle had him tag along, which was essentially just to carry equipment—a real knack for ordering people around.

The next morning, Tim accompanied him to shoot birds bright and early.

There weren’t many birds in the city; they needed to venture to the suburbs.

The cold dew was heavy, and after four or five hours of shooting, they were heading back when Martin Yates said, "Your sister has always liked small animals since she was a child."

"She still does."

"Then later, send her the pictures I took and casually mention that the camera is good."

Tim had woken up too early and was feeling a headache.

Could it be that you got up at the crack of dawn to shoot birds just to show some pictures to your sister?

"I’ll pass her contact details to you." Tim had no desire to be the messenger.

Zoe Bell was at the hospital for her rehabilitation. Today, William Hale was with her. Upon receiving a friend request from Martin Yates, she felt a jolt at the bottom of her heart. After swiftly accepting, she said, "Hi, uncle."

Martin Yates: "The camera is good."

"Glad you like it."

Then came dozens of photos of various bird species. Zoe Bell was stunned for quite a while before replying, "Did you take these? Although I don’t understand photography, they look very professional and beautiful."

Martin Yates sent a few more pictures.

Zoe Bell could only endlessly give exaggerated compliments.

Tim saw his uncle continuously on his phone. "Sent the photos to Zoe?"

"Yeah."

"What did she say?"

"That girl has a better eye than you."

"..."

Tim chuckled. She was probably just too polite to say they were bad.

---

Zoe had just finished her rehabilitation session when William Hale tenderly helped her sit down, handing her a water bottle and a towel. "How are you feeling today?"

"Not bad, though my ankle still hurts when I walk on it."

"Take your time."

Each time they came, their superior demeanor inevitably attracted attention. The glances thrown at the two were numerous, until Zoe, with William’s support, left the room, and only then did the onlookers retract their gazes.

From a dark corner, a figure slowly emerged.

It was the first time he had seen such an expression on William Hale’s face.

Focused, loving, gentle...

The complete opposite of his usual proud and stern image.

He could even bend down on one knee to help her massage her foot and put on her shoes.

If this wasn’t love, what was it?

"How’s the investigation on Zoe Bell going?" Ryan Wells massaged his sore, trembling hand.

"She was adopted by the Bell Family, didn’t have a good life with them, and completely broke ties with her foster parents after climbing into a relationship with Mr. Hale. She hasn’t contacted her ex-fiancé or anyone else from Greenland since, except..."

Ryan Wells raised an eyebrow. "Except what?"

"Except with her brother."

"Uh?"

"The Bell Family has a son. The two of them have a good relationship. There were even rumors that the brother was in love with her."

"Where is he now?"

"Studying abroad. I found out the specifics and have sent the information to your phone."

Ryan Wells glanced at his phone and muttered, "Lucas Bell, student, majoring in arts, volunteers at orphanages, helps stray cats and dogs..."

A cold smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Seems like he’s living quite the good life."

"He consistently performs well, always qualifies for scholarships," the subordinate added.

"Looks like he’s a good kid."

"Hm."

"How close are the siblings?"

"It’s said that Lucas threatened to sever ties with their parents for her. The Bell Family’s company went bankrupt because of Zoe and he had no complaints. Zoe seems to treat him well too."

"Nothing but an enviable sibling bond," Ryan Wells laughed, which contorted his already fierce face into something even more terrifying.

"I can’t touch Zoe Bell, but I can make trouble for her beloved brother..."

"But you said their sibling bond was deep?"

"I want to see just how deep it is."

"Once abroad, even if William Hale’s reach is long, it’s unlikely to extend that far."

If this person valued loyalty and bonds, a knife twisted in someone they cared about would likely hurt more than one twisted in their own flesh.