“Just consider it a chance to help Christina, okay? As I said, Dr. Carrey specializes in liver diseases. Even if you don’t want to date him, you can make friends with him. He’s a good person. Perhaps he’ll be willing to assist in finding a suitable liver donor for Christina,” Rebecca insisted as she picked up her phone and showed Estelle the filming schedule.
She continued persuading, “The first episode of the show will be filmed on Saturday. It won’t interfere with your workdays. After the first episode, you can quit if you find being on the show boring or meaningless. How does that sound to you?”
Listening to Rebecca’s reasoning, Estelle realized that participating in the show could indeed be a way to help Christina. Although Mr. Lopez had promised to find a donor, she couldn’t fully trust him. It might be wise not to place all her hopes on him.
With a deep sigh, Estelle relented, speaking to Rebecca, who still held her tightly, “Alright, I’ll do it. But I’ll only participate in one episode.”
“Great, I respect your decision!” Rebecca said cheerfully. “Filming begins at nine o’clock on Saturday morning. I’ll pick you up at the Grand Hotel in Hadale City at eight o’clock and drive you to the TV station!”
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
The employee opened the door and entered with a tray. He said, “Miss Hudson, I wasn’t sure what Miss Miller likes to eat, so I got her some biscuits and coffee.”
“Okay, thank you,” Estelle responded. She then looked at the employee and inquired, “I recall that you work in the design department. Why are you working as an assistant now?”
The employee smiled helplessly and replied, “Miss Hudson, our design department is practically nonexistent at the moment. Most of our talented designers have already left for other companies. After yesterday’s events, many of our company’s employees resigned today. The human resources department is swamped with handling their resignations. I’m afraid there won’t be many staff members left.”
While nibbling on a biscuit, Rebecca interjected with a mouthful, “And what about you? Are you planning to stay?”
“I will,” the employee scratched his head and confessed shyly. “Honestly, I’m not here just to earn money but to gain more knowledge in jewelry design.”
“Oh?” Estelle looked intrigued.
The employee continued, “You see, I’m a senior student and want to become a jewelry designer after graduation. Currently, most domestic jewelry design companies prefer to hire experienced designers, often from abroad, offering them high salaries. It’s hard for newcomers like me to get a foot in the door. Fortunately, the Hudson Group has given me an opportunity to work in the jewelry design field. Miss Hudson, your reputation as an excellent jewelry designer precedes you. Your Star series jewelry designs are simply stunning. So, I want to stay here and learn the art of jewelry design from you.”
Rebecca chimed in, amused, “Estelle, you have quite the fan club. I remember Tim mentioned that he hired you because of your exceptional talent in jewelry design, saying there were very few designers as gifted as you.”
Upon hearing Tim’s name, Estelle inquired, “Speaking of Tim, how is he doing?”
“Tim? Why do you suddenly ask such a question?” Rebecca was confused.
“Last night, it rained heavily, and he was drenched to the skin. I don’t know if he is fine now.”
Hearing this, Rebecca immediately looked at Estelle with a meaningful smile. She quickly asked, “Were you with him last night? You two… Oh, no wonder you don’t want to join the dating show. You and Tim are…”
“No, no, no. It’s not what you think,” Estelle interrupted her immediately.
Sitting up with her eyes brightening, Rebecca said, “Tim is also a nice person. He is handsome and rich. Besides, both of you are jewelry designers and will have a lot of common topics. Moreover, if you are with him, we two will be family in the future. Hey hey…”
Estelle was speechless.
“I’m not in a relationship with Tim. Yesterday, he sent me to Mount Cloud out of kindness. We were caught in the heavy rain when we went down the mountain. That’s it.”
Rebecca blinked in surprise and inquired, “Then why didn’t you check on him to see if he’s alright?”
Estelle hesitated for a moment before admitting, “I… I left him alone at the base of the mountain.”
“You left him alone? Why would you do that?”
Estelle sighed and explained, “Well, we were supposed to return to the city together last night, but Cristofer showed up and picked me up at the base of the mountain. I ended up leaving with him.”
“Cristofer?” Rebecca’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Estelle nodded reluctantly and said, “Yes.”
Rebecca’s tone turned serious as she warned, “Estelle, you must stay away from him. Have you forgotten what he’s done to you? The one who truly loves and cares for you is Mr. Mysterious, not Cristofer. Even though they’re twins and look alike, they are not the same person!”
‘I certainly know that they were different people.’ Estelle thought to herself.
At the thought that she almost mistook Cristofer for Mr. Mysterious several times before, Estelle felt guilty and couldn’t help frowning.
“Don’t worry. I know what I should do and what I shouldn’t,” she said to Rebecca, trying to reassure her.
Still feeling worried, Rebecca said softly, “Estelle, just let bygones be bygones. Mr. Mysterious was a good man, but he has passed away. You should move on.”
Estelle curled her lips and said, “Rebecca, I just learned that… Mr. Mysterious is still alive.”
“What?” Rebecca’s eyes widened in shock, and she covered her mouth in disbelief.
“He’s still alive? Really? Where is he now?”
“I don’t know,” Estelle said, shaking her head.
“Then what are you going to do now? Are you going to look for him?”
Estelle smiled bitterly and said, “I don’t know what I should do. Rebecca, it has been three years. He is still alive, but he has never contacted me or come to me in all these years. Does that mean he has decided to break up with me?”
Rebecca looked thoughtful, not sure how to respond.
After a moment, she said, “I don’t think so. Mr. Mysterious used to be so good to you and loved you deeply. It’s hard to believe he’d want to break up. Could it be that he lost his memory after the car accident?”
Estelle shook her head again and said, “Rebecca, I’m starting to wonder if perhaps the best ending for our story is to simply break up like this.”
“Don’t say that. When two people love each other, they should be together. Don’t you want to be with Mr. Mysterious anymore? Why would you consider giving up on him?”
“Because I love him,” Estelle replied with sincerity in her clear eyes. “If breaking up is what’s best for him, I’ll accept it and stay away from him.”