Mrs Hale, I Surrender
Chapter 316 - 315 fighting and scrambling? Junior President Payne’s junior female apprentice?

Chapter 316: 315 fighting and scrambling? Junior President Payne’s junior female apprentice?

Old House of Hale Family

The cold wind was fierce, and the moon hung high in the sky. William Hale sat nearby, texting his wife and silently watching his younger uncle drink his sorrows away.

"Uncle, what’s the deal with you and that girl?"

The man did not respond.

"It looks like she dumped you."

"I never thought you’d see this day."

...

The man was silent to each question.

William, ever astute and seasoned in the business world, could easily pinpoint the crux of the matter, "Could it be that she really already has a boyfriend?"

Finn Hale remained silent.

"Do you know why some people end up on top?"

William took a sip of his drink, "Because they guard vigilantly and fight tooth and nail."

Finn chuckled lowly, "Are you talking about yourself?"

"At least Zoe is now my wife."

"You’re lucky you moved fast. If the Payne Family had acknowledged her half a year earlier, where would you stand?" Finn’s lips curled into a light smile, yet it carried a trace of bitterness.

"I’m heading to the Payne Family’s place tomorrow, I’m going to sleep now. You should rest early too."

Before leaving, William patted his shoulder:

"Uncle, it’s actually quite simple. If you can’t let go, keep fighting for her. If you want to completely let go, then do it."

Finn nodded in agreement, but his alcohol tolerance was too high; he couldn’t get drunk. Lying in bed, he tossed and turned restlessly.

Let someone else have her?

He took a deep breath, admitting to himself that he couldn’t do it.

——

Early the next day, Finn oversaw work at the Hale Family’s construction site, only to find out that Zoe Bell was going to change her Passport Card today.

She and William Hale were married, but her Passport Card was still in Greenland. To transfer her registration, consent from her former residence was required. Over the weekend, Zoe went to the local community of her new residence with her parents to apply, took new ID photos...

"Are you changing your name?" The staff member asked.

Zoe nodded.

"Changing your surname to Payne?"

"Yes."

The staff member confirmed repeatedly, and when Zoe received her new Passport Card, her name had officially been changed to Zoe Payne. Julia Yates looked at it repeatedly for a long time, unexpectedly feeling her eyes turn red again.

"On such a happy day, why are you crying again?" Mario Payne laughed.

"I’m happy," Julia gripped her daughter’s hand. "Let’s go, we’ll eat at home; your grandmother cooked herself today."

Old Mrs. Payne prepared the meal, with William Hale and Tim Payne pitching in to help.

Finn was naturally invited to dine as well.

He watched the Payne family in their harmonious reunion, feeling like an outsider, out of place amidst the lively atmosphere.

"What’s wrong with your uncle?" As a former archenemy, Tim Payne understood Finn quite well and could tell that he was in a bad mood today.

William: "Troubled by love."

"Pfft—" Tim, who was drinking water, choked, "Is he in love?"

"He hasn’t even started dating and he’s already heartbroken."

Tim suddenly laughed unrestrainedly.

Finn had always been proud since childhood, so it was rare to see him at a disadvantage.

During the meal, Tim continually looked at him with a schadenfreude gaze, and Finn clenched his teeth. His dear nephew wouldn’t have spilled his secrets to curry favor with his uncle, would he?

What he had never realized before was just how much of a big mouth he had!

Fearing retaliation from his uncle, after finishing the meal, William made the excuse of taking his wife to the store and left early.

"Sister Zoe?" Joy Watson was extremely happy to see her boss. "Without you in the store these past days, there was no backbone, and I was so anxious every day."

"Especially a few days ago, there were quite a few reporters at the door. It scared me to death; I didn’t even dare to speak."

"You did well." Zoe Bell said with a smile, her eyes falling on the business cards at the reception desk, "Print the business cards again and change my name."

"Are you really Miss Payne?" Joy Watson had seen the news.

"Yes."

"Congratulations."

Because of her status as Miss Payne, Zoe Bell had attracted quite a bit of business, with many people looking to get closer to her on the pretext of customizing fragrances.

She reviewed the sales and financials of the shop for the past two days in her office, until her phone vibrated, "Miss Lopez."

"Boss Payne, are you available? I tried the fragrance from yesterday in the bathroom and liked the effect and the scent very much. I’d like to customize a fragrance with you, but the client has some details he wishes to discuss."

"Then come to my shop."

About an hour later, Sussie Lopez arrived at her office.

It was only from the details of their conversation that Zoe realized Sussie was doing a design project for a hotel, and because it was in Chinese style, the client wanted to include fragrance elements.

"It turns out you’re working on such large projects; my family is currently renovating, and I was thinking of asking you to do the design."

Sussie Lopez gave a small laugh, "I’m close to finishing this project and with the New Year approaching, I didn’t plan to take on new ones. I happen to have some time, so if you like my design style, feel free to reach out."

"Will do."

"Just afraid your brother might disapprove."

"My brother?"

"Junior President Payne is my senior fellow apprentice."

"..."

Zoe Bell was stunned.

Sussie Lopez chuckled, "Didn’t you know about this?"

She shook her head.

"We studied Chinese design under the same master. He started earlier than I did, so he’s my senior fellow." Sussie Lopez explained, "Last time I attended the banquet at the behest of our master. He said he is too old to go out and asked me to convey his congratulations."

"Also, I have been abroad for a few years and haven’t seen him for a long time."

"I didn’t even get the chance to greet him that night because so much happened."

"I was originally studying jewelry design, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out. I realized it wasn’t suitable for me, so I switched fields."

Zoe Bell suddenly understood.

So that was why, at the recognition banquet that night, she sat alone in the corner. Not being part of the same circles, she didn’t have acquaintances there.

She had thought she might be a relative or friend of the Payne family, not realizing it was because of her brother’s connection.

"You know my brother, so you must also know our young uncle."

Sussie Lopez paused for a moment before nodding casually, "I know him."

Naturally, she knew the arch-rival of her senior fellow apprentice.

"No wonder you had dinner together last night; you knew each other before."

Sussie Lopez smiled, "But don’t tell this to my senior fellow."

"Hmm?"

"They’re arch-enemies."

"They’ve already made up."

Sussie Lopez laughed wryly:

Surely it’s just superficial.

She didn’t believe for a moment that arch-rivals who had been at odds for years would suddenly make up. From what she knew of the two, they were likely just putting on airs for Boss Payne’s sake.

If her senior fellow apprentice knew that she was getting along with his arch-enemy...

The fact that she’d gone to Finn Hale to learn secretly, her senior fellow didn’t understand either.

The thought alone made Sussie Lopez’s head ache.

She had thought, after all, these two would never cross paths, and being close to her senior fellow, she’d never bump into Finn Hale.

But how could she have known that Boss Payne would emerge, directly linking the Payne Family to the Hale Family through marriage?

This was simply...

It felt like the heavens were conspiring against her!