12 012 Married, and called Mrs. Hale
Zoe Bell caught her breath.
Because his final words struck her heart!
She desperately longed to have a home.
A place of her own, where she could shelter from the storm, never again having to worry about being driven
out.
Zoe had understood from early on that she had no control over her own marriage. If not Brandon Stone, the Bell Family would arrange another alliance for her.
To her, love was a luxury.
The key was, she could solve all her current problems without turning back to the Bell Family or Brandon Stone for help.
Shamefully, she was tempted.
Her ankle ached, her body was soaked by the rain, and now the air conditioning made her feel faint. Zoe looked to the man beside her, “Mr. Hale, marrying me could bring you a lot of trouble.”
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12 012 Married, and called Mrs. Hale
“Your matters are not troublesome to me,” he said.
Zoe chuckled inwardly.
Indeed, William Hale was a figure whom dignitaries in
the Capital City vied to please. Neither the Stone Family nor the Bell Family posed a threat to him.
“I am an orphan with no background or support, I cannot offer you any help,” Zoe bit her lip.
“A prominent background does not necessarily mean it’s better,” he said.
Factional struggles within large families, he spoke the truth.
“Furthermore,” William added, “I do not need anyone’s help.”
The Hale Family, including himself, was powerful enough!
He did not need a marriage alliance to consolidate anything.
Zoe was probably muddled by the air conditioning in the car, or perhaps William’s words earlier bore a fatal temptation for her.
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If she really married him, it would be her gain.
William Hale’s conditions were too favorable; according to him, she only needed to play his wife well to have everything..
Helping the orphanage through its current difficulties wasn’t easy. Going back to the Bell Family would only degrade her, leaving her at their mercy her entire life.
She harbored no hopes for love; so his proposal was very tempting to her.
And besides, everyone thought her talking to William Hale was her reaching above her station.
If she married William Hale, wouldn’t that be a slap in their faces?
At that moment, Zoe felt ashamed of herself…
She thought,
she would fall!
“Mr. Hale, you will regret this.”
William Hale’s lips curved slightly, and without responding to her comment, he called out to Zac Cruz, saying:
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“Drive…”
“Home.”
Zoe regretted it halfway through, too much had happened in the past half month, her mind was in chaos, being kicked out, the Bell Family withdrawing support from the orphanage, being pressured step by step, suddenly…
a pie fell from the sky.
Looking back, it seemed absurd!
Had she gone mad?
That was William Hale!
To her, not only a stranger but also out of reach, how did she end up marrying him in a daze?
If she said she regretted it now, would William Hale think she was intentionally playing him?
Just like the coat he had given her before.
She didn’t want it, but she couldn’t just throw it away carelessly; she had to hold onto it carefully.
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He turned to look out the window, his expression eye. unreadable, as the car slowly drove into Larkhill, the most upscale residential area in Greenland.
Larkhill was the most luxurious villa area in Greenland, under the rain and mist, the surrounding greenery was veiled in watery hues.
Everything seemed so unreal.
She had heard Brandon Stone mention once, William Hale lived in a certain hotel, and many who wanted to meet him would stake out at the hotel, but she didn’t expect him to have a residence in Greenland.
As the car drove into the garage, Zoe felt as if she were in a dream.
It wasn’t until William Hale got out of the car that Zoe noticed his clothes behind…
were all soaked through!
She froze for several seconds, then remembered that since he had held the umbrella over her head, not a drop of rain had fallen on her since.
Even Brandon Stone, who claimed to like her, seemed not to have cared for her to this extent.
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What exactly was William Hale’s motive for marrying
her?
Just because he found her pleasing to the eye and knew she was an orphan, helpless and easy to control?
Zoe followed him inside, soaked to the skin, she stood in the living room, not daring to sit anywhere.
She appeared restrained and cautious.
A woman in her fifties approached.
“This is Nanny Parker, I don’t like having many people around, so she’s usually the only one here,” William Hale introduced.
Zoe politely greeted her, and Nanny Parker asked her to take off her soaked coat and handed her a large towel to dry off. She also offered her a warm glass of
milk.
“Have a seat,” William Hale gestured for her to sit across from him.
He took off his jacket, in white shirt and black trousers, casually unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt, exposing his impressive neck and jawline, looking more casual and carefree compared to his
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usual stern and distinguished appearance.
His eyes were dark as ink, unfathomable.
Zac Cruz was sitting aside with a laptop, seemingly typing something.
Zoe felt very constrained, not daring to meet his gaze, so she could only look around the villa. After a while, she commented, “The house is nicely decorated.”
to make such a remark.
felt extremely awkward, thinking how stupid she
To her surprise, William Hale asked, “Do you like it?”
Zoe thought he was referring to the décor style, so she nodded.
“If you like it, then the house is yours,” he said.
“From now on, this place belongs to you, to shelter yo from the storm. You don’t have to worry about being driven out ever again.”
Zoe Bell bit her lip.
But this sanctuary was just too luxurious.
“Vou can drive onu oor in the underground caraca na
12 012 Married, and called Mrs. Halo
you please. If you don’t like it, buy a new one. If you don’t want to drive, I can also arrange a driver to pick you up and drop you off.”
Zoe Bell drank a mouthful of hot milk and felt herself
floating.
“I don’t need any prenuptial wealth certification. The money I earn every year will be half yours. I’ll cover all expenses for food, clothing, housing, and
transportation, and I’ll also give you a monthly allowance. As for your salary, that’s up to you to
decide.”
“?!”
Zoe Bell abruptly looked up at William Hale.
Did he really know what he was saying?
Salary?
He was willing to let her work?
When she and Brandon Stone were engaged, the Stone family had hinted that they hoped she would take full care of the family after marriage, essentially having her be a housewife.
“But you need to be a good wife, especially in front of
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my family. You must not let them see through us.” William Hale looked at her. “Do you have any other questions?”
“We’re… just pretending, right?” Zoe Bell asked cautiously.
If it were just an act, he didn’t need to share every penny he made with her.
“My family members are not fools, and I don’t like to leave loose ends for others.”
Meaning:
Even if it was an act, it had to be completely
convincing.
This marriage,
Must be genuine.
In the meantime, Zac Cruz had already brought a duplicate prenuptial agreement document to them, and what William Hale had said was already presented in written form, covering all aspects including food, clothing, housing, and transportation.
Zac Cruz looked at Zoe Bell: “Miss Bell, if you have any issues, feel free to raise them. I will make changes
12 012 Married, and called Mrs. Halo
immediately.”
“Our marriage, will it be public?” Zoe Bell looked at
William Hale.
“It’s up to you; it can also depend on the situation.”
In this marriage, she definitely would not be at a disadvantage.
“Mr. Hale, this is too detrimental for you.”
“We need different things. When each takes what they need, there’s no losing.”
Indeed, for William Hale, money was probably just a pile of numbers.
He stared at Zoe Bell. “Do you have any more
requests?”
“Since it’s fake, there should be a time limit. When will we divorce?”
William Hale leaned back on the sofa, looked at her, and the curve of his lips was ambiguous, making Zoe Bell’s scalp tingle.
Zac Cruz shifted his gaze from the computer.
Divorce?
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12 012 Married, and called Mrs. Halo
They hadn’t even married, and she was already thinking about parting?
William Hale simply smiled gently and said, “The marriage should last at least five years. If special circumstances arise during that time, we can talk again. However, if you want to break the contract early, you will have to pay damages.”
Damages?
The amount would certainly be beyond what she could afford.
Zoe Bell felt her consciousness blurring again.
“If you meet someone you like, I will cooperate with you to handle the divorce. Rest assured, as long as you want to divorce, I will definitely not cling to you.”
William Hale didn’t speak, just quietly looked at her.
Zoe Bell bit her lip. Just signing would completely change her life. She hadn’t interacted much with William Hale, but her intuition told her:
He was a good man!
12 012 Married, and called Mrs. Hale
This was the kind of man every lady dreamed of marrying, and she would certainly not lose out.
“Once you’ve signed, we can go and register when we find the time,” William Hale said as he took out a pen and signed his name on the last page of both
documents.
His penmanship was powerful, and the tips of his strokes also had an imposing and chilling air to them. He then passed the documents and the pen to Zoe
Bell.
She put down the milk, hesitating repeatedly.
Zoe Bell felt shameful; she wanted to degrade herself.
All of this seemed unreal as if in a dream.
If this was a dream, then she might disregard logic, and follow her desires just this once.
When she signed her name on the document, Zac Cru: quickly stepped forward, seized the document as if he feared Zoe Bell would tear it up the next second,
holding it to his chest and looking at William Hale, “Sir I will contact the lawyer immediately to notarize this.”
Zoe Bell bit her lip:
12 012 Married, and called Mrs. Hale.
In the dead of night and with rain pouring down, was there such a rush?
Everything happened too fast, without giving her time to think, hesitate, or regret.
“You should rest early.” When William Hale stood up, Zoe Bell also hurriedly stood up but forgot about the injury on her ankle. Standing up too abruptly caused discomfort from the pain, making her inhale sharply.
Her footing wasn’t stable, and instinctively, she reached out to grab something to support her body, which resulted in her arm being grasped…
William Hale stepped forward and held her arm, steadying her completely.
His presence was too strong, causing Zoe Bell’s scalp to tighten.
Especially since the palm of his hand was pressing against her forearm, his palms were very hot, as if burning, making her breathing quicken.
“Can you stand steadily?”
As he spoke, William Hale had already withdrawn his hand.
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12 012 Married, and called Mrs. Hale
Restraining intimacy just right, not making one feel invaded.
“Yes, my leg injury is an old problem.” Zoe Bell smiled apologetically. “Thank you.”
“You’re too courteous, Mrs. Hale.”
Zoe Bell’s mind crashed.
Mrs. Hale?
Those three words, coming from his mout
