Mrs Hale, I Surrender
Chapter 289 - 288 Zoe is married but does not avoid suspicion, she has ways to manipulate men.

Chapter 289: 288 Zoe is married but does not avoid suspicion, she has ways to manipulate men.

Ever since William Hale went public with his relationship with Zoe Bell, she had already been steeped in controversy, and now, the scandal involving the manufacture and sale of inferior incense spices had propelled her to the center of the storm.

"Who the hell did this!" Wyatt Hale ranted at home, "There must be someone behind this!"

"Don’t let me catch him, or I’ll make him pay."

Zoe Bell closed her store, and Wyatt Hale had lost his source of income.

Cutting off his finances, how could he tolerate it? Besides, he had been involved in the making of his sister-in-law’s products almost the whole time and had never seen things like peanut shells or synthetic fragrances.

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to his older brother, "Brother..."

William Hale remained expressionless.

"Could it be one of your rotten flings? Jealous that sister-in-law married you, not daring to provoke you openly, so she plays dirty behind your back, using these sordid, underhanded tactics?"

William Hale did not respond, but with a single look, made the other instantly lose his nerve.

"Bro, I was talking nonsense," he laughed nervously.

"Mrs.," Kyle Lowe approached Zoe Bell, "You asked me to investigate the malicious negative reviews on our store, and there’s news."

"Someone was behind it?"

"They’re a professional team paid to leave negative reviews on people’s businesses. People who make money this way, they have no morals. I promised them a sum of money, and tracking the transfer records, I found..."

"What?"

"The account comes from Junior President Payne."

Wyatt Hale was just about to passionately speak up, his mouth already open, when he stopped in place.

"Did you check carefully?" Zoe Bell asked for confirmation.

Kyle Lowe nodded.

Zoe Bell tapped her fingers lightly on the table, "At the hospital, did they find the person who posted the video?"

"Still looking."

The person who posted the video online was being contacted by the police.

However, a day later, Zoe Bell’s online store faced a barrage of malicious orders and complaints, forcing it to close temporarily.

Online, there was a chorus of approval.

[Serves her right, still making such ill-gotten money despite being so wealthy!]

[Such people must be arrested.]

[Good riddance to the store closure.]

[But I heard she’s been released already, probably the Hale Family pulled some strings to clear the way for her.]

...

Netizens were condemning her, and amidst this, some gossip suddenly surfaced.

[I heard that Zoe Bell is quite promiscuous, already married and still cozying up with Junior President Payne.]

[That can’t be true, if there were anything, it would definitely be secretive. Who dares to blatantly cuckold Mr. Hale?]

[Who knows, she called off her engagement back then and immediately married Mr. Hale; she must be good at manipulating men.]

Tim Payne was also entangled in this affair.

Payne Corps was affected by this, and Tim Payne was summoned from the company to the Sheng Family Mansion by Mario Payne.

As soon as he stepped into the living room, a teacup shattered at his feet, with Mario Payne’s anger skyrocketing, "Tim Payne, don’t you think you owe me an explanation for what’s happening online?"

"It’s all fake."

"And how do you explain those rumors online?"

"Dad, do you believe them?"

"A repeated rumor becomes a fact; don’t you understand that!" Mario Payne was fierce, and at this moment, his angry stare was a warning to keep strangers away. Julia Yates sat on the side, silent.

Celine Payne, who was resting at home today, took the initiative to pour him a cup of tea, "Uncle, don’t be angry, how can you take online stuff seriously? I believe cousin and Mrs. Hale have a completely innocent relationship."

Mario Payne took the tea she offered, "Daughters are always so considerate."

"But rumors don’t come out of thin air, be more careful in the future! Keep your distance from her."

"She is married after all, so she should be mindful of the impact."

Tim Payne: "I’ve already said, there’s nothing between us. She’s my client, she’s my friend."

"You dare to talk back to me?"

"I’m just telling the truth."

"Are you determined to be involved with her?"

"Our relationship is pure. Why should we care about the opinions of others?"

"You..."

This father and son were about to start arguing when Celine Payne quickly walked over to Tim’s side and grabbed his arm, "Cousin, Uncle is already so angry, could you just say less?"

"Uncle, you can’t blame Cousin for everything. He must be conducting business in a professional manner and interacting with her normally."

"But this Zoe Bell has clearly married, yet she doesn’t know how to avoid suspicion. I think she’s the bigger problem. You shouldn’t blame Cousin."

"In matters like this, we cannot have internal strife in our family and become a laughingstock to outsiders."

Mario Payne raised an eyebrow and blew on the steamy tea in his hands, "Celine, you think Mrs. Hale is more to blame?"

"The matter of her selling counterfeit products has already spread among our circles."

"The Hale family is so wealthy. The Australian white pearl necklace she wore at the last banquet must have cost tens of thousands, yet she still wants to make such unscrupulous money."

"With her character, who knows what else she’s capable of doing."

Celine Payne hummed lightly, looking at Tim Payne, "Cousin, I’m sure there’s nothing between you and her, but being associated with someone like her will definitely lead to gossip. To those unaware, they might even think our Payne family’s custom jewelry could be fake."

"What you’re saying..." Tim Payne raised an eyebrow, "seems to also make sense."

"When I saw that the grandparents had bought one of her incense sticks, I could tell from the packaging that it was low quality. I wanted to throw it away, but Grandma scolded me for it," Celine said with a look of aggrievement on her face.

"Thankfully the grandparents don’t surf the internet. If they knew what had happened, they would certainly be extremely upset."

The elderly couple had gone to visit an old friend today and were not at home.

Julia Yates stood by with a grave expression, not saying a word.

It wasn’t until someone announced, "Mr. Hale has arrived."

Celine’s lips could hardly conceal a smile.

She had taken the day off specifically because she knew Finn Hale would be visiting the mansion today.

Even though her mother had warned her repeatedly, she had never given up on Finn Hale.

"I’ll go welcome Mr. Hale," Celine said with a smile as she walked out.

Two cars were parked in the courtyard of the Sheng Family Mansion.

When Finn Hale got out of the car, Celine’s lips curled into a smile. Before she could say anything, she saw the door of the other car open and another person step out.

This person was tall and long-legged, with an air of indifferent pride and an ability to handle all comers.

Celine’s smile froze:

William Hale?

He reached into the car, and Zoe Bell got out from the inside.

Her outfit today was very simple and elegant: a white coat with a heavy fur collar piled up, setting off her face with stunning beauty. Their eyes met, and her bright and clear eyes were captivating.

Celine clenched her fingers hidden in her sleeves, annoyed.

Why did she come here!

Nevertheless, her face still lifted in a smile, "Mr. Hale, Mrs. Hale, and Mr. Hale, welcome."

"Miss Payne, long time no see," Zoe said with a smile.

Celine just smiled in return.

Her shop had been sealed, she had been cursed like that, and yet she could still smile?

Not only that, but she dared to visit his home?

Such psychological endurance is indeed extraordinary.

I really want to see, after such a big incident, whether Uncle’s family can still treat you kindly.