Mrs Hale, I Surrender Novel – “Chance Encounter” with Mr. Hale, She Is the Substitute The rainy season, with incessant rain. The wind blew and clouds scattered, allowing the rain to fall as it pleased; inside the ballet studio, a group of children clad in ballet attire were repeat practicing under their teacher’s guidance. “Let your hands naturally hang down, your arms and hands forming an elliptical shape, and pay attention to the teacher’s movements…” Zoe Bell taught conscientiously.
The parents who came to pick up their children after class gathered in pairs and small groups, whispering about the hottest topic in Greenland recently: [The Bell Family has found their daughter lost for 20 years] “So Ms. Bell isn’t the Bell Family’s biological child? No wonder she doesn’t look like them at all.” “They say the Bells adopted her from an orphanage, but sadly, now that they’ve found their biological daughter, her situation has become quite awkward.” “I heard her fiancé, Brandon Stone, doesn’t want her either.” “They adopted her only because they couldn’t find their biological daughter; she was merely a substitute to comfort the Bell Family’s emotional needs.” … The crowd looked at Zoe Bell with sympathetic eyes. She was tall with fair skin, a classic beauty with fine bone structure. She had incredibly attractive lychee-shaped eyes, brimming with gentle autumn water and hints of spring mountains, and her legs were white and slender.
Even dressed in the black and white practice attire, without meaning to attract attention, she radiated charm in myriad ways. She conducted herself properly and with measure. Not only did the children like her, but the parents also had high regard for her. After her class ended and she had seen off the students and parents, a colleague asked her with concern, “How’s your foot?” “It’s okay,” she replied. “I was signaling you to rest the whole time; why didn’t you?” “The children and parents come for me; if I just sit there the whole time, I bet people would start complaining soon,” Zoe Bell said with a smile, as she bent over to rub her right ankle.
She had injured her right leg, and it never healed properly. It pained her greatly on rainy days, bringing her dancing career to an end, and she now worked as a teacher at a training institution. “It’s started to rain…” the colleague, while packing up, observed Zoe, “Is Young Master Stone coming to pick you up?” Zoe, her head down as she rubbed her ankle, replied softly without showing her face, “He’s been quite busy recently, and probably won’t have time.” The colleague didn’t say anything.
Indeed, busy, probably busy accompanying the true Ms Bell. Brandon Stone had pursued Zoe for a long time, knowing that her leg would hurt on rainy days, so whenever it was cloudy and rainy, he would personally drive her to and from work. Her colleagues were all envious of her having such a wealthy and thoughtful fiancé. But ever since the news spread that the Bell Family had found their biological daughter, he showed up less frequently.
Spending his days entertaining the legitimate heiress. Her colleagues sighed and felt sorry for Zoe. “Ms. Bell, if your foot hurts too much, take a couple of days off at home. I’ll explain it to the students and their parents,” the head of the institution said as he looked her over. “You can barely walk straight, and it’s raining outside; do you want me to take you to the hospital to have it checked?” “No need, thank you. I have other things to do, I’ll just take a taxi,” Zoe said as she changed clothes, and when she