After sharing more of her story about Mr. Mysterious, Estelle noticed that Rebecca fell silent.
Eventually, Rebecca broke the silence with a sigh and said, “Now I can understand why you can’t forget Mr. Mysterious.” Touched by Estelle’s love story, she sniffled, and her eyes grew teary. “Such a beautiful memory is worth remembering for a lifetime.”
Estelle then reached for a tissue and handed it to Rebecca, asking, “Here, use this to wipe your tears. But why are you crying?”
“Because your love story is incredibly moving!” Rebecca replied, taking the tissue and wiping her tears. “Who is this Mr. Lopez, and why did he want Mr. Mysterious to be his heir? If he believes Mr. Mysterious is talented enough to be his heir, why does he think a woman can easily influence him and ruin his future? These thoughts seem contradictory. Is he out of his mind?”
With a wry smile, Estelle responded, “I don’t know much about Mr. Lopez’s background, but Mr. Mysterious has mentioned that Mr. Lopez is his benefactor.”
“Benefactor?”
“Yes,” Estelle explained, “Mr. Mysterious never discussed his past with me, so I never asked about it. My guess is that Mr. Lopez raised him after he was mistakenly thought to be a stillborn baby and left behind.”
Rebecca furrowed her brow and remarked, “Mr. Lopez saved his life and raised him. He certainly owes Mr. Lopez a significant debt of gratitude. If I were in his shoes, I’d struggle to choose between you and Mr. Lopez.”
Estelle nodded and replied, “Exactly, which is why I understand why he chose Mr. Lopez and left me.”
Considering Nelson’s actions, Rebecca questioned, “Given how much Mr. Lopez values Mr. Mysterious, why did he go to such extreme lengths to get him? Wasn’t he worried that Mr. Mysterious might be seriously hurt or even killed in that car accident? It was raining, and the roads were slippery! The outcome of such an accident can be unpredictable.”
Shaking her head, Estelle replied, “I don’t know. Maybe his driver is skilled?”
“Speaking of Mr. Lopez, he must be quite old now, right?”
Recalling Nelson’s appearance, Estelle nodded and explained, “I’ve seen him a few times. He is indeed elderly and not in the best of health. He relies on a wheelchair.”
Hearing this, Rebecca suddenly sat up and said optimistically, “Estelle, don’t give up on Mr. Mysterious. Once Mr. Lopez passes away, there won’t be anyone threatening you and Mr. Mysterious, and then the two of you can be together again!”
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Rebecca raised her voice and asked, “Who is it?” However, there was no response. Moments later, the door was gently pushed open, and Cristofer entered.
Cristofer nodded at Rebecca as a greeting while she stood up and confronted him, hands on her hips. Seeing her confrontational stance, Cristofer remained silent. He then turned to Estelle and said gently, “It’s time to cut the cake for Grandpa. All the guests are waiting.”
“Alright, let’s go,” Estelle agreed and stood up.
As Estelle was about to leave, Rebecca grabbed her arm, preventing her from going with Cristofer. “Estelle, don’t go with him! Mr. Mysterious doesn’t know that your relationship with Cristofer is a charade. He’ll misunderstand if he sees you at the party as Cristofer’s wife. Wait until Mr. Lopez is gone, and then Mr. Mysterious will come back to you! Don’t let any misunderstandings happen before that!”
Upon hearing the mention of Mr. Lopez, Cristofer, who had been heading towards the door, abruptly stopped and turned to ask in surprise, “Wait, who are we talking about?”
Rolling her eyes at him, Rebecca responded sharply, “It’s none of your concern, Cristofer! Estelle agreed to go along with this act for your grandfather’s sake because she’s kind-hearted. If you think you can use this opportunity to win Estelle back, you should think again! Mr. Mysterious will return to Estelle soon. They are a couple… Ah! What are you doing?”
Before Rebecca could complete her sentence, Cristofer unexpectedly moved closer, which startled her. In response, Estelle hurriedly approached, positioned herself in front of Rebecca, and extended her arms as if to shield her.
She then gazed into Cristofer’s eyes, which appeared anxious and bewildered, and said, “Rebecca was only saying those things for my benefit. What do you intend to do to her?”
Cristofer, appearing both frustrated and speechless, took a deep breath and replied, “What do you think I want to do?”
“You…”
“Did you think I was going to harm Rebecca?”
Estelle fell into silence, biting her lower lip.
“Estelle, we’ve known each other for over ten years. Do you really think I’m the type of person who resorts to violence?” Cristofer asked.
While still keeping her guard up, Estelle replied, “You mentioned that you used to struggle with manic depression. I can’t be sure you won’t have a relapse and lose control.”
Cristofer paused for a moment, then lowered his head with a bitter smile. “Yes, I did have manic depression.”
Estelle softened her tone and said, “You… please calm down, okay?”
“I’m very calm. Rebecca is your best friend, and she helped you a lot when you were helpless. Besides, she is Justin’s girlfriend. I won’t do anything to hurt her.”
“Why did you suddenly approach her with such an intense look earlier?” Estelle asked.
Cristofer sighed helplessly as he gently lowered Estelle’s arms. Then he turned his head to look at Rebecca, who stood behind her and said in a deep voice, “You mentioned earlier that Mr. Mysterious would return to Estelle as long as someone dies. Who is that person?”
After a brief hesitation, Rebecca replied candidly, “It’s an elderly man named Mr. Lopez. He’s disabled and uses a wheelchair. He’s the one who separated Mr. Mysterious and Estelle. If he passes away, Mr. Mysterious will surely come back to Estelle!”
Upon hearing this, Cristofer’s expression shifted, and he thought in surprise, ‘The person she’s referring to is Uncle Nelson!’
“How do you know him?” Cristofer inquired.
“It’s none of your business,” Rebecca retorted.
“Answer my question!”
“Don’t talk to me like that! You’re the one who’s asking the questions. I won’t tell you if you don’t treat me with respect!” Rebecca snapped.
“Rebecca!”
“Shut up!”
Cristofer took a deep breath and composed himself. He then said with a pleading tone, “Please, tell me how you know him. This means a lot to me.”
Rebecca was taken aback by his sudden change in attitude. She scratched her head and replied in a softer tone, “I… I heard about him from someone.”
“From whom?” Cristofer pressed.
“From…”
“From me. What’s going on?” Estelle interjected before Rebecca could finish her sentence.
“You know Uncle Nelson?” Cristofer was taken aback.
“Uncle Nelson?” Estelle suddenly recalled that Geoffrey had referred to Nelson this way on the day Mr. Mysterious had the car accident. She nodded and replied, “Yes, I’ve met him a few times. Do you also know him?”