Mrs Hale, I Surrender
Chapter 367 - 366 Deep into enemy territory, and got myself into trouble

Chapter 367: 366 Deep into enemy territory, and got myself into trouble

Tim Payne was curious about quite a few things.

"Rumor in the circle before had it that you were chasing your wife to the crematorium, was that person really Sussie?"

Finn Hale nodded.

"From what I observed, there doesn’t seem to be anything between you two that caused that crematorium chase, so why is that the rumor?" Usually, it’s because one party is cold to the other, regrets it afterward, and tries to please them in every way that this term is used.

But their situation seemed different.

Finn Hale chuckled softly, "I’m not clear about it myself."

Tim Payne breathed a sigh of relief, "Probably because you have such a bad reputation in the circle, everyone naturally thinks it’s your fault first."

"..."

Hale couldn’t argue with that.

Tim Payne was just Sussie’s senior, and although he resented her for hiding her relationship with Finn, he never said too much, just felt a suffocating frustration, as if there was a breath trapped in his chest.

It was uncomfortably suffocating.

Especially when splitting up with Hale, who then called back, "About tonight’s incident, didn’t expect you to stand up for me actively, thanks."

Tim Payne, seeing Declan Saunders plagiarizing, naturally spoke impartially.

If he knew Hale had known all along and was prepared, he would have never stuck his neck out.

"Mr. Hale, you’re welcome," he gritted his teeth.

He suddenly remembered something else, "You said before that you were pursuing Sussie, meaning you two aren’t together."

That stung.

Seeing Hale remain silent, the corners of Tim Payne’s mouth quirked up slightly, feeling amused inside.

**

On the other hand,

Sussie Lopez was anxious, unsure of what her senior and Hale could have discussed; surely two people in their thirties wouldn’t come to blows, right? About half an hour later, both men returned.

Unlike what she had imagined, her senior seemed to be in a pretty good mood.

He glanced casually at his sister.

Zoe Payne lowered her head and pretended to be dead.

It was William Hale, with no way to avoid it, whose gaze met his.

His eyes clearly said:

You really are a good brother-in-law!

Well done!

William felt quite helpless.

"It’s late, let’s go home," Tim Payne looked at his sister, Sussie clasping her bag tightly, obediently following behind her senior.

The atmosphere in the car was heavily tense.

In a couple of days, it would be New Year’s Day; the festive ambiance on the streets was already intense. The street lights, under the festive red hues, poured into the car through the windows, lighting the inside with a fiery glow.

But Tim Payne’s gaze was cold and stern.

As his arch nemesis, naturally, he found many things about Hale objectionable, but he had to admit, the man was indeed talented and had no major faults otherwise, otherwise...

He wouldn’t qualify to be his rival!

"Sussie," her voice timid, "I really didn’t mean to hide my relationship with Mr. Hale."

"Between you two, did you make the first move?"

"..."

Sussie paused, then nodded.

"You really are bold! Entering the enemy’s camp, and even getting yourself involved."

"I can’t be blamed for that; I initially entered M & R with a critical mindset."

"And then?"

"Mr. Hale turned out to be really handsome."

"..."

This reason was something Tim Payne could never have imagined.

Judging by looks?

Hasn’t his sister seen handsome men before?

Just by his face, she fell for him?

"You had seen his photos before, why didn’t you fall for him at first sight?" Tim Payne frowned.

"He looks better in person."

Tim Payne felt a breath stuck in his chest, about to explode with frustration.

Especially after returning home, Sussie sneaked back into her room while Tim was dragged by his parents into the study. His parents had caught wind of the gossip and came to inquire about the real relationship between Sussie and Finn Hale.

After hearing this, Julia Yates cast a disdainful look at her son.

This caused Tim Payne’s brow to furrow.

What was that expression supposed to mean?

"You see Finn Hale, he knows how to chase girls. As for you? Not even a hint of progress, and yet you still compare everything to Finn Hale."

"Mom, you..."

"Did I say something wrong? Just in the matter of making friends, you can’t match up to him."

Tim never expected that Finn’s pursuit of his junior sister Sussie would affect him too.

For several days, he was in a bad mood, which cast a pall over the entire Payne Corps.

Sussie dared not linger around her senior brother; she spent most of her time holed up in her room, except for a trip to the studio to handle the mess left by Declan Saunders. It wasn’t until New Year’s Eve that Zoe Payne arrived at the Payne Family’s place and invited her out.

"Let’s go, let’s celebrate New Year’s Eve," Zoe invited warmly.

Sussie glanced at her senior brother, Tim, who simply said, "I’ll come too."

"Bro, you’re coming too?"

"Can’t I?"

"Of course you can."

The New Year’s Eve venue was on the rooftop of a hotel in Capital City, attended by friends from William Hale’s circle, including Hannah Johnson and Isaac Shea. Finn Hale was not present.

Tim raised an eyebrow:

Such a good opportunity, and that kid didn’t show up?

"Where’s your uncle?" Tim sat down next to William.

"He’s busy I guess."

As William spoke, he stood up to pour water for Tim.

Carefully, with a hint of appeasement.

This caused their friends to lower their heads and chuckle secretly, never having thought that Mr. Hale, who strutted around Capital City, would one day kowtow and play the younger brother.

Tim looked at the glass in front of him and frowned in thought:

Is Finn really serious about pursuing Sussie, or why is there no sign of it?

Could it be just a fling, or did I say something too harsh last time that affected him?

"I don’t want water. Pour me some wine instead," he said, frustrated. "Have a drink with me!"

What could William do!

Drink!

After a few drinks, he clapped William on the shoulder and asked, "You knew about them all along but never told me? Don’t you consider me a cousin?"

"Well, he is your real uncle, and I’m just a cousin who popped up along the way. What does that make me?"

"You two are similar in age, they say he’s your uncle, but really he’s about your brother’s age. You grew up together, that bond naturally isn’t something I can compare with."

"Even your cousin knew about it, and I didn’t. I don’t deserve to."

"..."

Michale Shaw sat nearby, listening to Tim’s rambling.

Junior President Payne, always playing mind games.

With no way to rebut, William could only sit silently and act as a drinking buddy.

Now the whole Capital City knew Finn was pursuing Sussie, so everyone treated her with considerable respect, yet she was not in the mood because she had received a call from her father a few days ago. He said that after New Year’s Day, he and her mother would come to Capital City to visit her.

Perhaps they had heard about what happened.

They would certainly ask about her relationship with Finn.

Just thinking about it gave her a headache.

As she brooded, her phone vibrated—a message from Finn:[Are you with William and the others?]

[Yes.]

[Come out for a bit.]

Go out?

For what?

Before she could respond, another message from Finn quickly followed: [If you don’t come out, then I’ll come in to get you.]

Sussie glanced at her senior brother and excused herself to the restroom to leave the private room.

Other people: (O_o)??

Restroom?

There’s one in the box, isn’t there? Is it necessary to go outside?

Only because Tim had drunk too much and his mind was a bit foggy was she able to fool him with such a poor excuse.