“Even regardless of the fact that she caused your parents’ death?” Eva asked.
“Maybe. I was struggling at that time,” Cristofer said. “Sometimes I really hoped that I could have a doppelganger who could go to see her secretly every night, keep her company when it rained and thundered, and protect her when bad guys bullied her. Alas. If only I could have a doppelganger.”
“We are all ordinary people, not vampires or supernatural creatures. How is it possible that we have a doppelganger?” Eva said.
Cristofer then smiled bitterly.
“Eva, have you had such unrealistic wishes?” Cristofer asked.
“Certainly,” Eva chuckled and said. “I wish I could have magic that I can use to stop my boyfriend every time before he goes on a mission.”
“Your boyfriend is a policeman?”
“No. He’s a soldier,” Eva said, “A border soldier.”
****
The car stopped at the Hans’ House gate, and Cristofer returned to reality.
Soon, Luke came out and said happily, “Mr. Hans, Estelle, you’re finally here! Old Mr. Hans is always talking about you!”
“How is Grandpa now?” Cristofer asked.
Luke shook his head and sighed helplessly. “He’s not in a good condition. Old Mr. Hans has had heart disease for so many years and is at such an old age. The doctor said that he might not have much time to live. Don’t make him angry anymore. Actually, he shouldn’t have been discharged from the hospital. But he said that he insisted on meeting his great-grandchildren at home. No matter how hard the doctor tried to persuade him, he still wanted to leave the hospital.”
Hearing this, Cristofer nodded and couldn’t help feeling sad. When he turned to look at Estelle, he saw her also look sad.
Reaching out his hand to her, he said gently, “Let’s go inside.”
He had thought that she would shake her head and refuse him as before, and he was mentally prepared for that. But to his surprise, Estelle held his hand tightly and said in a soft voice, “Okay. Let’s go.”
Cristofer’s eyes lit up with joy. But the next moment, he felt a little upset and thought, ‘Estelle, you did this just for the sake of Grandpa, right? Even though you held my hand, it doesn’t mean you still love me.’
Such a thought hurt his pride, but he didn’t want to let go of Estelle’s hand because it was rare for Estelle to be so gentle to him.
‘Forget it. Don’t think too much, and cherish the moment. It’s not a big deal to give up my pride for you, anyways.’
Thinking about this, Cristofer also held Estelle’s hand tightly.
They heard Gary’s hearty laughter and a middle-aged woman’s gentle voice when they were about to enter the house.
Luke then said to Cristofer, “Mr. Hans, your friend came to visit Old Mr. Hans. They’ve just been here for a while.”
“My friend?” Cristofer asked in confusion.
“Yes, he said he is your friend. He’s from Africa and has brought a lot of their local health care products to Old Mr. Hans.”
On the sofa in the living room, Gary was talking with a young man in a suit.
Beside the young man was a pretty woman with an elegant temperament. With her straight hair down to her waist, she was wearing a white dress that set off the slenderness of her waist and her grace. She looked about forty years old and was well-maintained.
Holding Estelle’s hand gently, Cristofer led her to the living room. “Hi, Alexander.”
Hearing Cristofer’s voice, the man called Alexander turned his head. The moment he saw Cristofer, he smiled, walked over, and hugged Cristofer. “Hi, Cristofer.”
Hearing his accent, Cristofer remembered that the official language of Alexander’s country was French, and he was not good at English.
“You talk with my grandfather in English?” he asked Alexander in French.
When Alexander heard Cristofer talk to him in French, he felt much relieved and replied to him in fluent French, “No. I’m still not good at English, so I brought an interpreter with me.”
Tilting his head, Cristofer looked in the direction of the sofa and saw the woman in a white dress. The woman smiled and nodded at him as a greeting.
Seeing Estelle standing beside Cristofer, Alexander asked, “Cristofer, is this your newly married wife? I heard that you just held your wedding last weekend. Oh, I should have come to Hadale earlier and attended your wedding.”
‘It looks like Alexander mistakes me for Mila,’ Estelle thought.
At the thought that Cristofer and her had to act in front of Gary, she thought she’d better cooperate with Cristofer and act according to the script that he wrote. Then she looked at Cristofer silently, waiting for him to explain her identity to Alexander.
Nodding with a smile, Cristofer put his arm around her waist intimately and said in a gentle voice, “This is my wife, Estelle.”
“Wow, what a beautiful name!” Alexander exclaimed.
“Thank you,” Estelle chuckled and smiled.
Alexander then patted Cristofer’s shoulder and said, “Cristofer, no wonder you didn’t get married until now. It turns out that you were waiting for the right one before. A beauty like Estelle is worth your waiting. You two are really a perfect match!” When he spoke, both his tone and action were exaggerated.
“Yes. I was waiting for her before, and I pursued her for a long time before she agreed to be with me,” Cristofer smiled and told a half-truth.
Hearing this, Alexander nodded heavily and said, “It’s worth it.”
“Yes.”
“You are blessed with such a beautiful wife. Wish you happiness.”
“Thank you.”
While they were talking, Luke came in hand in hand with Yohan and Yvonne.
Seeing their parents were entertaining guests, the two children followed Luke to the entertainment room quietly.
Alexander didn’t see the children as he sat with his back to the door. His eyes had been wandering back and forth on Cristofer and Estelle as if he were searching for something.
Being looked at by him like this, Estelle felt uncomfortable and cleared her throat with an embarrassed look.
Alexander was a smart man. Sensing Estelle’s discomfort, he looked away from her at once.
Cristofer, who also sensed that, turned his head and whispered in Estelle’s ear, “Do you want to go upstairs and stay with the kids?”
Raising her eyebrows, Estelle also whispered to him, “Why does your friend keep looking at me?”
“Well…” Cristofer felt a little embarrassed. “Actually, we are not friends. We are going to have business cooperation soon.”
“What?”
“Alexander is the biggest gem supplier in Africa. I’ve been discussing cooperation with him recently. By the way, he is family-oriented and prefers to work with married men. I decided to marry Mila before simply because it would facilitate securing a cooperation contract with Alexander.”