With a meaningful smile, Geoffrey spoke, “Jimmy didn’t succeed because Miss Hudson was quick-thinking at a crucial moment. She’s truly remarkable. It’s no wonder you still can’t move on from her after all these years.”
“Don’t harm Estelle! Come after me if you need something!”
“Relax. I’m not interested in her. Uncle Nelson once said that women can be distractions in a man’s career, and I can’t agree more. Regardless of a woman’s beauty or intelligence, it’s not worth a man giving up everything for her,” Geoffrey explained. “Let’s switch topics. You’re not interested in Uncle Nelson’s properties, and it’s because you want to repay his kindness that you agreed to be his heir, correct?”
Cristofer nodded, replying, “Yes, Uncle Nelson has been my benefactor and saved me twice. His properties represent the hard work of his life. Since he can’t find another suitable heir, I’ll oversee them for him for now.”
“Benefactor?” Geoffrey chuckled, “What if I told you that Uncle Nelson orchestrated the car accident you had three years ago?”
“What?!”
“I was the driver who hit you,” Geoffrey revealed, laughing again. “Are you surprised?”
Cristofer felt a shiver run down his spine and said in disbelief, “Uncle Nelson wouldn’t have a reason to do that!”
“He had a reason. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him directly.”
“…”
Confidently, Geoffrey said, “Once you get the answer, you’ll know I’m telling the truth. Furthermore, I have something valuable that can help you reconcile with Miss Hudson. First, have a conversation with Uncle Nelson, then decide whether you want to trade his properties for my valuable offer. I’ll be waiting for your call.”
****
There were more guests than expected at the party. After looking around for Rebecca for a while, Estelle finally found Rebecca and Justin in the corner of the hall. When she walked over there, she heard Rebecca’s angry voice.
“No way! Estelle suffered too much when she was with Cristofer! Maybe her cancer was caused by Cristofer! I won’t let her be with him again!” Rebecca said.
When Justin was about to speak, he saw Estelle out of the corner of his eye and quickly bit his tongue. Then he nodded at Estelle as a greeting and said, “Hi, Miss Hudson.”
With a gentle smile, Estelle said softly, “Mr. Roberts, thank you for helping us out just now.”
Hearing this, Rebecca, who was clearly upset, said, “Don’t thank him. Humph! Do you know what he’s getting at? He wants you and Cristofer to reunite!”
“I didn’t mean they should definitely get back together,” Justin explained, “Miss Hudson, I just think you can consider giving Cristofer a chance to pursue you again and then decide if you want to be with him.”
“Thank you for your advice, Mr. Roberts. But I don’t think we should reconcile,” Estelle replied with a slight smile. “You’re friends with Mr. Mysterious and are aware of everything between him and me. Did he ask you to convince me to get back with Cristofer?”
Justin clarified, “No, Mr. Mysterious never asked me to do that.”
“So, it’s your personal idea that Cristofer and I should get back together, isn’t it?”
“Yes, I just want everyone who deserves love to have a happy life,” Justin explained.
Estelle smiled and replied, “I understand, but I want to make that decision for myself.”
“Alright,” Justin nodded.
“All I want now is to take good care of the children, save Christina, and run my company successfully. I don’t want to start a new relationship, and I won’t. With the wonderful memories I have of Mr. Mysterious, I won’t feel lonely for the rest of my life.”
Hearing this, Justin sighed, “It’s truly agonizing to carry a secret that only I know.”
“Is the secret about Mr. Mysterious?”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Roberts, if you ever decide to share that secret with me, feel free to call anytime. But if you choose not to, I won’t pressure you,” Estelle assured him.
Justin smiled, saying, “Okay, I’ll consider it and decide whether to tell you everything.”
Rebecca, growing impatient, asked, “What are you two talking about?” She then grabbed Estelle’s arm and added, “It’s time for a girls’ chat. Estelle, come with me.” With that, she guided Estelle to the second floor of the villa. “Which room is yours?” she asked.
“It’s this one,” Estelle pointed to her room.
Without hesitation, Rebecca opened the door, ushered Estelle inside, and shut the door behind her. As Rebecca entered the room, she was taken aback by what she saw and exclaimed, “Did you bring Dr. Carrey here to stay with you? This is the Hans’ Residence! How could you bring another man here? That’s quite bold.”
Hearing this, Estelle realized that Rebecca had gotten the wrong idea and sighed in exasperation. “I’m not dating Derrick. Please don’t jump to conclusions.”
“Then who are you dating? Whose shirt and tie are these?” Rebecca inquired.
“They belong to Cristofer.”
“What?!” Rebecca grabbed Estelle’s shoulders and shook her. “Estelle, how could you let Cristofer into your bedroom? Stay away from him! He’s a bad guy!”
“Oh my goodness, stop shaking me. I’m feeling dizzy…” Estelle pleaded.
Rebecca released her grip and expressed concern, saying, “Are you alright? I’m sorry, Estelle.”
Estelle rubbed her temples and replied softly, “It’s fine.”
“Did you hear what I just told you?” Rebecca asked quickly.
“Yes, I heard.”
“Be cautious around him!”
“But this is also his bedroom. Being cautious won’t help,” Estelle remarked.
Rebecca’s eyes widened in shock as she couldn’t believe what she heard. She asked in a trembling voice, “You… You two sleep in the same room with him? How could you…”
“Shh.” Estelle placed a finger on her lips and gestured for Rebecca to lower her voice.
Rebecca then held Estelle’s hand, said more quietly, and asked anxiously, “Have you been staying here lately? Why are you sharing a room with Cristofer? Is it because he looks like Mr. Mysterious? Are you using him as a substitute for Mr. Mysterious? Come on, Estelle. Even though Cristofer looks like Mr. Mysterious, he’s not him!”
“I understand…”
Before Estelle could finish her sentence, Rebecca interrupted her, “If you understand that, then stay away from him! My heart skipped a beat when I found out Cristofer was sharing a room with you just now.”
“Please, calm down and listen to me,” Estelle said in a gentle tone.
“Okay.”
Over the next hour, Estelle shared with Rebecca the reasons why she and Cristofer had been sharing a room and what had happened between them recently.
“You mean… Cristofer and Mr. Mysterious have telepathy?” Rebecca asked in astonishment.
“Yes, he can convey images that only Mr. Mysterious and I have seen,” Estelle confirmed with a nod.
“This is truly astonishing.”