Estelle couldn’t help but smile helplessly and said, “Sure enough, you came here not to help me but to try to see if I’m really Cristofer’s wife.”
Hearing this, Belle didn’t deny it and said, “This is the job that my boss assigned me. To be honest, when Cristofer said he was getting married, we all didn’t believe that. Alexander doubted that Cristofer just wanted to keep a bogus marriage for their cooperation, so he flew to Hadale and came here to visit Cristofer without telling him in advance.”
“I still don’t understand why Alexander attaches so much importance to the marital status of his cooperative partners,” Estelle said in confusion.
With a smile, Belle explained, “Alexander comes from a family of gemstone businessmen and has had a great interest in gemstones since he was young. In his opinion, every gemstone to be made into an exquisite accessory has its life.”
“He won’t cooperate with a jeweler who only sees gemstones as tools to make money, no matter how much money the jeweler is willing to pay. He hopes that his cooperative partners are filled with love and responsibility rather than being solely profit-oriented. He believes that by examining someone’s marriage, he can gauge their qualities and their attitude toward gemstones.”
Hearing this, Estelle suddenly remembered her conversation with Cristofer just now.
‘Cristofer… is different from what he used to be. He had changed a lot in the past years. Although his appearance looks the same as before, the way he does things has become more extreme.’
“What are you talking about me, ladies? It looks like you are having a good conversation,” Cristofer said with a gentle smile as he knocked on the door of the kitchen, attracting the attention of Belle and Estelle.
Belle looked back at him and then said, “Cristofer, you are so lucky.”
“Why do you say so?” Cristofer raised his eyebrows and asked curiously.
“You have a good wife who loves you very much,” Belle remarked, smiling.
When Cristofer heard this, his expression froze, and there was a hint of embarrassment on his face. Then he looked at Estelle. Seeing her cooking calmly as if she didn’t hear what Belle had said, he asked Belle in disbelief, “May I know what makes you think so?”
“She cooks for you,” Belle explained, gesturing towards Estelle.
“She cooks because my grandfather asked her to do that.”
“You…” Belle was speechless. “It is indeed your grandfather who asked her to cook, but she specially changed a spicy dish to a non-spicy dish considering your stomach problems. Besides, cooking the dish is so troublesome, but she still chose to cook it because it is your taste. Look at her. She is so skillful when cooking it. I can see at a glance that she often cooks it for you.”
Upon hearing this, Cristofer shifted his gaze again to Estelle, who was busy cooking. Then he saw Estelle skillfully cut the meat into pieces and coat them with beaten eggs. Seeing this, Cristofer could imagine how complicated the cooking process of the dish was.
In his memory, Estelle was always like a little princess whom her parents spoiled. When he was with her, he took care of her most of the time rather than being taken care of by her, and he had never seen her cooking.
‘Maybe… Estelle especially learned to cook for Mr. Mysterious after they were together. During the years we were together, I had never eaten the food you cooked, Estelle. Mr. Mysterious is so lucky. He was only with you for a few months, but you gave him all your love and were willing to learn to cook for him.’
Thinking about this, Cristofer felt heartache and couldn’t help being jealous of Mr. Mysterious.
“Cristofer, now that you’re here, help Estelle with cooking. I’m going to tell Alexander that he can dispel his doubt. You two make such an affectionate couple,” Belle said.
Without saying anything, Cristofer simply smiled and watched her leave the kitchen.
After returning to the living room, Belle whispered something to Alexander. Alexander’s smile grew wider upon hearing Belle’s words, and he even gave Cristofer a thumbs-up.
“Cristofer, you can go and entertain the guests. I can handle the cooking myself. You don’t need to help me,” Estelle said while placing the meat pieces one by one into the pan to fry.
Since the spatula was short, when she scooped the fried pork out of the pan, her hand came dangerously close to the hot oil, nearly burning herself from the splashes several times.
Seeing this, Cristofer quickly walked over, took hold of her wrist, and gently pulled her away from the stove. “Stop doing that. It’s dangerous.”
“If I don’t cook, what will we have for dinner?” Estelle said with a hint of frustration. “Don’t worry, I’m quite skilled at cooking.”
She withdrew her wrist from his grasp and resumed cooking.
Cristofer couldn’t help but sigh as he watched her deftly work in the kitchen. He had mixed feelings as he approached her.
“Did Mr. Mysterious enjoy this dish?” he asked.
Estelle’s heart skipped a beat, and the spatula in her hand momentarily froze.
Cristofer stood with his arms folded, leaning against the wall beside the stove, and spoke gently, “I recall that you couldn’t cook before. Did you learn it for him?”
Estelle found herself momentarily at a loss for words.
“You used to be like a proud little princess, always taken care of by others. But now, you’re quite skilled in the kitchen. He must be a very charming man to inspire you to cook for him.”
Cristofer continued in a gentler tone, a faint smile on his face. “Mr. Mysterious seems remarkable. He managed to capture your heart in just a few months…”
“I didn’t learn to cook for Mr. Mysterious,” Estelle replied, resuming scooping meat from the pan with the draining spoon. “I learned it for you.”
Hearing this, Cristofer was momentarily stunned. “For me? I never knew you learned to cook when we were together…”
“That’s because you rarely came home during the first five years of our marriage,” Estelle explained with a somewhat helpless expression. “I knew you had stomach problems and often had to drink without properly eating when you were out for social engagements. So, I learned to cook non-spicy dishes for you. I cooked every day, but I don’t remember you returning home. In five years, there have been more than one thousand five hundred days, and I cooked this dish hundreds of times. It’s not surprising that I can cook it well.”
Cristofer remained speechless, his surprise evident.