When they reached the door of the villa, Ron quickly stepped forward and opened the door for her and Aurora.
After entering the villa, Estelle saw many workers decorating the villa.
“My boss said he will restore the villa to its original condition as soon as possible. However, it will take about five days to finish the redecoration because York had previously changed many parts of the house.”
“Does he know what our house looked like before?” Aurora asked in confusion.
“Yes.”
“Did he ever come to our house?” Aurora asked.
“Yes,” Ron responded quickly.
Upon hearing this, Estelle swiftly turned around and asked, “Has he ever visited our house?”
At that moment, Ron realized that he had unintentionally revealed a secret. He became embarrassed, hung his head, and lapsed into silence.
Estelle inquired, “When exactly did he come to this place?”
Ron stammered nervously, “Miss Hudson, as you know, he… he can go anywhere as long as he wants.”
“…”
Ron swiftly redirected the conversation, stating, “He mentioned that he could only attempt to restore the villa based on his recollection. If there are any issues, please don’t hesitate to inform the decoration workers, and they will make the necessary modifications.”
“Okay.”
As Ron ascended the stairs, taking the lead, he remarked, “Miss Hudson, your room has undergone redecoration. You can inspect it at your convenience. If there are any aspects that require enhancement, simply inform me, and I will arrange for further redecoration until you are completely satisfied.”
Estelle inquired, “Where is Gretchen? Wasn’t she living in my room?”
Aurora sighed with a hint of helplessness and responded, “Perhaps she has already moved to Cristofer’s house. After all, they are getting married soon.”
“No, they are not going to get married,” Ron said at once.
“What?”
“Um… Nothing.” Ron covered his mouth silently and didn’t dare to say a word anymore.
Feeling somewhat annoyed by his own lack of caution, he contemplated, ‘Mr. Hans is clearly intent on concealing his past, but numerous events have occurred that are difficult to keep hidden. Given that I am not as smart as Mr. Hans, it would be wise for me to exercise caution with my words, lest I unintentionally expose him.’
Estelle’s room was on the second floor. Fortunately, Gretchen didn’t make many alterations to it, and now the room was the same as it used to be six years ago. Even the Snoopy doll on the bed was exactly the same as the previous one.
The Snoopy doll was a limited edition and had been unavailable on the market.
Estelle used to like it very much, and she would sleep with it in her arms every night.
She still vividly recalled that the previous doll had one ear missing. However, the doll before her now had two intact ears with a tag hanging from it. It was evident that Mr. Mysterious had recently purchased this doll.
“It must have been quite a challenge to acquire this Snoopy doll,” Estelle remarked.
Ron nodded in agreement and replied, “Indeed. This particular version of the Snoopy doll is currently unavailable in the market. Mr. Mysterious faced considerable difficulty in obtaining it. He spent a considerable amount of time convincing a collector to sell this one.”
Curious, Estelle inquired, “So, when did he buy it?”
“I’m not sure. He didn’t assign me the task. From the search to the purchase, he handled it all by himself. All I know is that he traveled abroad multiple times in his quest to acquire the doll.”
Upon entering the villa, Estelle was greeted by the sight of numerous workers engaged in the process of decorating the premises.
Estelle suddenly thought of something and asked, “Some time ago, he said he was busy with something. Was he busy looking for this doll at that time?”
“Maybe.”
Estelle was moved and didn’t know what to say for a moment.
“Will Melody still live here in the future?” Aurora suddenly asked.
“My boss said that every room in this villa will return to what it used to be. There is no room for her and Gretchen,” Ron answered.
“Then they…”
“Mrs. Hudson, please rest assured. There will be security guards ensuring your safety. If you require any assistance, feel free to contact me at any time. Miss Hudson has my phone number, and I am available around the clock,” Ron assured in a gentle tone.
Looking around the familiar room, Estelle had mixed feelings.
She hadn’t lived here for eight years.
Until the age of eighteen, she had lived in this villa. Following her high school graduation, she relocated to Lanster City for a duration of two years. Subsequently, upon returning from abroad, she entered into marriage with Cristofer and settled into their marital home.
The room was overlaid with memories of Estelle’s girlhood. When she realized that almost all the memories were about Cristofer, she couldn’t help showing a wry smile.
Back then, Cristofer was still a high school student, tall and handsome. Every day when the night fell, he would come here secretly.
He would wait for Estelle outside the villa, raising his head to look at the window of her room and opening his arms to her.
“Estelle, let’s go. I’ll take you to watch the stars.”
Estelle then would jump out of the window without any hesitation, regardless of the height, knowing that Cristofer would catch her safely.
Later, when Estelle was in high school, she was taller and heavier than before. Sometimes, Cristofer would take a few steps back due to inertia when catching her, and he joked with her, “You are getting heavier.”
It was painful to look into the past.
Everything in the room had been restored to its original appearance. But the boy who used to love her so much was going to marry another woman soon.
Thinking about this, Estelle felt a little sad, not because of Cristofer but the loss of her youth.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t go back to the good old days. She couldn’t forget that she learned a lesson taught by Cristofer almost at the cost of her life. She didn’t love him anymore, but both happy and painful memories of their past were indelibly printed on her brain.
“Miss Hudson, is there anything that needs to be changed in this room?” At this time, Ron’s voice wrenched Estelle’s mind back to the present.
Shaking her head, Estelle said softly, “No. Everything is great.”
“Then, would you like to check out the other parts of the villa?” Ron asked.
Taking a deep breath to adjust her emotion, Estelle responded, “No. I believe Mr. Mysterious will arrange everything well. Since he said that he would restore the villa to its original appearance, he will make it perfect.”