Estelle felt a bit embarrassed as she looked at the jacket in his hand. “But…”
“I’ve just wrung it out. You can use it to shield yourself from the wind. The temperature in the suburbs is lower than in the city. I’d feel responsible if you caught a cold.”
Estelle shook her head and declined his offer. “No, thank you.”
“Do you dislike me?” Tim inquired.
“No, it’s just that… it doesn’t feel right for me to wear it,” Estelle replied.
She was aware of Tim’s feelings for her, but she didn’t share those romantic sentiments and didn’t want any romantic involvement with him. Worried that accepting his jacket might give him the wrong impression, she decided to decline.
Upon hearing her response, Tim sneered and remarked, “Are you worried that Mr. Mysterious would be displeased if he found out in heaven?”
Estelle remained silent.
“Come on, don’t be so old-fashioned. Do you plan to stay single forever? Don’t you want to get married again someday?” Tim prodded.
“No, I won’t,” Estelle asserted, shaking her head.
“Is it really worth it?” Tim questioned.
“It’s not a matter of worth,” Estelle replied earnestly. “I’m doing this because I want to. I was married to Mr. Mysterious, and whether he’s alive or not, he’s my husband. I won’t enter into a new relationship or remarry for the rest of my life.”
“You… Alas…” Tim was speechless and scratched his head irritably. “Why are you so stubborn?”
“This is my principle.”
Gritting his teeth, Tim stared at her for a moment and then burst into laughter. Without further ado, he draped his jacket over Estelle.
“What are you doing?”
“What are you doing?!” Someone spoke in one voice with Estelle.
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Estelle swiftly turned around and spotted a black Maybach parked nearby. Cristofer stepped out of the car.
Frowning tightly with his face darkened, Cristofer strode over, pulled Estelle away from Tim, and stepped forward to block Tim’s sight.
“Mr. Hans? It’s quite late. Why did you come here? Do you want to get soaked in the rain too?” Tim inquired.
Without uttering a word, Cristofer cast a significant glance at him. The next moment, he seized Estelle’s arm, guided her to his car, and gently placed her in the passenger seat.
Afterward, he entered the car, accelerated swiftly, and sped away.
“Mr. Roberts…” Estelle began to say.
Cristofer, his gaze fixed on the road ahead, interrupted her and asked with a tone tinged with displeasure, “Is he your husband?”
“No,” Estelle replied with a perplexed expression, unsure why he was bringing up this question.
“Then don’t concern yourself with him. He’s a grown man. When the rain stops, he’ll return to the city,” Cristofer reassured her.
“But he…”
“Don’t say ‘but’ to me,” Cristofer interjected irritably and impatiently.
Estelle was taken aback by his sudden outburst and regarded him with a slight frown.
Sensing her gaze, Cristofer recognized that he had reacted strongly. He sighed and amended, “… I mean, you don’t need to be concerned about him. He’s a grown man and can look after himself.”
Estelle nodded without saying anything.
Thinking about how Tim had helped her so much today and was now stranded in the suburbs, Estelle felt a heavy sense of guilt.
However, she lacked a car and couldn’t return to pick him up, nor did she feel comfortable asking Cristofer to do so.
“Are you okay? Did the police give you a hard time at the station today? Are you alright?” Cristofer inquired with a gentle tone.
He continued, “You don’t have to be afraid. York has nothing left and can’t harm you in any way. He’s just trying to extort money from you. But no matter what, don’t give in to his demands, or he’ll continue to do this. Even though the company’s reputation will get damaged, and your previous efforts are in vain, you did the right thing today.”
“Alright,” Estelle replied softly.
“Are you feeling cold?” Cristofer asked.
Before Estelle could respond, Cristofer removed his cardigan and passed it to her.
He had rushed out without changing his clothes, wearing only a cardigan over his pajamas.
The soft taupe cardigan felt warm as the gentle fabric brushed against Estelle’s arm, carrying his body heat.
While Cristofer took off his cardigan, both his hands left the steering wheel.
Upon seeing this, Estelle quickly admonished, “Please drive carefully.”
“Don’t worry. I’m a proficient driver,” Cristofer chuckled and said.
“No matter how good you drive, you should be careful! Otherwise, I…” she said anxiously but suddenly stopped.
Sensing a hint of worry in her tone, Cristofer was stunned for a moment and then asked with his eyes full of expectations, “What?”
Estelle looked away from him and uttered, “Don’t look at me like that. Focus on driving. The road is slippery on rainy days, and you should be careful when driving.”
“Then you take the cardigan first!” Cristofer put the cardigan closer to her and said, “How can I drive carefully if you don’t take it?”
“… I’m not cold. You’re wearing such a light fabric. Please put it back on,” Estelle insisted.
“Star,” Cristofer said, his voice tender, “The kids are worried about you. I didn’t come out in this heavy rain just to bother you. Yvonne called me, crying, saying you hadn’t returned to the hotel. She was scared you might have run into trouble, so she asked me to find you.”
Hearing about the children, Estelle’s concern immediately shifted, and she asked, “How are the kids doing now? Yvonne is usually so cheerful and rarely cries…”
As she spoke, her anxiety and concern grew.
At this moment, Cristofer gently patted her hand to reassure her and said, “Don’t fret. We’ll be back at the hotel soon, and you’ll see the kids. Estelle, please put on the cardigan to prevent yourself from getting sick. Right now, you need to take care of the children and your mother, and you have to steer your company out of this crisis. If you fall ill, you won’t be able to do any of that.”
Estelle bit her lower lip and replied, “What about you? Your business is thriving, and you have far more responsibilities than I do.”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me,” Cristofer responded. “My business isn’t the most important thing to me anymore. Right now, I just want to spend as much time as I can with Grandpa and take good care of him. His health is deteriorating rapidly. After he’s gone and you take the children back abroad, I’ll be left alone. By then, how I live and whether I’m healthy won’t matter to me.”