“Mr. Klein, do you know my father?” Estelle inquired.
Mr. Klein stroked his chin as he scanned Estelle from head to toe. “Certainly, I’ve been a client of your company for many years. Your father used to discuss business matters with me personally, and he always spoke proudly of you whenever your name came up. Time flies, and you’ve grown up to be so beautiful.”
Estelle felt uncomfortable with the creepy look on his face. She also noticed that the influencer seemed to be unfriendly towards her.
Despite the impolite behavior from both Mr. Klein and the influencer, Estelle knew she had to endure it for the sake of the crucial cooperation that was vital for the company.
With a dismissive gesture, Mr. Klein addressed the influencer, “You can leave for now. I’ll call you later.”
The influencer gave Estelle a resentful glance before reluctantly leaving.
“Miss Hudson,” Mr. Klein said with a smile, “let’s play a round of golf first. If you manage to defeat me, I’ll settle the balance and discuss further cooperation. What do you say?”
Estelle responded with an embarrassed expression, “Mr. Klein, I must admit that I’m not skilled at playing golf.”
Mr. Klein dismissed her concerns, saying, “No worries, just give it a try. You might discover a hidden talent for golf and surprise yourself.”
She hesitated before sharing, “My father tried to teach me golf when I was young, but I could never seem to excel at it. Honestly, I don’t possess any natural talent for the sport. Mr. Klein, how about we discuss the cooperation after you finish playing? I’ll be waiting here.”
Upon hearing her suggestion, Mr. Klein’s demeanor turned sour.
“Miss Hudson, are you trying to show off in front of me or negotiate a business deal?” he retorted with annoyance. “Why are you making it seem like I’m begging you to cooperate with me?”
“I didn’t mean that…”
“Miss Hudson,” Mr. Klein continued, “as you’ve witnessed, I even sent my female companion away for you. It doesn’t matter if you can’t play golf. Just accompany me and watch while I play. Is that acceptable to you?”
Estelle glanced down at her attire: a white shirt, an A-line skirt, and high-heeled shoes. She clenched her teeth and replied, “Alright.”
In recent times, she had been in good shape, and after giving birth to Yvonne a few months ago, her bust had become larger than before. Consequently, for comfort and convenience, she typically preferred loose and casual clothing.
However, on this particular day, she wanted to appear professional, so she donned an outfit gifted to her by Mr. Mysterious.
While the size of her white shirt was just right overall, it felt tight around her breasts. Estelle hesitated to breathe too heavily, fearing that a button might come undone.
Moreover, the golf course was an uneven lawn, making it highly inconvenient for Estelle to walk on it in her high heels. Several times, she lost her balance and nearly sprained her ankle.
Thankfully, her agility allowed her to recover her footing swiftly. At times, Mr. Klein would lend her a helping hand by linking arms to stabilize her.
“Are you tired? Have some warm water,” Mr. Klein offered, handing her a bottle.
Estelle expressed her gratitude and took the bottle, but she refrained from drinking the water.
“Why aren’t you drinking it?” Mr. Klein inquired curiously.
Estelle refrained from explaining her condition to Mr. Klein as she was not acquainted with him and saw no reason to disclose such personal information.
She unscrewed the bottle cap and pretended to take a sip of the water, satisfying Mr. Klein’s offer.
As he continued to play golf, Mr. Klein inquired, “Miss Hudson, I heard that you were once engaged to Cristofer?”
Estelle responded, “That was all in the past. Mr. Hans now has a new girlfriend, and I no longer have any connection to him. Mr. Klein, do you have a cooperative relationship with him?”
Mr. Klein’s expression turned sour as he clenched his teeth and snorted in disdain. “Cooperative relationship? Humph,” he exclaimed. “He caused me significant financial losses. We used to operate in the same industry without interfering with each other. However, Cristofer had the ambition to dominate the market and hoard all the profits for himself. He acquired numerous long-established companies, and I nearly lost my own company because of his actions!”
Hearing this, Estelle didn’t say anything.
“Haha, it must be fate that I meet his ex today,” Mr. Klein said meaningfully.
Estelle’s unease grew, and she instinctively took a step back to create some distance from Mr. Klein. However, a sudden bout of dizziness overcame her, causing her to lose her balance and stagger backward until she ultimately fell to the ground. Thankfully, the golf course’s soft lawn cushioned her fall, preventing any major injuries.
Despite this, her head throbbed intensely, and her vision started to blur, leaving her feeling disoriented and unwell.
‘What’s wrong with me?’
Estelle surveyed her surroundings and noticed that she and Mr. Klein had wandered deep into the vast golf course, which covered an extensive area, almost half of Mount Cloud.
A sense of alarm dawned on her when she realized that no one else was nearby except for the two of them.
Mr. Klein dropped the pretense of being a gentleman and displayed a crude and vile demeanor. He leered at Estelle’s chest with a repulsive expression and made lewd comments, “It’s quite impressive that you’re still conscious after drinking the water for so long. But that’s even better for us. There’s no one else around, making it more convenient for us to have some fun.”
Estelle’s heart raced with fear and discomfort as she sensed danger in this isolated situation with Mr. Klein.
‘It turns out that the water was drugged!’ Estelle thought.
Estelle resorted to pinching her thigh forcefully to stay focused and keep her mind clear, despite the tears welling up in her eyes due to the pain.
Although she had managed to spit out most of the drug-laced water secretly, some residue remained in her mouth. This made her feel weak and vulnerable all over, despite being awake.
Mr. Klein revealed his sinister intentions, saying, “I expected York’s wife to show up. I heard she’s attractive, even though she’s not young. The water was prepared for her. But to my pleasant surprise, you appeared instead. You’re younger and more beautiful, not to mention you are Cristofer’s ex! Haha, I feel so fortunate today!”
Feeling despair creeping over her, Estelle mustered the strength to ask weakly, “What… What do you want?”