Mrs Hale, I Surrender
Chapter 244 - 243 Fated First Encounter: Just one glance, and you’re in my heart

Chapter 244: 243 Fated First Encounter: Just one glance, and you’re in my heart

Martin Yates stared at his nephew, his anger mounting. The boy usually wouldn’t let out a peep even if you prodded him with sticks, always wearing a sullen face, impervious to reason or sense.

Lately, not only was he talking more, but he was also infuriating.

It must be because he had found his sister; his nature had changed.

"Uncle, mom and dad are bound to find out sooner or later. Do you really want Zoe to be scolded by them?" Tim Payne stated plainly.

"Are you morally blackmailing me?" Martin Yates asked with a stern face.

"You are the elder."

Zoe Bell stood there, stunned.

Normally...

Did they chat like this?

Martin Yates remained silent, then lowered his head and began cleaning his camera.

Tim Payne gave his sister a signal. Zoe quickly shifted her position and handed over the tea, "Uncle, please have some tea."

"Never put yourself at risk," Martin Yates said gravely.

"I was wrong."

"Wait for Wyatt Hale to return to Capital City. Have him come to see me."

"Have your tea first; it will get cold," Zoe said with a smile.

That was when Martin Yates accepted the tea and took a sip to moisten his throat, "By the way, Ryan Wells said that he was beaten by Wyatt Hale because of you? You knew each other six or seven years ago?"

Zoe shook her head.

"What do you mean? You don’t know him?"

"I have no recollection whatsoever."

"That must mean he has a crush on you," Tim Payne said bluntly. "He told me it was love at first sight."

"..."

During the conversation, Zoe glanced at her phone and noticed that Wyatt Hale and Lucas Bell had both messaged her, "Uncle, brother, I need to return a call."

Night had deepened overseas. When Zoe dialed, Wyatt Hale had just fallen asleep and was woken by the disturbance, his voice low and magnetic.

"Did you go to sleep? Then you should rest; we can talk later."

"Don’t hang up; I want to hear your voice."

Wyatt Hale had been abroad for several days, "Do you miss me?"

Zoe, her fingers lingering on the cane she held, glanced at her brother and uncle nearby, "Yes... a lot."

"How much?"

"Quite a bit."

This was the first time they had been apart for so long since their marriage.

Wyatt Hale had been particularly exhausted lately because he hadn’t had time to adjust to the jet lag, leading to his days and nights being inverted. With Ryan Wells’s issue resolved and Lucas Bell’s surgery successful, he could finally rest properly.

Ryan’s appearance had dragged his memory back six or seven years.

—

That year, Wyatt Hale was twenty-three, freshly at the company.

Old Sir Hale hadn’t let him into the management level but had him start from the ground up, handling his own work and then shadowing his Uncle Quade Hale as an assistant to meet various business partners and learn from his experiences.

The business world was like a den of wolves, especially when dealing with a group of old foxes.

On the surface, they laughed and joked with you because of your grandfather and uncle, but they were also capable of stabbing you in the back.

Wyatt Hale had suffered losses when he first entered the business world.

The pressure back then was immense, and he had picked up smoking as a habit.

With irregular meals and reversed day and night rhythms, his body was bound to suffer. Just as winter began and the flu season peaked, Wyatt Hale caught the virus.

"Haven’t you eaten again?" Lily Lott asked, bringing her brother Wyatt Hale to his place. "No matter how much pressure you’re under, you must take care of yourself, or else move back home."

"I’ve just been too busy."

"How’s the cold?" Lily noticed the thermometer on the table, "Do you have a fever?"

"It’s already gone."

"Do you still have to work today?"

"I’ve taken a few days off; I’ve been resting at home."

Lily Lott nodded then and went into the kitchen to make some porridge for him, "That’s perfect, Wyatt has an activity today, you can accompany him."

"Mom!" Wyatt Hale had just started middle school, and he instantly panicked when he heard this.

"Is he having another parent-teacher meeting? How low did he score this time?"

After William Hale spoke, Wyatt Hale got anxious, "Who scored low, my test results were actually pretty good this time."

"That tone, which rank did you get in your grade?"

Wyatt Hale pouted, his words were obviously mocking him, but he dared not get angry with his older brother and sat down to eat huffily.

The meal Lily Lott specifically made for William Hale was mostly eaten by Wyatt Hale, which almost drove her to lash out at him.

This little brat, was he a rice bucket in his previous life? He eats so much!

"Little Wyatt, you’re eating too much!" Lily Lott frowned.

"Mom, I’m growing, I get hungry quickly."

"..."

Lily was speechless, then looked towards William Hale, "I originally promised to accompany Wyatt to a stage play today, but something came up at the last moment, you can go with him instead."

She did it on purpose, wanting William Hale to relax a bit.

Although reluctant, William Hale didn’t want to disappoint her, and with a cold and fever, his head felt heavy and foggy, making it hard to focus on work.

Seeing his big brother nod in agreement, Wyatt Hale nearly died on the spot.

The stage play was in a grand theater; it was suitable for kids, and William Hale had no interest in it, although he wasn’t working, he still got occasional business calls.

He went to the hallway to take a call, stepped towards the window, and the frustrating matters at work made him furrow his brows deeply.

Because of the cold, he wore a mask; Capital City had started heating, so he slightly pulled his mask down half an inch to breathe more comfortably.

At that moment,

Accompanied by bursts of laughter, a group of girls dressed in ballet attire hurried from afar, seemingly after finishing a performance.

"...I almost had an accident earlier, it scared me to death."

"Lucky Zoe Bell helped you."

"Give me a break, that lady just wanted to show off, deliberately making herself seen. You guys don’t see her usually quiet, but she’s still practicing in the studio even after the performance, who is she performing for? Just wants the teacher to praise her more."

"Should we invite her to dinner with us?"

"Forget it, the lady disdains eating commoner’s food."

"Yeah, lady’s admirers are coming soon, she’ll definitely be going to a five-star hotel for a candlelit dinner, let’s quickly remove our makeup and change."

...

Where there are people, there’s inevitably gossip.

William Hale only listened for a bit and continued to make calls, then checked his work emails.

He glanced at his watch, thinking the play should be about to end, he was about to go back to the theater when he saw a young girl approaching from one side, dressed in ballet practice clothes, draped in a long sweater.

Dancers always have great body proportions and elegance, William Hale just gave a quick glance.

But his attention was drawn to the pair of shoes she was holding.

Probably a spare pair of ballet shoes,

Light pink, wrapped in a plastic bag, the bottom completely stained with dark brown liquid, looking like coffee.

That made William Hale take a few more glances at her.

Tall, fair-skinned,

Her eyes were lively and charming, still wearing stage makeup, she walked briskly towards him.

Her hand, clutching the plastic bag, had knuckles that were white from the grip, yet her back was straight, her gaze fixed forward, her steps quick like a gust of wind brushing past him.

She had a faint citrus scent about her, diffusing in the air, making his breathing sweetly scented.

A slight ripple formed in his heart.

In an instant,

It felt like his congested nose had cleared suddenly.

Later on, William Hale replayed this first encounter with her; he even remembered what she wore that day and the exact color of her stage makeup etched deep into his mind.

Just one look,

And she was in his heart.

That was probably love at first sight.