Cristofer nodded, and with Yvonne in his arms, he reached out to hold Estelle’s hand, forming a small family group as they headed downstairs.
Cristofer glanced at Estelle, wanting to hold her hand, but she was holding Christina and couldn’t free up a hand for him. He decided not to insist on it. Cristofer thought to himself, ‘Forget it. Maybe it’s better if I don’t hold your hand. You might feel more at ease and comfortable this way.’
He then smiled at Yvonne and said, “Your Mom has to carry Christina, so she can’t hold my hand. Let’s go.”
But Christina had a suggestion. She said, “Dad, you can put your arm around Mom’s waist. I’ve seen many couples do that.”
Cristofer was surprised and asked Estelle, “Where did she see that?”
Estelle was also puzzled and replied, “I don’t know.”
Christina chuckled and said, “You know what? When I was in another country, I got bored staying at home. I used to look out the window. I saw many men holding their girlfriends’ waists, and some even kissed while walking…”
But before Christina could continue, Estelle gently covered her mouth and said, “Let’s go downstairs. We don’t want to keep the guests waiting.” Then she carried Christina downstairs.
Seeing Estelle like that, Cristofer smiled and followed them downstairs.
“Take it easy, Estelle. Walk slowly on the stairs. If you were pregnant, it wouldn’t be safe to hurry,” Luke advised.
Estelle felt embarrassed and tried to walk faster.
When Cristofer and Estelle reached the first floor, each holding a child, the guests waiting in the hall were shocked and stared at them with wide eyes.
“Whose kids are they?” someone asked.
“Are they Mr. Hans’ children?”
Cristofer ignored their questions and called out to Yohan, who was nearby. “Yohan!”
Yohan had grown tired of talking to the adults around him and turned around when he heard Cristofer’s voice. His face lit up with joy when he saw his father.
“Dad!” Yohan happily rushed over and hugged Cristofer.
Cristofer smiled as he held Yohan in his arms and addressed the guests loudly, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is my son, Yohan. These are my daughters, Yvonne and Christina.” Then he added jokingly, “Once I retire, they’ll be your future business partners.”
When Cristofer showed up, he immediately became the center of attention. And after hearing his words, many guests began to flatter him.
“Mr. Hans, you are still so young. There’s still a long time before you retire. You will still be a legend in the business world in the following decades.”
“Yes, Mr. Hans, you are important to the business world in Hadale. Maybe we’ll retire earlier than you.”
“Like father, like son. Mr. Hans’ children will be as excellent as him in the future.”
“His son is so handsome, and his two daughters are so beautiful and cute!”
“Yes, they are lovely!”
Hearing this, Yvonne said to Christina in a low voice, “Did you hear what they said? They said you are beautiful and cute!”
The rims of Christina’s eyes turned red, and she looked at Estelle with self-doubt. Estelle then chuckled and held her more tightly in her arms, “They are right. You are indeed very, very beautiful and cute.”
Only then did Christina become happy again, and she beamed with smiles.
“It’s time to cut the cake!” someone said. Then, a servant pushed a food cart with a seven-layer cake over. At this time, Luke and Rebecca came downstairs. Justin saw Rebecca at a glance and pulled her to his side.
Gary was wearing a dark red suit embroidered with classical patterns today. His hair was grey, and he looked less energetic than before. After taking the knife from the servant, he handed it to Cristofer.
Without taking the knife, Cristofer said, “Today is your birthday. It’s you who should cut the cake.”
Staring at him, Gary said, “Who asked you to cut the cake? Hand the knife to Estelle and let her cut the cake. She gave birth to three children for you, and she’s an important member of our family. I want her to finish this ceremony!”
All the people present had been in the business world for many years and were sophisticated. When they heard Gary’s words, they understood his meaning at once.
Although Gary was elderly, he still had an eagle eye and was smart enough to know what the guests thought.
Estelle and the children suddenly showing up in public with Cristofer today was surprising to all the guests. Gary was clear that some of them would be curious about Estelle’s identity, and some would think it was because Cristofer didn’t love Estelle that he didn’t make his marriage public until the eldest child was eight years old.
Just now, he said those words to Cristofer deliberately because he wanted everyone to know that Estelle had a high status in the Hans family and that, as the master of the family, he wouldn’t allow anyone to show disrespect to her.
Almost as soon as he finished his words, all the guests present looked at Estelle differently than just now. Knowing that Gary was speaking for her and protecting her, Estelle looked at Gary and saw that he was also looking at her lovingly and gently.
Gary then nodded at her with a smile as if he was telling him, “Estelle, don’t be afraid. I will back you up.”
Seeing this, Estelle was moved, and her nose twitched. She had been used to pretending to be strong and protecting others and hadn’t felt backed up and protected for a long time. Adjusting her emotion, she sniffed and then smiled at Gary as a reply.
At this time, Cristofer took Christina away from her arms. Holding the two children in his arms easily, he said with a smile, “Grandpa, you can hand Estelle the knife directly.”
Seeing this, Gary laughed and said, “Okay. It’s so good to see you happy together. Take good care of Estelle, got it?”
Cristofer then joked at him, smiling broadly, “Got it. I’ll take good care of her. You care about her more than me. It doesn’t matter who your grandson is, but your granddaughter-in-law must be Estelle, right?”
“Hahaha! Yes. Are you jealous of her?”
“No, but I feel like she’s your granddaughter, and I’m your grandson-in-law.”
The guests all laughed when they heard their conversation. However, Estelle got the hidden meaning of Cristofer’s words. Cristofer meant that if one day she was with Mr. Mysterious again, she was still the daughter-in-law of the Hans family.
Estelle turned her head to look at Cristofer with mixed feelings. They stood together, and Cristofer could sense her gaze, but he didn’t meet her eyes. Seeing him ignore her, Estelle felt a sharp pang in her heart, like a needle pricking her, and she couldn’t help but frown.
Yvonne was the first to notice her mother’s expression. “Mom, are you okay?” she asked with concern.
“I’m fine,” Estelle replied.