When Estelle was getting ready to leave, she saw Yvonne running happily towards her, saying, “Mommy, are you going to the airport to pick up Christina? I want to go, too!”
Estelle smiled and replied, “Oh, that’s so sweet of you, honey. But Mommy can’t take you with me. It’s chilly outside, and I’m worried you might catch a cold.”
Yvonne pleaded, “But Mommy, I haven’t seen Christina in a long time, and I miss her. I promise I won’t go with you, and we can play with Barbie dolls once we’re at the airport.”
Estelle knelt down, took Yvonne’s little hand, and said gently, “Yvonne, I’m really sorry, but I can’t take you with me today. Please be a good girl and stay home with Yohan.”
Blinking her big, round eyes, Yvonne thought for a moment and asked with a smile, “Mom, can you bring me an egg waffle when you come back?”
“Sure, no problem,” Estelle smiled while caressing Yvonne’s small face.
“Okay, then I’ll wait for Christina at home,” Yvonne said happily.
Estelle was delighted and said to Yvonne, “Yvonne, thank you for being so understanding. You know what? After I pick up Christina, we’ll go to the amusement park, okay?”
“Yay!” Yvonne exclaimed with excitement.
“Good girl,” Estelle said as she stood up and gently patted Yvonne’s head. Then she quickly walked toward the door and addressed Yohan, who was engrossed in his iPad on the sofa, “Yohan, I’m heading out now. Please take care of Yvonne, okay? And if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask Grandpa Luke for help.”
“Got it.”
Then Estelle heard quick footsteps. When she turned around, she saw Luke.
With a cheerful look in his eyes, Luke said to her, “Don’t worry, Estelle. I’ll take good care of the kids while you’re gone. It might be nice if you and Cristofer have another child. You know what they say, the more, the merrier.”
Estelle blushed when she heard this, feeling a bit embarrassed. After saying goodbye to the kids and Luke once more, she left the house.
Yvonne, with innocence in her eyes, asked while holding Luke’s hand, “Why did Mommy blush?”
Luke explained, “Well, she felt shy.”
Yvonne wondered, “Why do I never feel shy?”
Luke replied, “That’s because you’re still young and haven’t met a boy you like.”
Yvonne asked curiously, “Will I feel shy and blush when I like a boy?”
Luke answered, unsure if Yvonne fully understood, “Yes, usually girls feel shy and blush when they like someone.”
After pondering briefly, Yvonne nodded slowly and said, “I get it. Daddy is the boy Mommy likes.”
“That’s right! Yvonne, you are so clever!” Luke laughed and said. “Let’s go to have breakfast. I’ve made your favorite steamed egg custard.”
****
After Estelle left the front yard, her phone rang, and she received a call from Derrick again.
“Hello, Miss Hudson. It’s Derrick. I’ve arrived at the junction. Where are you now?”
“Hi, Dr. Carrey. I’ll be there in five minutes! Wait a moment, please,” Estelle quickly waved her hand and hailed a taxi.
Five minutes later, she stepped out of the taxi. There weren’t many people or cars on the road, so she quickly spotted Derrick’s black Lexus and walked towards it.
As soon as Estelle exited the taxi, Derrick, who had been waiting, got out of his car. He greeted her with amazement in his eyes, saying, “Hello, Miss Hudson. You look really beautiful today.”
“Thank you,” Estelle replied.
Before leaving, Estelle had applied some light makeup. Her skin was fair, and the makeup made her appear younger. At that moment, she was dressed in a pink plaid shirt, jeans, and canvas shoes, giving her a college student look.
“I had a feeling you might dress up today,” Derrick remarked.
With a gentle smile, Estelle softly replied, “There’s no need to dress too formally. I’m just heading to the airport to pick up my daughter.”
Hearing this, Derrick smiled with a touch of helplessness and said, “I meant that it’s our first meal together, and I thought you might dress up for the occasion. I placed importance on it and even wore my suit today.”
Estelle was momentarily taken aback. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she stuttered, “Well, I… actually…”
Derrick interrupted, “Forget it. I understand that you’re not looking to start a relationship with me. You agreed to have lunch with me to learn more about liver diseases.”
With a hint of apology in her expression, Estelle said, “I’m sorry, Dr. Carrey. I participated in the dating show because my friend wanted to. I’m not looking to start a new relationship with anyone right now.”
Derrick quickly asked, “Is it because you’ve reconciled with Mr. Hans?”
“No, no, no. We didn’t reconcile,” Estelle quickly clarified, shaking her head.
Derrick gave a faint smile and remarked, “Well, since you two didn’t get back together, it means you’re still single, and I might have a chance to pursue you.”
Estelle shook her head again, saying, “As I mentioned earlier, I don’t want to start a new relationship right now. My focus is on managing my company and taking care of the children and the elderly in my family.”
Without further discussion, Derrick courteously opened the right front door of the car for Estelle and placed his hand under the door frame to ensure she wouldn’t hit her head. Then he gestured for her to get into the car and said, “Let’s head to the airport to pick up your daughter.”
However, Estelle didn’t move.
“What’s the matter?” Derrick asked.
Estelle then took a step back, opened the car’s rear door, and said in a low voice, “I’d better sit in the rear seat. It’s not appropriate for me to sit in the passenger seat.”
“Why?” Derrick was confused.
Estelle remarked, “There’s a saying that the passenger seat in a man’s car is usually reserved for his girlfriend or wife, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to sit there.”
Hearing this, Derrick smiled with a hint of resignation and said, “Miss Hudson, you keep turning me down.”
With a gentle apologetic smile, Estelle replied, “I just think it’s better to be clear about these things.”
“Ah…” Derrick sighed softly, closing the right front door of the car. Then he took the driver’s seat and started the car.
As Estelle observed Derrick’s careful and skillful driving, she couldn’t help but recall that Mr. Mysterious was also quite a proficient driver.
‘Mr. Mysterious is consistently mature and composed. When he’s behind the wheel of a car, he’s cautious and takes it slow. However, when he’s on a motorcycle, he accelerates without much concern for speed, much like those young enthusiasts who enjoy motorcycle racing.’
‘I was so scared the first time he took me to Mount Cloud by his motorcycle. Could it be that MV Agusta awakened his second personality, which made him different from what he was usually like?’