Mrs Hale, I Surrender
Chapter 390: The aesthetic of decadence, disconcerts the mind

Chapter 390: The aesthetic of decadence, disconcerts the mind

Finn Hale was all smiles, still laughing as he glanced at Tim Payne, "Senior brother, you look a bit under the weather, run into some troubles recently?"

"No."

"If it’s not work, could it be that the blind dates weren’t going well?"

Sussie Lopez took a deep breath.

Crap,

Dinner hasn’t even started, and it’s beginning already?

She leaned closer to Zoe Payne, better to stay away from the battlefield, "Is Mr. Hale not coming tonight?"

"He’s abroad for a collaboration and won’t be back for a couple of days." There were some issues with the original project, so William Hale decided to handle it overseas at the last minute.

"You seem quite happy that Mr. Hale isn’t here?"

Zoe Payne smiled without replying.

Someone recently has been keen on crafting little dolls, yet despite their efforts over a long period, nothing has happened. Zoe had full-body check-ups when she had leg surgery, and William Hale also has annual physicals, neither of them have any issues.

So William concluded the reason as:

Not trying hard enough.

With someone going abroad, Zoe Payne could finally have some peace for a couple of days.

"Senior brother, want to drink some alcohol?" Finn Hale asked while ordering, glancing at Tim Payne.

"Anything’s fine."

Then, someone deliberately chose the most expensive wine.

Tim Payne wasn’t short of money, but it was clear Finn Hale saw him as an easy mark. Was he so smug just because he was in a relationship? Tim glanced at his Junior Sister:

Control your man!

Sussie Lopez survived in the cracks all evening.

Whomever she sided with, she would be blamed either way in the future, so she let them dwindle each other down. In the midst of it all, Tim Payne ended up drinking quite a bit, and because Finn Hale could hold his liquor, he wasn’t drunk.

"Brother, let’s go home," Zoe Payne said, seeing it was getting late.

"I’m not going back to the family house."

"Then should I take you to your apartment?"

Martin Yates had occupied his place, but he was going bird hunting in the Suburb of Capital City the next couple of days, which required an early start, so he had been staying at a resort there recently, and Tim Payne’s apartment was thus left vacant.

"You don’t have to worry about me, go home and rest. I’m going to stay at the office tonight," Tim said, calling Assistant Law to pick him up.

"You’re already this drunk, what are you going to do at the office?" Finn Hale frowned.

"Obviously, I have things to do."

He was worried that if he went home, his mother’s nagging would be relentless, so he decided to hide.

Assistant Law was bewildered after receiving the call!

Because...

He hadn’t taken Miss Jones home yet.

She was almost home when she suddenly took a call, it seemed to be from her father, telling her to bring Young Master Jeans home for dinner tonight, and if he didn’t come, she shouldn’t come back either, so she called her boyfriend, but no one answered.

Finally, someone picked up, but she could vaguely hear the sound of men and women laughing on the line.

This was...

"This is what you call being busy at work?" she said with a mocking smile at the corner of her mouth.

"Be sensible, I’m entertaining clients. We can talk about anything later."

After saying that, he hung up.

The car was so quiet, Assistant Law probably heard the conversation, and he felt sorry for Eldest Miss Jones, neglected by her family and stuck with a scumbag boyfriend.

Clearly, she didn’t want to go home either.

"Assistant Law, could you please take me somewhere?" she asked tentatively.

Assistant Law figured that since Junior President Payne was treating people tonight, he probably wouldn’t need him, and it was after work hours, his schedule should be his own, so he agreed.

They ran into a traffic jam on the way, which delayed them quite a bit, and before he could even drop Miss Jones off at her destination, he received a call from his boss.

Just five words were said: "Come pick me up now."

Assistant Law didn’t even get a chance to respond before the call was disconnected, and when he tried to call back, no one answered.

"Assistant Law, if you’re busy, go ahead. Just drop me off here on the roadside, and I’ll hail a cab myself," she said with a smile, "You’ve already been troubled enough tonight."

"This..."

This place was a bit out of the way, not easy to get a taxi, and with the cold winter season, it wouldn’t be safe to leave a young woman stranded outside.

If anything happened, he couldn’t bear the responsibility.

Thinking that Junior President Payne was dining nearby, he gritted his teeth and said, "Miss Jones, how about you come with me to pick someone up? Afterwards, I’ll take you. I really can’t feel at ease leaving you here alone."

"Pull over to the side, I can’t hold you up from your work."

"It won’t delay me, this is on my way."

"..."

The car doors were locked, leaving her with no choice but to accompany Assistant Law to pick someone up. Once they arrived at the underground parking garage, she waited in the car.

Assistant Law drove a business van with double row seating. Anticipating they might pick up more than one person, she chose to sit in the very back row.

After about seven or eight minutes, she saw Assistant Law assisting Tim Payne, whose walk was unsteady, appearing to have consumed quite a bit of alcohol.

Behind him were three hotel employees carrying gift boxes, seemingly local specialties.

Finn Hale couldn’t actually treat Tim Payne like a pig to the slaughter. He and Sussie Lopez were out of town with some accompanying gifts, naturally including one for Tim.

Assistant Law helped him into the back seat.

After securing his seatbelt and placing the items in the trunk, Assistant Law took the driver’s seat.

Tim Payne didn’t notice there was someone else sitting behind him.

She thought about greeting him, but Tim Payne seemingly didn’t see her at all and simply instructed, "Take me back to the office."

"Junior President Payne, perhaps you should return to your apartment instead. You’ve had too much to drink and need a proper rest. Moreover, it wouldn’t be convenient at the office. And Mrs. Payne will visit the office tomorrow; she might get angry again if she sees you’ve stayed overnight there," Assistant Law suggested.

"You decide."

Tim Payne said this and then tugged at his clothing.

He felt hot with the car’s warm air blowing and having drunk alcohol.

The girl in the backseat glanced at the person in the front. By this time, the car had left the garage; the temperature difference caused a mist on the windows, and the streetlight poured in, casting a dreamlike glow...

He leaned back in his seat, tilting his head slightly, his jawline and neck accentuated by the dim and interweaving light.

His eyes were closed, as if he had fallen asleep.

He usually exhibited an aristocratic demeanor—distinguished, crane-like in elegance,

But now with a few strands of hair across his forehead, there was a certain decadent, forlorn beauty to him.

Perhaps feeling too warm, he unbuttoned two buttons at his collar...

Even in such a state, his nobility was unmistakable.

She had heard a bit about Junior President Payne, that Mrs. Payne was arranging blind dates for him. Much like her no-good fiance, who surrounded by a flock of adoring women, there hadn’t been any scandals associated with Junior President Payne.

His biggest rumor:

Was with Finn Hale!

He must truly conduct himself with integrity.

She couldn’t help but sneak another few glances.

His appearance...

was particularly pleasing to the eye.

Handsome, talented, capable, from a prominent family background, it is said the Payne Family had a good family atmosphere too, one wonders what on earth God could have denied him?

With her own boss drunk, Assistant Law drove slowly, always keeping an eye on the rear view:

No wonder Junior President Payne was still single,

There was such a lovely girl in the car, and he hadn’t even noticed?

How much had he drunk tonight?

"Miss Jones, Junior President Payne is drunk, I’ll take him back to his apartment first, you don’t have any urgent matters, do you?" Assistant Law said in a hushed voice.

"I’m fine."

"Junior President Payne rarely drinks. He dined with Mr. Hale tonight and might have overindulged," Assistant Law explained, always feeling that Miss Jones was someone special.

After all,

If it weren’t for a special fate, she wouldn’t have caught the bride’s bouquet, and today Junior President Payne even personally received her.

Even as they spoke, Tim Payne remained asleep, only waking when the car door opened and a cold breeze filled the car, chilling him, he slowly opened his eyes.

"Junior President Payne, we’re home," Assistant Law quickly assisted him out of the car.

Apparently forgetting his seatbelt, Tim Payne couldn’t get up and frowned tightly, Assistant Law fumbled for a while but couldn’t find the latch.

"Let me do it."

The person behind leaned forward, effortlessly finding the buckle...

With a "click"—as the seatbelt was undone, Tim Payne finally seemed to notice someone else in the car and turned to look at her.

The proximity was so close, his hot breath chaotic, brushing past her hair, making her freeze and not dare to move.

Previously in Payne Corps, she had sensed Tim Payne’s scent,

A faint aroma of ink mixed with sweet flag, aristolochia, and spikenard—unique and refined.

Being this close, the scent spread and easily disturbed her composure.