Kevin Bell reprimanded Zoe Bell a few times.
She lowered her voice, "Dad, I'll be there soon."
The car was too quiet, and the fragmented conversation between the two reached William Hale and Zac Cruz's ears.
They didn't say anything, but Zoe Bell felt very embarrassed, "Mr. Hale, I really don't need to go to the hospital. I have an appointment. If possible, just let me off ahead. Don't worry, my leg is an old issue, really none of your concern."
"Where are you going?" William Hale turned his head to look at her, "I'll take you there."
"It's too much trouble."
"No trouble, we're heading to the city center anyway," Zac Cruz said with a smile.
Finding a taxi was not easy, so Zoe Bell no longer hesitated and told them she needed to go to the Champs Hotel.
During the ride, not much was said. Upon arriving at the location, Zoe Bell thanked them and got out of the car. The cool wind mingled with rainwater, tingling her nerves. Just as she entered the hotel, she sneezed twice in succession.
"Miss Bell," Zac Cruz, for some reason, followed her.
Zoe Bell greeted him with a smile, unaware of what he wanted.
However, Zac Cruz handed her a black trench coat.
This was...
William Hale's clothes?
"Our sir says, it's cold on rainy days. Miss Bell, take care of your health."
"This is not appropriate."
"You are concerned about the coat, right? It's new. Our sir hasn't worn it yet."
As he spoke, Zac Cruz stuffed the coat into her hands and left.
"That's not what I mean..." Zoe Bell tried to speak up, but Zac Cruz had already run off. Her ankle was still sore, and she couldn't catch up with him.
People say Mr. Hale from the Hale Family is difficult to deal with, but he seemed quite decent.
It goes to show not all rumors are true.
---
Zoe Bell hadn't even entered the private room when she heard laughter and the clinking of cups, signaling the feast had already begun. Besides the Bell Family, Brandon Stone was also there.
As she arrived, the laughter stopped.
She felt like a stranger, barging in unexpectedly, disrupting the warmth and harmony that had been there.
"Why are you so late?" her adoptive father Kevin frowned in reprimand, "That job of yours, resign sooner. Just a teacher at a training institute. People don't know and think you're out dealing with businesses worth hundreds of millions, making everyone wait for you."
"Enough, cut it out," her adoptive mother Vivi Lange said, frowning.
"Dad, sis didn't mean to be late."
The speaker was Mina Bell, the daughter the Bell Family had found through a DNA database half a month ago.
When found, she was working as a salesperson in a shopping mall. She hadn't been accepted into college and had started working right after high school to earn money.
Mina Bell looked at Zoe Bell, "Sis, I'm really sorry, we've been waiting for you for a long time. You didn't show up, so we started eating. You don't mind, do you?"
Zoe Bell shook her head.
"I really envy you, being beautiful and knowing how to dance. Unlike me, I'm good at nothing…" Mina's tone was full of envy because in terms of looks, figure, or demeanor, she couldn't compare to Zoe Bell.
Upon hearing this, their parents felt even more pity for her.
Learning arts costs money, and Mina's previous living conditions couldn't support such education.
Now that their daughter was home, naturally, they wanted to give her everything best they could offer.
Their family reunion genuinely made Zoe Bell happy for them from the bottom of her heart.
At the same time, she had to give up everything she had once enjoyed and owned...
Zoe Bell harbored no complaints about this, for it rightfully belonged to her.
Since she was adopted at the age of 4 without any blood relation, no matter how well or obediently she behaved, her adoptive parents never grew close to her. Who knew that the next year they would have a son and then an incident happened, further worsening Zoe Bell's situation.
Being respectable people with status, the Bell Family worried that sending her back to the orphanage would lead to backbiting. Although they were distant, they ensured her basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter were still decent.
Moreover, to maintain their public image and earn a good reputation, the Bell Family donated a significant amount of money to the orphanage every year.
"Sis, originally, Brother Brandon wanted to pick you up after work. I just happened to be shopping, so I asked him to pick me up on the way. You're not mad, are you?" Mina Bell said with a smile.
"Not at all."
"You look unwell, I thought you were upset," Mina said innocently.
"I have never lived in Greenland before, I'm unfamiliar with everything. Brother Brandon was just kindly keeping me company."
"He said to call him anytime I needed anything. I don't know many people here, so I'm somewhat close to him, but I worry that he might find me bothersome."
"Not bothersome." Brandon Stone sat next to Mina Bell, attentively serving her food.
To an outsider, she might seem like Brandon Stone's fiancée.
Zoe Bell's face turned pale as she hung William Hale's trench coat to one side, which caught Mina Bell's attention.
"Sis, that trench coat isn't yours, right?"
It was obviously men's clothing.
Brandon Stone's gaze suddenly turned cold, fixating on Zoe Bell.
Every day, the person providing rides and accompanying Mina Bell was him,
but now his expression was as if he was the one involved with the opposite sex...
himself!
**
Elsewhere
Catching up with William Hale, Zac Cruz smiled sycophantically, "Sir, the coat has been delivered."
"Did she accept it?"
"I forced it on her and then ran off," Zac's expression was as if he was waiting for some praise.
...
"Miss Bell really isn't in an easy situation right now, it's really something with that Bell Family. Knowing the condition of her leg, they should have sent a driver at least on a rainy day. And that Brandon Stone isn't doing right either. It's outrageous not to pick up his own fiancée on a rainy day but to go and pick someone else instead," Zac said.
Zac glanced at his boss, "Having just managed to get Miss Bell in the car, it's a pity I couldn't talk to her more."
"Kevin Bell's words are too harsh too; after living together for so many years, calling him 'Dad' all these years and he doesn't seem to care about Miss Bell at all. She's decent, makes money through honest means..."
William Hale lifted his eyelid and looked at him, "I was pondering something."
"Are you thinking about how to take advantage of the situation and steal her away?"
Zac Cruz had learned to drive safely since he got his license; who knew his boss would send him on a mission to stage a "crash" that almost drove him mad!
To get close to Miss Bell, his boss was really...
William Hale gave him a sidelong glance, "I was contemplating why you're not mute."
Zac Cruz shut his mouth and said no more.
William Hale stood by the window, his expression unclear.
The strong wind and heavy rain outside seemed to muster up the force of a mighty army in his eyes.
The cigarette in his hand, unlit, had been mutilated beyond recognition.