“It’s really beautiful,” Derrick said with amazement in his eyes. “I’ve never seen this kind of flower.”
Estelle smiled and explained, “Malus Halliana Koehne is common in the central region of our country but rare in Hadale. Hadale is a coastal city. Its tropical rainy climate is not suitable for this kind of flower.”
“This kind of flower should be important to you, or you wouldn’t have designed such a brooch as a wedding gift for yourself.”
“Yes, it’s very important,” Estelle replied with a nod. “My husband and I had our wedding under a very large Malus Halliana Koehne tree. When the pinky-white petals fell, it was such a beautiful sight. I’ll never forget that moment. It was the happiest day of my life.”
Derrick nodded and spoke gently, “Your husband sounds very romantic.”
“Yes, he was incredibly romantic,” Estelle continued, becoming more talkative as she thought of Mr. Mysterious. “I designed this brooch as a souvenir of our wedding. Whenever I look at it, it brings back memories of our special day.”
“Ahem,” Just then, an abrupt voice interrupted their conversation.
Estelle turned to see Cristofer standing behind her.
He cleared his throat loudly, his hand clenched into a fist and put to his lips. Then he said, “Estelle, let’s go. The children are waiting for you.”
“Okay,” Estelle replied.
“Miss Hudson,” Derrick quickly grabbed her wrist and asked, “Are you free tomorrow? Would you like to meet for coffee?”
Hearing this, Cristofer immediately stared at him with sharp eyes and said with his voice full of hostility, “No, she has an appointment tomorrow.”
“With you?” Derrick asked.
“This is her personal affair and has nothing to do with you,” Cristofer said coldly and unfriendly.
Seeing him like this, Estelle frowned and pulled his sleeve, saying, “Don’t be like this.”
With a gentle smile, Derrick said, “Yes, this is Miss Hudson’s personal affair and has nothing to do with me. I don’t want to interfere with her personal affairs, but I just want to ask her out. After meeting with Miss Hudson, I have a good impression of her and like her very much.”
Frowning tightly, Cristofer said, “She has to take care of her children and doesn’t have time to date you.”
“You want to remind me that she’s a single mother, huh? Mothers are the greatest people in the world. No one has stipulated that a single mother can’t start a new relationship. I think what Mila said just now is quite unreasonable. In her opinion, a single mother is inferior to others. But I don’t think so. The value of a woman depends on her quality, her speech, and her thoughts, not her identity.”
Cristofer squinted at Derrick with a threatening look and stated, “But I’m the father of her children.”
Derrick calmly responded, “You two have divorced, haven’t you? I recall that not long ago, you made headlines with Mila. Mr. Hans, you’re free to start new relationships, and so is Miss Hudson.”
You…”
Before Cristofer could reply, Derrick continued, “Mr. Hans, I’m pursuing Miss Hudson, and it’s a personal matter. I don’t believe I require your approval.”
Tim, who had been observing the situation from a distance, burst into laughter and clapped his hands. “Mr. Hans, you’ve always been known as an excellent negotiator in the business world. But today, you’ve been silenced by others. Hahaha. It’s worth coming here to witness such an entertaining scene!”
Hearing this, Cristofer darted a cold look at him and said, “It’s none of your business. Stay out of it.”
“Who said it’s none of my business?” Tim said and walked over casually. “Why don’t you ask Estelle which of the three of us she prefers?”
Cristofer pondered momentarily, then shifted his gaze to Estelle, commenting, “You went to Mount Cloud with Tim that day just because you liked his motorcycle, didn’t you? I’ll instruct Eva to purchase one for you as well. If you prefer that motorcycle brand, I’ll get as many as you want.”
‘Cristofer, what the hell are you talking about? Since when did I say I want a motorcycle?’ Estelle thought.
“I don’t ride a motorcycle, and I will buy it myself if I want one. Mr. Hans, you don’t need to purchase one for me,” she said.
“The kids are watching us. You’d better not argue with me like this,” Cristofer said, his tone softening. “Although Yohan and Yvonne are children, they are sensitive. If they realize that we are arguing, they will be upset.”
His words struck a chord with Estelle. She glanced around and saw Yohan and Yvonne standing in the corner nearby, observing them.
Cristofer gently took her hand and said in a more caring tone, “Let’s go. They are waiting for us.”
With that, he led Estelle toward the children.
For the sake of the children, Estelle didn’t refuse him.
Still remembering why she came here today, Estelle quickly turned to Derrick and said, “Dr. Carrey, I’m free next weekend. We can have dinner together by then. And I may have to ask you a favor.”
“Okay. Watch your step. There are steps ahead of you. Be careful,” Derrick nodded and said with a smile.
Estelle was a little stunned when she heard this and stopped in her tracks, thinking, ‘You’re as considerate and gentle as Mr. Mysterious, Derrick. And when you speak, your tone and voice are similar to those of Mr. Mysterious.’
The next moment, her view was blocked by a tall figure.
“Do you like black?” Cristofer asked.
“What?” Estelle looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Cristofer, who blocked both Estelle’s view and Derrick’s view with his body, said, “I’ve searched for the motorcycle on the Internet. It has a wide selection of colors. Tim’s is black. Do you also want a black one?”
It was not until then that Estelle realized he was talking about the motorcycle.
Shaking her head, she said, “No.”
“Then why did you choose to go with Tim that day? I still remember that you couldn’t take your eyes off his motorcycle when you saw it.”
Estelle ignored him, taking a deep breath helplessly, and walked straight to the children. Seeing her coming, Yohan and Yvonne ran over and nuzzled up against her, saying that they missed her.
In Estelle’s eyes, they were like angels. Every time she hugged them, all her depression and unhappiness would be swept away, and she would be in a good mood.
“Mom, did you quarrel with Dad just now?” Yvonne asked.
“No.” Cristofer came over, picking her up and taking Yohan’s hand. Then, they walked slowly to the parking lot. “We didn’t quarrel.”