“Miss Hudson, what’s the matter? You don’t look well. Since the trial is fair, you should be happy,” Mrs. Moorsum tried to coax her.
“I am very happy.”
“But you…”
“I’m fine, Mrs. Moorsum. Is everything going well at home today?”
As Mrs. Moorsum spoke in a hushed tone, she said, “Miss Hudson, there seems to be something strange happening in our neighborhood.”
Estelle immediately became attentive and asked, “What’s going on?”
Mrs. Moorsum continued, “I’ve noticed many tall and strong young men dressed in black wandering around the neighborhood lately. I’ve encountered them several times in the corridor. Once, I even saw them standing outside the door of your apartment, and it terrified me!”
Estelle recalled seeing a man in black with sunglasses at the staircase when she returned home.
Just then, her phone beeped, and she received a message from Mr. Mysterious.
‘Don’t be afraid. I sent those men to protect you.’
Estelle replied to him quickly. ‘Did anything bad happen?’
‘No. Yvonne was taken away before. And I don’t want such a thing to happen again.’
Before Estelle replied to the message, Mr. Mysterious called her, seeming to have something else to say to her.
As soon as Estelle answered the phone, Mr. Mysterious said in a husky voice, “I didn’t expect that Gretchen was pregnant, which made her be reprieved.”
Taking a deep breath, Estelle stated, “It doesn’t matter. She is sentenced to life imprisonment. After she gives birth to the baby, she will still have to serve a sentence.”
“Okay. Estelle, I’ve bought the tickets for Saturday,” Mr. Mysterious told her with his voice full of excitement.
It took Estelle a while to understand what he meant.
Today was Friday, and tomorrow was Saturday. Mr. Mysterious had previously mentioned that they would leave after the case was resolved.
Feeling unprepared, Estelle hesitated and said, “Is it too rushed to leave tomorrow? I haven’t packed yet, and I haven’t informed my mother about it. We haven’t even chosen a preschool for Yohan abroad. Besides, I need to pack up the children’s belongings. How about we postpone our departure for a few days?”
“Estelle, I’ll take care of everything. You don’t need to worry about packing. We can buy whatever we need after we reach our destination. As for your mother… I’ll explain everything to her once we settle down abroad. We must leave as soon as possible to avoid any unexpected complications,” Mr. Mysterious assured her firmly.
“But…”
“Estelle, listen to me, okay? I’ll do whatever you say in the future. But this time, do as I say, okay?” Mr. Mysterious said in a pleading tone.
Thinking of what Geoffrey had said to her and Mr. Mysterious’ injured arm, Estelle couldn’t help but feel worried and then made up her mind.
“Okay. I’ll pack up now. We’ll take a long-haul flight, so it’s necessary to take Yvonne’s baby products with us. As for our belongings, I’ll pack up as many of them as I can,” Estelle declared.
“Okay.”
“Sir, when will you come back tonight?”
Suddenly, a sharp and harsh sound of electric current came from the other end of the line.
Estelle looked at the phone screen and found that the phone had been hung up.
She guessed that maybe Mr. Mysterious had entered the elevator where the signal was weak.
She called him back but couldn’t get through.
“Miss Hudson, are you leaving tomorrow?” Mrs. Moorsum asked her.
Estelle nodded and answered, “Yes. Well, Mrs. Moorsum, I’ll pay you…”
Before she could finish her words, Mrs. Moorsum stated, “You don’t need to pay me. This morning, I received a message from the bank saying that I received a twenty thousand-dollar remittance from Mr. Mysterious. I was surprised and thought he transferred the money to the wrong person.”
“He didn’t transfer the money to the wrong person. Since we are leaving, finding a new job may take you some time. The money should be the compensation for you,” Estelle smiled sadly.
“Compensation? My salary has been several times higher than others, and I’m very satisfied with it. Besides, you and Mr. Mysterious are kind, and the children are as good as gold. I’ve never met employers better than you. I’m happy to work for you and don’t need any compensation.”
“If you don’t want it, you can give it back to Mr. Mysterious. I won’t stop you,” Estelle teased her.
“Mrs. Moorsum, could you do me a favor?”
“Sure. What can I do for you?”
“Please help me pack up Yvonne’s stuff. We’ll leave tomorrow. I’m careless, and I’m afraid I will forget to take something necessary in haste.”
“No problem. You can take a rest, Miss Hudson. I’ll handle it right away,” Mrs. Moorsum said, placing Yvonne in Estelle’s arms before heading to the children’s room.
As Mrs. Moorsum rolled up her sleeves, she spoke gently, “Actually, you’re not being careless at all. You’re a very thoughtful and meticulous person. I understand that you don’t want to part with me so soon, so you asked me to pack up and intended to use this opportunity to spend more time talking with me, am I right?”
Estelle felt a mix of emotions. She truly didn’t want to say goodbye to Mrs. Moorsum so quickly.
The previous Mrs. Moorsum and the current one held significant places in her heart.
Throughout the past six years, she had experienced the sorrow of parting with those dear to her on several occasions. Now, she was about to face it once again.
As they packed up Yvonne’s belongings, Mrs. Moorsum maintained a smile and reassured, “Miss Hudson, don’t worry about me. Once you leave, I’ll find a new job and a new employer. I’ve grown accustomed to changing jobs.”
Despite Mrs. Moorsum’s brave words, Estelle could sense the sadness in her tone. She felt a lump in her throat and managed a forced smile, replying, “I understand.”
By the time Mrs. Moorsum finished packing, darkness had fallen outside.
Later, Yohan arrived home, driven by Ron.
“Mom, I missed you so much!” Yohan exclaimed happily on seeing Estelle. Unaware that they would be leaving Hadale tomorrow, he remained blissfully unaware.
After giving hugs to both Estelle and Mrs. Moorsum, Yohan excitedly rushed to the children’s room to see Yvonne. He told her that he had a lot of homework to do and that the teacher would grade it tomorrow.
When Ron was about to leave, Estelle stopped him and inquired, “Ron, when will Mr. Mysterious return?”
“Mr. Mysterious asked me to tell you to wait for him at home tonight,” Ron replied, sighing with emotion. “Miss Hudson, once you go abroad, cherish Mr. Mysterious.”