Estelle nodded wearily and replied, “I understand. You can return to work.”
“Alright. Miss Hudson, would you like me to provide you with Mr. Klein’s phone number?”
Estelle was on the verge of saying “No,” but something made her hesitate. After a sigh, she reluctantly responded, “Yes.”
“Very well.” The manager jotted down the phone number on a sticky note and placed it on Estelle’s desk.
“Here is Mr. Klein’s phone number. I’ll get back to work now.”
“Thank you,” Estelle acknowledged with a nod.
Looking at the phone number on the note, Estelle was in a sweat.
She was clear about what would happen if she went to see Mr. Klein again. And this time, no one would save her if she was in danger.
While Estelle was lost in thought, her phone suddenly rang.
Seeing that the caller ID was an unfamiliar number, she confusedly answered the phone, “Hello?”
“Hi, Miss Hudson. You didn’t keep your promise.” A deep, authoritative voice that Estelle would never forget came from the other end of the line.
“Hi, Mr. Lopez,” Estelle calmly answered.
“I’m glad that you still remember me,” Nelson said.
Taking a deep breath, Estelle adjusted her emotions, pretending to be fearless and trying to make her voice sound powerful.
Meanwhile, she thought, ‘Fortunately, Nelson can’t see my expression now, or he will see through me easily.’
“Mr. Lopez, we agreed that I would make a clear break with Mr. Mysterious and go abroad, and you would save him. But he still… passed away,” Estelle said, feeling teary-eyed.
“No one wanted it to end like that. However, I’m not a doctor, and I can’t bring him back to life. Miss Hudson, you’re the only one to be blamed for his death. If it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t have betrayed me and wanted to elope with you. You destroyed him.”
Estelle sniffed and said, “Mr. Lopez, did you call me just to say such words to me?”
“Yes and no. I heard that your company is in difficulties right now. I want to help you.”
“Really?” Estelle sneered and sharply responded, “You are willing to help me?”
“Of course. I will help you, conditionally,” Nelson said, “I’ll help you solve your company’s crisis. After that, you must go abroad with your children immediately and never come back again.”
Hearing this, Estelle frowned and ground her teeth, “Mr. Mysterious has passed away. Why do I still have to leave here?”
“Your presence would only bring back the painful memories of his death! Miss Hudson, your actions have shattered not only him but also my years of hard work! I’m sorry for being so direct, but I don’t want to see you or be in the same city with you!”
Estelle gripped her phone so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
“Tell me where his grave is. I want to visit his grave,” she demanded.
“As I’ve mentioned before, he doesn’t have a grave. I scattered his ashes on the peak of Mount Cloud. It was his final wish.”
Estelle was momentarily speechless, but Nelson’s voice came again before she could respond.
“I hope that in his next life, he can live happily without any entanglement with you,” Nelson remarked. “Miss Hudson, forget about him, go abroad, and never return.”
Something about his words struck Estelle as odd, and her expression subtly changed.
Licking her lips, she cautiously asked, “Did he leave behind any of his belongings, like clothing or personal items…”
“Miss Hudson!” Nelson interrupted her and snapped. “Enough!”
“Mr. Lopez,” Estelle said with her hands trembling, “Show me the evidence that he is really dead, and I’ll leave right away.”
“Don’t make such a pointless request!”
“I just want to make sure that he is really dead.”
Nelson said impatiently, “… It’s been three years since he died. I can’t prove it to you. Besides, back then, his belongings and body were cremated.”
“Then which crematorium was he cremated? I’ll go check the record,” Estelle asserted.
“You…” Nelson gritted his teeth and said, “He was not cremated but buried. I won’t let you find him.”
“But you just said that you have scattered his ashes on the top of Mount Cloud,” Estelle said anxiously.
For a moment, Nelson was lost for words.
On the other end of the phone, Estelle could only hear Nelson’s increasingly heavy breath and could imagine how irritable he was at the moment.
Then she continued, “Mr. Lopez, it’s so strange that you are so desperate to ask me to leave and can’t provide the evidence that Mr. Mysterious is really dead. Besides, you attach great importance to him but didn’t even build a tablet for him after he died. Let me guess… Mr. Mysterious is still alive, right?”
“No, he is dead!” Nelson yelled.
Estelle frowned after hearing his sharp reaction, “Since he is dead, why can’t I stay in Hadale? If you didn’t pay special attention to me, you wouldn’t know that I have returned to Hadale.”
All of a sudden, Nelson burst into laughter and said, “Hahaha… Miss Hudson, you are so imaginative.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Lopez. There’s no evidence that Mr. Mysterious is really dead, so I won’t believe your words. He is my husband. I must confirm whether he is alive or dead.”
“You are too stubborn.”
“Whatever you say, I will not leave Hadale unless there’s evidence to prove his death.”
Hearing her words, Nelson was enraged and clenched her teeth, “Then what are you going to do with the sick child who’s still abroad? Won’t you save her?”
Estelle was stunned.
“I’ll help you save that child, and you will leave Hadale and never come back. What do you think?” Nelson’s tone softened, “I don’t want to see you anymore. Besides, if you still stay in Hadale, Mr. Mysterious will not be able to rest in peace.”
“I still have something to do here. I won’t leave Hadale,” Estelle said firmly.
“In addition to saving that child, I will also help you solve your company’s problems,” Nelson offered.
“Mr. Lopez, now that you want me to leave here so much, I’m even more sure that Mr. Mysterious is still alive,” Estelle said with a chuckle.
Nelson then realized that Estelle had only been feigning stubbornness earlier, and he felt a sudden surge of anger. “You were deliberately being obstinate just now?”
“All is fair in love and war,” Estelle quickly responded.
Nelson’s voice deepened with anger as he retorted, “Miss Hudson, it’s unwise to oppose me.”
“Mr. Lopez, I don’t want to oppose you. I understand that you want a perfect heir who won’t be swayed by emotions and is solely focused on work and career. You went to great lengths to break us up and told me that Mr. Mysterious had died, all because you wanted him to continue as your heir, correct?” Estelle stated. “When I heard the news of his death in Europe, I had my doubts that he might still be alive and hidden by you. Now, it seems my suspicions were correct.”