Mrs Hale, I Surrender
Chapter 434 - 433 Not in the same world, heart-racing (2 more updates)

Chapter 434: 433 Not in the same world, heart-racing (2 more updates)

Cressida Jones is a skilled opera singer; otherwise, she couldn’t have deceived the Jones. Thus, throughout the meal, Tim Payne couldn’t discern any oddities from her expression.

At that time, Assistant Law spoke with a suppressed voice.

Probably...

He didn’t hear it.

His grandmother, unfamiliar with the affairs of the Circle of Capital City, asked about his family circumstances and expressed gratitude for his recent help. With tea as a substitute for wine, Cressida also expressed her thanks to him.

Everything seemed normal until, before he left, Cressida took some gift boxes from the house and placed them in his car.

"There are too many gift boxes." Almost filling his trunk.

Tim Payne felt that Miss Jones was perhaps too thorough in her courtesies.

Then he heard him say, "Not all are for you."

"..."

"These are for Uncle Yates, and these are for Mr. Hale and Mrs. Hale, to show gratitude for their help and care, could you please pass these to them?"

Tim Payne managed a wry smile.

It was only after he left that the smile gradually faded from Cressida’s face.

Having met Tim Payne frequently over this period and his having helped her numerous times, especially that night at the police station, he instantly grasped her intentions in Silas Jones’ presence. Their collaboration in the act was seamless, waiting in the snow, he said:

He had been waiting for her.

He also introduced her to Peter Lewis, solving her most pressing problem at the moment.

Honestly,

She felt somewhat moved.

Cressida, after all, is just an ordinary person with emotions and feelings, led by her sensations.

It turned out to be simply because her situation resembled that of Mrs. Hale.

Zoe Payne’s matter had caused quite a stir, and Cressida had seen the reports. Their experiences were indeed somewhat similar.

No wonder Tim Payne helped her.

After settling the matters of the Jones, she would take care of her grandmother and manage her flower shop, while Tim Payne belonged to a brighter world.

The recent events, mere effortless acts for him, were enough to change her destiny.

They ultimately were not people from the same world.

That’s not the most crucial aspect; the key is...

Tim Payne wasn’t interested in her.

A snowfall from a few nights ago had already melted away, leaving no trace, just like the events of that night, fleeting like a dream.

Cressida took a deep breath and nipped that budding affection in the bud.

**

In the blink of an eye, it was New Year’s Eve.

This year was the first Spring Festival that Zoe Payne celebrated after acknowledging her relatives, and she was also pregnant, so the Payne Family Members arrived at the Old House of Hale Family early on the morning of New Year’s Eve.

Old Sir Hale even took the Elder Mrs. and Mr. Payne to see his little vegetable garden.

William Hale was speechless:

There’s hardly anything to see with those few scattered leaves in your garden.

However, the Elder Mrs. and Mr. Payne were very supportive, praising him for understanding life and having taste, and saying that gardening could also be good for health, which made Old Sir Hale laugh heartily, openly saying he had found soulmates.

"But still, I envy you; having Tim, such a wonderful grandson, so promising," Old Sir Hale said jovially.

"What are you talking about, Finn is also great."

"Let’s not bring up that disobedient child."

"But at least he has a partner now, unlike mine, truly giving me a headache."

...

Old Sir Hale and Old Man Payne started flattering each other, chatting joyously. After lunch, the four elders just happened to make a mahjong table, and Wyatt, a money-lover, was on hand to serve tea, pour water, and give massages, waiting for the game to end so he could get extra red envelopes.

This year’s couplets for the Hale Family were written by William Hale.

When Zoe Payne was with the Bell Family, they treated her as a tool for profit, so she was made to learn various things.

But she really didn’t have the talent for calligraphy, giving up on the brush pen after half a month.

Now seeing William’s calligraphy, elegant and carefree, with a spirited aloofness, she felt slightly moved, "Can I try?"

William nodded and handed her the brush pen.

Her grip on the pen was still very standard.

When Logan passed by, he saw the couplets drying on the side and pointed to one of them, "Big brother, this dog-bite-like script couldn’t possibly be Wyatt’s work, could it? It’s so ugly!"

"I told that boy long ago, character reflects the person; he should learn properly."

"But he wouldn’t listen, and now this ugly script dares to be displayed alongside yours, it’s really an insult to you."

...

Logan is an ardent fan of his brother William, naturally going out of his way to praise him while belittling others.

Just as he finished his sentence, he heard Zoe next to him say, "Actually... I wrote that couplet."

Logan was instantly petrified.

"I also feel that my writing doesn’t deserve to be displayed alongside your brother’s; it’s an insult to him."

"No, sister-in-law, I didn’t know it was you who wrote this..." Logan then looked over at his brother, who was clenching a towel, his gaze intense, as if he was about to kill him.

"It’s because you didn’t know, that’s why you spoke the truth. I’m aware of my own limitations."

"Sister-in-law, actually, your writing is very good, truly astonishing."

Simon, standing nearby and holding back his laughter, said, "I never realized you were quite the storyteller."

"This isn’t storytelling, it’s the truth!"

Are you really my brother? Taking down my stage at this time.

Actually, Zoe’s usual handwriting wasn’t bad, it’s just that brush pen writing is significantly different from regular pen writing; this couplet was indeed not great.

Once all the couplets were finished, William looked at his wife, "I’ll teach you."

When Tim Payne and Finn Hale passed by, they saw her brother-in-law embracing his wife, their fingers intertwined, holding the same pen, with the afternoon sun casting light over the gold-stamped red paper. In a white porcelain vase on the table were Glory Lilies, vibrant and noble.

A stroke went down, the brush rich with ink.

The fragrance of ink, the adornment of a beauty, the scene was extraordinarily warm and beautiful.

Ever since learning of Zoe Payne’s pregnancy, the normally intense demeanor around William softened a lot.

Logan, a brawny younger brother, was in charge of grinding the ink, which made the scene somewhat comical.

Finn originally thought Tim was watching their lettering; he himself as an uncle had not missed out on their public displays of affection, but upon closer observation, he noticed...

He wasn’t looking at the people, but at the flowers.

"Glory Lily was the favorite flower of William’s deceased mother," Finn said to explain.

"Quite unique."

Finn nodded, "It’s also a coincidence, it was your sister who found the florist, ordered the New Year’s flowers, said it was to help out a family friend’s business, Miss Jones, heard you two are close?"

Tim’s expression remained unchanged, "Rather close."

"One of the New Year’s flowers she sent was the Glory Lily."

Finn was speaking when his phone vibrated, seeing the caller ID, he smiled, "It’s Sussie’s call, I’ll take it."

Tim nodded, watching Finn leave with a smile, then turned to see his sister and brother-in-law deeply in love, and just massaged his temples.

His gaze rested on the bunch of Glory Lilies, because in the past few days, he had had a lot of private communications due to needing to contact Peter Lewis.

Since that last formal visit, he hadn’t had any contact with Cressida, hadn’t seen her...

It was as if they had reverted back to being strangers.

On New Year’s Eve, everyone wore smiles, but Tim always felt something unsettled in his heart.