Zoe Bell returned to her room shivering, where a gown and a set of jewelry were already laid out on the bed. She mocked herself silently, laughing at her own helplessness for being so easily manipulated.
No matter how challenging it was, she was not afraid.
Why involve innocent people?
Was this what her life had come to?
A sense of helplessness welled up inside her.
In the following days, Mina Bell was in a bad mood, Vivi Lange accompanied her to go out to clear her mind, and Kevin Bell was busy dealing with the company affairs.
Zoe Bell took a leave of absence from work due to leg pain, which was quite peaceful for her.
The day of the Stone Family's dinner party, which also coincided with Dr. Peter Lewis's consultation day, arrived quickly.
There were many people there for a consultation. Zoe got up early and got a number, but she still had to wait until the afternoon to see him.
When she entered the office with her medical record, she saw an elderly man with white hair, accompanied by two young doctors who were helping him with the records.
"Dr. Lewis, hello," Zoe Bell said politely.
Dr. Peter Lewis pushed up his glasses and scrutinized her, "Have a seat."
"Thank you, this is my medical record," Zoe handed over her medical record.
The old man flipped through it briefly, then asked her to roll up her pants leg and place her right leg on a stool beside her for examination.
"How did this happen?" he pressed his fingers against Zoe Bell's right calf and ankle to examine it.
Zoe Bell bit her lip, "An accident."
"From dancing?" He could tell from the wear on her feet.
Zoe Bell nodded.
Dr. Lewis continued, "Did you go through conservative treatment at the time without having surgery?"
"Yes, the doctor said surgery wouldn't make much of a difference."
"Absolute nonsense!" Dr. Peter Lewis suddenly raised his voice, startling Zoe Bell, and even the two young doctors responsible for taking the notes jumped.
"Dr. Lewis, what's the matter?" a young doctor asked.
"Her leg could have been normal by now if it had been operated on promptly back then. It isn't a big problem; even a non-expert or non-orthopedic authority could see it. Who is this incompetent doctor who told you that your leg was beyond help…"
Zoe Bell felt a buzzing in her ears and didn't hear a single word of what Mr. Lewis said after that.
At the time of her injury, when mobility was compromised, her foster parents had helped her see many doctors, and Brandon Stone also said he would help her contact orthopedic specialists both domestically and internationally—those doctors…
All said it was untreatable.
They said surgery was pointless and might even lead to complications.
She had also visited several hospitals, received the same outcomes, so she gave up on surgery and consequently on dancing.
She stopped participating in competitions, ended her professional career, and thus completely altered the trajectory of her life.
The doctors had no reason to deceive her; it had to have been her foster parents and Brandon Stone…
In Greenland, they had the means to do it!
Yet she had been touched because, during the time of her injury, her foster parents had been kind to her, and Brandon Stone had taken great care of her—turns out it was all a facade.
It appeared they had never planned to let her return to the stage and had used her injury to achieve their own goals.
Brandon Stone got to date and engage her as he desired;
The Bell Family got their desired alliance with the Stone Family.
Her life was not supposed to be like this!
Why?
A chill enveloped her from all directions, wrapping around her entire body.
It was terrifying!
So terrifying that her whole body trembled.
She knew her foster parents didn't really love her, and Brandon Stone's affection might have been because she was beautiful, but she had never imagined that to achieve goals, human nature could be so vile.
Zoe Bell wandered out of the hospital in a daze, the sky during the rainy season was the color of smog, much like her life…
Heavy clouds obscured the sun, leaving no trace of light.
She even forgot to take her medical record.
Still, Dr. Peter Lewis's assistant caught up to her.
"Thank you, it's been a bother," Zoe Bell squeezed out a slight smile from the corner of her mouth.
The smile shattered like a fragile flower in the wind.
"Mr. Lewis said that if you want to undergo surgery, you can contact him. Because your leg has been delayed for too long, he can't guarantee that it will allow you to successfully perform on stage again, but at least it might mitigate the pain during damp weather."
After thanking him, Zoe casually found a place to sit down, her movements slow and heavy, feeling suffocated with every inch of air she breathed in.
As people came and went, she seemed like a wandering spirit in this world...
No place to depend on, nowhere to go.
Meanwhile, across the street, someone had already been accompanying her for a long time.
Zac Cruz sighed, "Grandfather, bringing this up is too cruel for her."
William Hale's gaze locked onto Zoe Bell, "I've waited too long, I really don't want to wait anymore."
If this storm is bound to come,
Let it be quicker and more fierce.
----
As the sky darkened and her phone vibrated, Zoe Bell checked it and saw it was a call from Vivi Lange. She took a deep breath and tried to stay calm.
"Hello, Mom?"
"Where are you? The Stone Family's banquet is about to start, you should hurry over."
Zoe Bell replied, her mind a mess at that moment; she wanted to confront them, asking why they had treated her this way.
She didn't wear a gown or jewelry, just rushed straight into the hotel where the Stone Family held the banquet, and a waiter led her to the door of a private room.
The moment she pushed the door open...
She hadn't even recovered when suddenly "bang bang—" a burst of colorful fireworks came right at her...
She instinctively squinted her eyes and when she regained her senses, the center of the room opposite the door was surrounded by countless balloons and flowers.
Brandon Stone, in a white suit, held flowers and smiled at her brilliantly.
In the room, besides Brandon Stone, there were his parents, including Kevin Bell and his wife Mina Bell, some other relatives and friends, and sitting not too far away was William Hale!
Zac Cruz glanced at the man sitting on the sofa from the corner of his eye...
Seemingly casual.
But his gaze fell on Zoe Bell at the doorway, his fingers tightening on his lap, knuckles slightly whitening.
Zoe Bell wasn't a fool, she clearly understood that tonight's so-called banquet...
Was actually a carefully planned proposal by Brandon Stone.
"Miss Bell, what are you spacing out for, hurry over," someone pushed her forward.
The rest of the people in the room were egging them on, the atmosphere vibrant, only the Bell family wore forced smiles, especially Mina, who almost burst into tears, yet managed only to squeeze out a slight smile.
"It's okay, Mina, without Brandon, Dad will find someone even better for you later," Kevin Bell quietly consoled his daughter.
Mina Bell's lips turned pale from biting, she nodded silently.
"You and Brandon might have had a chance, but..." Vivi Lange, watching her daughter in distress, full of sympathy, "The Stone Family wants to please William Hale, to enter the Circle of Capital City through him, they must maintain a good image in front of him."
"So whether Brandon wants to or not, since the engagement is set, they can't leave William Hale with the impression of a man who abandons commitments."
Mina Bell froze, looking toward her mother, "So... Brother Brandon didn't want to propose?"
Vivi Lange patted her daughter's shoulder, "In the face of family interests, his wishes don't matter."
Mina Bell bit her lip, saying no more.
Meanwhile, Brandon Stone, holding the flowers, slowly walked toward Zoe Bell, the melodious music filling the air.
Drawing closer, kneeling on one knee, he took out a red box from his pocket and opened it, revealing a diamond ring that sparkled brilliantly under the light.
"Zoe, a lot has happened recently, I know you're disappointed in me, but I truly like you. From the moment I first saw you, I fell deeply in love with you..."
The music stopped, and Zoe Bell lowered her head to look at the person in front of her, her heart a mix of emotions.
Thinking about all his previous kindness, all founded on destroying her life, she felt like she was submerged in cold water.
A chill to the bone!
"I promise, from now on, I will wholeheartedly protect you, cherish you, and never let you suffer the slightest harm."
"Zoe..." Brandon Stone, unaware of her apprehension, continued earnestly.
"Marry me!"