Hearing this, Yohan giggled and said, “Okay, Dad. Don’t worry. I won’t eavesdrop!”
“Mom, I’m hungry…” Yvonne said in a low voice and was about to cry.
Just as Estelle was about to say something, Cristofer took Yvonne from her arms.
“Yvonne, I’ll ask the hotel staff to bring you the steamed egg custard, your favorite meat floss buns, and strawberry cake. Wait a moment, okay?” he said in a more gentle tone.
Hearing that, Yvonne’s eyes brightened.
“Okay,” she said and nodded happily.
“Go back to the room and play with Yohan for a while. The food will be served soon,” Cristofer said with a smile.
“Okay!” Yvonne ran to Yohan, took his hand, and went to the guest room together with him.
Without the presence of the children, the big living room fell silent.
Cristofer said with emotion, “Thank you for taking care of the children these years.”
Hearing this, Estelle shook her head and said, “I’m their mother. I must take care of them.”
“I will take good care of them in the future.”
“Okay,” Estelle nodded and said. “Yvonne and you have just met a few times, but you’ve already figured out what she likes to eat. You are a good father. I heard from Uncle Luke several times before that when Yvonne was a baby, you changed her diapers in person every day.”
“I don’t think I’m a good father,” Cristofer said with a guilty look. “Did Mr. Mysterious buy all the Iron Man toys for Yohan?”
“Yes,” Estelle replied.
“Although we were rivals in love, I still should appreciate what he did for the children,” Cristofer said.
Estelle frowned and said, “He doesn’t need your appreciation. He did those things because he loved the children and was willing to take care of them. It has nothing to do with you.”
“Star, I hadn’t finished my words just now. I postponed all my work today not only to spend more time with the children but also to think everything through. I… I was a complete jerk before. Nine years ago, after the car accident happened, I thought you had deceived me and betrayed me, and then I broke down. Later, I was in a bad mental state. But no matter what, I shouldn’t have hurt you.”
Knowing what he wanted to say next, Estelle said, “It’s been almost ten years. It’s pointless to talk about this now.”
“Yes, it’s pointless, but I still want to finish my words,” Cristofer insisted. “I’ve thought about many things between us from our first meeting to the day we got divorced. Then I found I’d done too many things wrong in the past years. I shouldn’t have appeared before you and bothered you again, but… If Mr. Mysterious is still alive, I’ll bless the two of you because I know he was good to you, and you two loved each other. But now he has passed away, and you are single again. I have no right to ask you to do anything. I just want you to give me a chance to make up for my mistakes.”
Shaking her head, Estelle said frankly, “You don’t have to do anything for me.”
“I know you don’t need me to do anything for you because you don’t want to have anything to do with me,” Cristofer said with a bitter smile and sighed heavily. “I know I was wrong.”
Estelle’s expression changed slightly.
“Star, I really know I was wrong,” Cristofer said, gazing at her with eyes full of guilt.
“Don’t be like this,” Estelle said softly. “So many years have passed. Just let bygones be bygones. Both of us have started new lives, and there’s no need for us to get back together, whether for me or the children.”
“I’m not forcing you to come back to me by using the children. I won’t force you to do anything.”
“Then don’t say such words anymore. I don’t need your apology or compensation. You just need to be good to the children.”
“Are you still unwilling to forgive me?” Cristofer asked with a bitter smile.
Estelle replied, “If you were me and I were you, would you forgive me?”
“I…” Cristofer shook his head. “I see.”
Estelle nodded and stood up. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take the children back to our room.”
“I’ll take care of the children tonight. You deserve a good rest after a day’s hard work,” Cristofer said. “I’ll keep looking for a liver donor for Christina. By the way, if you need anything, feel free to tell me. I’ll do whatever I can for you.”
After hearing this, Estelle hesitated for a few seconds and said, “Um… I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“Can I change rooms with you?”
****
The next morning, Estelle was awakened by a phone call.
With a drowsy look, she answered the phone, and then a sweet and polite female voice came from the other end of the line. “Hello, this is Hadale TV station. Is that Miss Hudson?”
Estelle looked at the time. It was eight o’clock in the morning.
“Yes, I am.”
“Hi, Miss Hudson. I’m a staff member of Love Descends, the dating show you signed up for. I’m calling to confirm if you can come for the filming as scheduled tomorrow.”
“I’ll be there on time,” wide awake, Estelle answered.
“Okay, thank you. Now I need to confirm your information. Is it convenient for you?”
“Yes. Go ahead, please,” Estelle said.
“You are a single mother with two children, right?”
“Yes.”
“Your ideal boyfriend needs to be more than 1. 85 meters tall, between 25 to 35 years old, and with an annual income no less than… Fifty million dollars, right?”
Speaking of annual income, the staff member sounded somewhat hesitant and surprised. After all, very few female guests would openly express such a specific financial requirement, fearing it might make them appear materialistic.
Feeling embarrassed, Estelle said, “My friend filled in the information form. Could you please help me delete this requirement? Thank you.”
“Sorry, it can’t be deleted now. The props and art departments have already finished making the props and the information interface,” the staff member explained.
“All right…”
“But don’t worry, Miss Hudson. As far as I know, one of the male guests can meet your requirements. However, you should be mentally prepared. It’s hard to say if he can accept a single mother. You might end up disappointed.”
Hearing this, Estelle said a bit awkwardly, “Ummm… Maybe I shouldn’t have signed up for the program.”
The staff member said gently, “Don’t be upset, Miss Hudson. Just enjoy the process. Actually, there are not many people who can actually find a spouse through our program…”
She didn’t finish her words, but Estelle understood what she meant. Such a program was primarily designed for entertainment and audience ratings, not necessarily to help single people find well-matched spouses.