In concentration, she adjusted the tie several times but still couldn’t tie the necktie in the right position. Standing in front of her, Cristofer didn’t urge her and waited patiently.
“I can’t do it. It’s difficult to cover the band-aid,” Estelle frowned slightly and said. “How about you wear a bow tie? It may be able to cover the band-aid.”
Hearing her advice, Cristofer, who had been fixing his eyes on her, said with a smile, “You know I never wear a bow tie.”
“Then what should we do now?” Estelle asked in a low voice. “I saw Jimmy just now. What if he sees the band-aid on your neck?”
After thinking for a while, Cristofer said in a gentle voice, “I’ll stay away from him. The color of the band-aid is almost the same as my skin tone. As long as I’m far away from him, he won’t notice it.”
With a worried look, Estelle nodded slowly and said, “All right. I’ll keep an eye on him for you. If he gets closer to you, I’ll gently pat your arm to remind you.”
Raising his eyebrows, Cristofer asked, “Are you going to walk around at the party with me?”
“Yes. Since I’ve agreed to act with you in front of Grandpa, I certainly should put on a full play. Seeing us stay together all the time, he will be happy,” Estelle casually uttered.
“You’ll do it just for Grandpa?”
“And…”
“And what?”
“And the children. They are young and simple and don’t know what happened between the two of us. In their mind, we two should stay together all the time when we are at home.”
Hearing this, Cristofer smiled bitterly. “You only care about the children’s and Grandpa’s feelings.”
“Don’t be like this. We are just acting, and we are not a real couple anymore. If it wasn’t for Grandpa, I wouldn’t have agreed to act with you,” Estelle looked at him seriously.
“Well, I know that. You don’t have to remind me again and again,” Cristofer responded, sighing.
“I just…” Before Estelle could finish her words, she heard Gary’s joyful voice coming from nearby.
“Yes, she is my granddaughter-in-law! You’ve just found out? Haha. They’ve been married for many years. My great-grandson is eight years old, and my great-granddaughter is three years old now!”
“She’s beautiful, right? They are childhood sweethearts, and Cristofer started to pursue her when she was in middle school. They have been together for more than ten years and have had a good relationship. They are still young and will certainly have more children in the future. The more, the better…”
‘What? Have more children?!’ Estelle thought and couldn’t help but shudder. Standing beside her, Cristofer, who also heard Gary’s words, glanced at her to see her reaction, and then his gaze gradually fell on her flat lower abdomen.
Noticing his gaze, Estelle frowned and glared at him. “What are you looking at?”
“… Nothing,” Cristofer said and immediately looked away from her lower abdomen, “How heavy was Yohan when he was born?”
Speaking of the child, Estelle became less vigilant and said in a low voice, “About 4. 5 pounds. I didn’t know how to nourish the fetus and was not in a good mood every day when I was pregnant with Yohan, so he looked very small and was not very healthy when he was born…”
Hearing this, Cristofer gently took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “What about Yvonne?” he asked.
“Yvonne was even lighter and was just four pounds when she was born. You know, I had cancer when I was pregnant with her. I ate a lot of tonics, but it was useless. Maybe it was because I was not in a good condition at that time that I couldn’t absorb the nutrients,” Estelle stated. Her words made Cristofer feel heartache.
“Every time you were pregnant, you were not in a good condition. You must have suffered a lot of pain when you gave birth to them,” Cristofer asked and couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.
“The doctor said that I’m fine-boned and may have a difficult labor. But the two children were small, so I didn’t suffer too much when giving birth to them,” Estelle said softly.
Holding her hand tightly, Cristofer said, “I won’t let you suffer anymore.”
After their brief conversation, they adjusted their moods and started mingling with the party guests. Since both Gary and Cristofer were respected and well-known in Hadale, many people attended the birthday party and extended their birthday wishes to Gary.
Cristofer and Estelle took on the role of hosting and socializing with the guests. Cristofer would engage in polite conversation with the male attendees, while Estelle would chat with their female partners.
Before approaching each guest, Cristofer would quietly introduce them to Estelle.
“This is Mr. Styles. He specializes in antiques and has a keen interest in jade. I remember you used to be interested in jade carving. If you’d like, you can discuss it with him. He’s friendly and approachable.”
Estelle nodded slightly.
“Do you see the man by the wine cabinet?”
“The man with the stylish hair?”
“Yes, that’s Sean Riemelt. He’s quite cunning and often takes advantage of others. He’s also known for dating different celebrities, just like Jimmy.”
Estelle nodded seriously and said, “Got it. I’ll be cautious when dealing with him.”
With a wry smile, Cristofer added, “I didn’t mean you should avoid doing business with him entirely if it’s mutually beneficial. Just be careful and watch out for his flirtatious behavior. Those dark circles under his eyes aren’t from working too hard.”
“Could it be because he works long hours and doesn’t sleep well that he has dark circles?” Estelle asked.
Cristofer responded, “Don’t you understand what it implies when a man like him has dark circles?”
“Hello, Mr. Hans!” Perhaps noticing their gazes on him, Sean approached Cristofer and Estelle while they were talking.
Estelle took a good look at Sean’s face, and she thought he looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes. ‘Sean seemed thin and pale, giving off the impression of a cunning person.’
Upon seeing Estelle, Sean was captivated by her beauty. He turned to Cristofer and asked, “Mr. Hans, who is this lovely lady?”
Cristofer gently placed Estelle behind him and said, “Mr. Riemelt, I didn’t expect you to find time to attend today’s celebration.”
Sean replied, “Well, it’s Old Mr. Hans’ birthday, a special occasion. Regardless of my busy schedule, I had to make time for it. Mr. Hans, I heard about your recent breakup. Is this lady your new girlfriend? Is she an actress? Which entertainment company does she belong to? If she’s interested in working with famous directors, I can introduce her to my connections in the entertainment industry!”