“Star? Are you okay?” Cristofer, who had been waiting outside the door anxiously after receiving no response, continued knocking at the door.
Estelle quickly opened the door for him. “I’m fine.”
Relieved to see her calm and no longer crying, Cristofer said, “Your head hit the table quite hard earlier. I should call the doctor to check on you.”
“No, thanks. I’m really fine,” Estelle replied, feeling tired as she gently rubbed her temples.
‘Mr. Lopez wouldn’t lie to me. He must want to find a suitable donor even more than I do because he knows that it’s Christina who keeps me here. The only way to make me leave Hadale as soon as possible is to help me save Christina. If York is the only one who can save her, things will become more complicated. However, I’m sure York will use this opportunity to demand a large sum of money, and maybe even company shares, if I ask him to donate his liver to Christina.’
Contemplating this, Estelle couldn’t help feeling anxious. Suddenly, she sensed something warm gently touching the swollen part of her head.
Cristofer gently rubbed the bump on her head with his big hand and asked with a distressed look, “It must be painful.”
The next second, Estelle gently pushed him away. Keeping a distance from him, she said with distinct wariness on her face, “I’m okay. Please don’t…”
“I just want to check on your injury,” Cristofer said, smiling bitterly.
“Have Alexander and Belle left?” Estelle asked.
“Yes, they just left.”
Hearing this, Estelle let out a sigh of relief. “Acting is truly challenging. I now realize how impressive Gretchen was to maintain her act in front of everyone for so many years.”
Beep! Beep! Suddenly, her phone chimed with a message.
Whenever Estelle heard that notification sound, it reminded her of Mr. Mysterious. Confused, she returned to the bedroom to retrieve her phone and see the message.
‘Hello, Miss Hudson. I apologize for reaching out at this late hour. Upon reflection, I realize my response during the program may have been somewhat inaccurate. As a medical professional, I believe it’s important to provide accurate information. Even when a patient’s relatives donate a liver, the recipient still requires lifelong anti-rejection medication. The reason close relatives are often suggested as donors is due to the higher likelihood of successful organ matching between family members. Patients often turn to their close relatives for help because of this increased compatibility.’
It was the second time Derrick had texted Estelle.
‘How did Dr. Carrey get my phone number? It wouldn’t be polite to ask him directly. He probably just wanted to correct and clarify his previous answer,’ Estelle wondered.
‘Dr. Carrey is such a diligent and responsible doctor. He’s gentle and considerate, and he seems to be a fan of text messages. It reminds me of Mr. Mysterious. But, alas, Dr. Carrey is just Dr. Carrey, not Mr. Mysterious. No matter how similar they might be, they’re different individuals. I’ve lost Mr. Mysterious, and I may never see him again.’
Estelle snapped back to reality and replied to the message, [‘I understand. Thank you, Dr. Carrey.’]
[‘My pleasure, Miss Hudson. By the way, I should mention that I obtained your phone number through the program’s organizers. I hope it’s not inconvenient for me to contact you at this hour,’] Derrick replied.
[‘Not at all. Dr. Carrey, thank you for explaining medical matters,’] she replied.
[‘Then… would you be interested in having dinner next weekend?’] Derrick texted once more.
This time, Estelle didn’t respond immediately and instead contemplated her thoughts. ‘Although Mr. Lopez is unlikely to lie to me, I should verify in person if York is truly a suitable donor for Christina. In that case, I might need Dr. Carrey’s assistance for the organ matching…’
With this in mind, she texted Derrick. [‘Okay. How about we meet next Saturday? It’s my treat.’]
[‘No, no, no. I invited you to dinner, so it should be my treat. Miss Hudson, I’m pleased you agreed to have dinner with me. Looking forward to seeing you again.’]
From Derrick’s message, Estelle sensed his romantic interest in her. She decided it was best to be clear about her intentions and not lead him on.
[‘Dr. Carrey, as you saw today, I’m a mother of two children. I participated in the dating show only because a friend asked me to. I’m not interested in starting a new relationship.’]
After a long pause, Derrick finally replied.
[‘I understand. But Miss Hudson, I still hope we can be friends. Honestly, I didn’t participate in the dating program willingly, either. Since you’ve made your decision, I respect it. So… can we meet for dinner as friends? If you have any questions about liver disease, you can ask me then, and I’ll share what I know.’]
Biting her lip, Estelle contemplated her response for a while. She typed and deleted several messages before finally sending just one word. [‘Okay.’]
When she was about to set her phone down, Cristofer’s voice interrupted her. “Are you busy with company affairs?”
Estelle had been texting Derrick, and during that time, Cristofer had quietly stood behind her to avoid disturbing her.
Instead of answering his question, Estelle turned to him and asked, “Has Grandpa Gary gone to bed?”
“Not yet. The dishes you cooked are so delicious; they’ve given him a good appetite, and he’s still eating,” Cristofer replied.
Hearing this, Estelle nodded and pursed her lips slightly. She had anticipated that Gary would retire to bed early, sparing her from maintaining a facade of intimacy with Cristofer.
The reality, however, differed from her expectations, and she found herself having to share the same room with Cristofer for the time being.
Sensing her thoughts, Cristofer spoke gently, “Grandpa usually retires early. Just give it a little more time.”
“Alright,” Estelle responded.
At that moment, her phone rang. Estelle picked up the call and said, “Hello?”
“Miss Hudson, we’ve made over twenty modifications to a design drawing, but the customer remains dissatisfied. We’re unsure how to improve it further. Could you take a look and offer some advice?”
“Okay. Send it to my email.”
“Got it.”
After hanging up the phone, Estelle looked up at Cristofer and asked, “Um… Is there a computer here?”
“Yes. I have my laptop here.”
“Forget it,” Estelle said, thinking, ‘There must be a lot of trade secrets in your laptop. I’d better not borrow your laptop in case of any possible trouble.’
“I’ll go downstairs and get it for you,” Cristofer suggested, turning around.
Before Estelle could stop him, he had left the room and quickly went downstairs. About two minutes later, Cristofer returned and handed the laptop to her. “Here it is.”