Mrs Hale, I Surrender
Chapter 403 - 402 is using insidious means to destroy her reputation and life.

Chapter 403: 402 is using insidious means to destroy her reputation and life.

The hotel was buzzing with activity as guests came and went in large numbers.

Zoe Payne headed towards the parking lot, occasionally glancing down at her phone to respond to William Hale. They planned to go on a honeymoon after the New Year, but the destination was still undecided.

"When will you return to Capital City? Go see your cousin, her morning sickness has been terrible recently. If it goes on like this, she might end up in the hospital."

William Hale: "Very soon."

...

Marigold Jones trailed behind her, eyes fixated on Zoe’s retreating back before she made a phone call.

Cressida Jones, you wretch! You’ve ruined my reputation, now I want you dead.

Because of the surveillance video incident, Beckett Jeans had also begun to suspect that it was her deliberate ploy to force a power play. Now, other than her mother, everyone despised and disliked her. How could she possibly bear it!

Now, Father still hopes to climb the social ladder through the Payne siblings by using you,

Delusional.

They say, the best way to cover up a scandal is...

To have an even bigger scandal!

As long as tonight brings a more sensational event, everyone’s attention will naturally shift away.

----

Zoe Payne kept in touch with Kyle Lowe, agreeing to meet outside the parking lot elevator. The area was unheated, and the biting wind seemed intent on whisking away any warmth from one’s body.

Guests intermittently left the hotel.

Zoe was looking down at her phone when out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a man approaching. Upon looking up, she saw a man under thirty walking towards her, offering her a smile: "Miss, do you need a designated driver? I can give you a discount."

"Thank you, but no."

"Could I get your contact information then? You can call me anytime if you need to," the man said as he pulled out his phone and started tapping on the screen.

"I really don’t need it." Zoe turned to leave, but the man suddenly rushed up from behind, covered her mouth with his hand, and she inadvertently inhaled an unidentified gas.

In a matter of seconds, her limbs felt weak and the world spun around her.

The man supported her and re-entered the elevator.

"Miss, please don’t blame me. If you have to blame someone... blame those you’ve offended."

"I’ll make sure to be gentle tonight."

Zoe Payne hadn’t lost consciousness completely; she just couldn’t move her legs or speak.

The man’s body obstructed her face, and as people entered and exited the elevator, they would glance at her. The man would simply say with a smile:

"My girlfriend had too much to drink, told her to cut back but she wouldn’t listen, what a hassle!"

Hearing they were boyfriend and girlfriend, no one gave it another thought.

Furthermore, no one expected anything amiss.

But the lack of any smell of alcohol invited more scrutiny from the more observant individuals.

This was one of the most luxurious hotels in Capital City. The people who came and went were mostly well-off, and the woman this man carried was dressed in high-end clothing, while he was dressed quite plainly.

They seemed mismatched.

Luckily, the elevator soon reached the designated floor. It was the man’s first time here, and he wasn’t familiar with the hotel, so it took him quite some time to find the room.

Carrying a woman, he was exhausted.

...

Meanwhile, in the underground parking lot,

Kyle Lowe had just arrived at the designated spot and didn’t see Zoe Payne. His brow furrowed, he was just about to call her when his phone vibrated. He quickly answered, "Boss."

"Where’s the missus?"

"I’m here to pick her up, haven’t seen her yet."

"I’m already at the hotel."

As William Hale spoke, he had entered the hotel lobby and was calling Zoe Payne. The phone indicated it was connecting, but then it was quickly hung up.

This made him suspicious.

Zoe Payne was her own boss, with plenty of free time, and she hardly ever hung up on his calls.

When he redialed, the phone was switched off!

William Hale halted in his tracks, and Zac Cruz, who was right behind him, almost bumped into him, "Sir, why have you stopped moving?"

"Something has happened to Zoe."

Zac Cruz was dumbfounded, "That can’t be. Didn’t Kyle Lowe just contact the lady?"

"Something must have happened. Check the hotel, retrieve the surveillance footage!"

Zac Cruz didn’t dare to delay.

In such matters, it’s better to err on the side of caution than to dismiss the possibility.

While waiting for the surveillance footage, William Hale called Tim Payne, who was already back in the lounge with Cressida Jones, "Zoe isn’t in the lounge, she must have left."

She was gone, and so was her bag.

"I called her, the first try was hung up on, and on the second try, it went straight to voicemail. I suspect something has happened to her."

Hearing this, Tim Payne’s face turned pale.

"I am having someone check the surveillance footage," said William Hale, his fingers clenching, while Zac Cruz softly comforted, "Sir, perhaps you’re overthinking it. Maybe the lady’s phone just ran out of battery, and that’s why it’s off."

"There are portable chargers available all over the hotel. Nowadays, who would let their phone die unless it’s an emergency?"

In today’s society, when you’re out and about, you can do without anything except your phone—losing it affects everything, from clothing and food to housing and travel.

Zac Cruz bit his lip; this was undeniably true.

So...

Could the lady truly be in trouble?

Zoe Payne was known for her gentle nature. Previously, some thought she wasn’t good enough for William Hale and badmouthed her, making life difficult. But once it became known that she was the Payne family’s daughter, wherever she went, people would fawn over her—who would be so blind as to slight her.

Thinking it through, the lady had no enemies.

Nor had she made any vendettas!

But William Hale was thinking of more possibilities; after all, how had his uncle Liam Hugh managed to escape from the mental institution and precisely locate Green Embankment Park? The person behind it all had yet to be found.

——

Meanwhile, in the room, the man laid Zoe Payne on the bed, who wasn’t unconscious but simply lacked the strength in her body.

"Beautiful, don’t blame me, I’m just doing a job for money."

The man was taking off his coat and turning on the lights.

"Don’t look at me like that. I promise I’ll be gentle with you. What were you thinking, offending someone like that?" The man said as he walked over to the bed and pulled off her scarf.

At this moment, Zoe Payne’s face was completely exposed before him.

This person...

Why does she seem so familiar?

As though he had seen her somewhere before!

But time was of the essence, the man didn’t have the luxury to think further. He removed her coat and took a few pictures to send to his employer first.

This doesn’t seem to be Miss Jones.

Marigold Jones was still in the VIP room at this time, and the engagement party was not yet over. Her mother had specifically brought her some food and seeing her still swollen face and the bandaged ears, felt nothing but heartache.

"Marigold, rest assured, we won’t let today’s events slide just like that."

"I thought Cressida Jones was just like her mother, a doormat, but who would have thought she’d turn out to be such a malicious little bitch."

"I was really fooled by her before."

"Had I known, I should have killed her when she was a child."

...

Marigold Jones just listened silently. The vibration of her phone indicated the man must have succeeded.

Since Cressida Jones had released her video, Marigold had to fight back tooth and nail, informing everyone that Cressida Jones was no saint either. Having just broken off an engagement, she was already rolling in the sheets with another man.

"Marigold, are you even listening to me?" Lavinia Wilde frowned.

"Mom, what did you say?"

"I said, when we go home later, apologize to your dad properly, act pitiful and woeful. Your dad dotes on you, so he won’t be too harsh. Given how things have turned out, I’ll definitely make the Jeans family take responsibility for you."

Marigold Jones smiled faintly, her mind already elsewhere.

But with her mother present, she didn’t dare to check her phone.