Luke seemed surprised, “Are you going out at this late hour?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, I get it now. You two are going out to have some fun, right? Go ahead and enjoy yourselves. I’ll look after the kids and Old Mr. Hans. Don’t worry,” Luke said with a smile.
Without further explanation, Cristofer took Estelle’s hand and left the villa, heading for the garage.
Estelle noticed a silver-gray Lexus in the garage and asked, “Is this Lexus yours? When did you start liking such a low-key car? What happened to your Porsche cars?”
Cristofer then walked to the car and opened the door for her. “Uncle Nelson said the cars in this underground garage were flooded by a heavy rain three years ago when I was in a coma in the hospital.”
“Then how did you deal with the cars? I remember you have more than twenty Porsche cars and some other cars of luxurious brands. They cost a large amount of money.”
Starting the car, Cristofer drove out of the garage. “Uncle Nelson said that all the cars were scrapped. He might have asked someone to take the cars to the junkyard. When I came back from the hospital back then, the cars were no longer in the garage.”
“Do you have a good relationship with Mr. Lopez?”
“You can say that. Uncle Nelson is my benefactor.”
“The words sound so familiar. I feel like I’ve heard this before.”
“You just said Uncle Nelson is also Mr. Mysterious benefactor. He might have said the same words to you before,” Cristofer explained, focusing his eyes on the road.
The next moment, a strange feeling slowly rose in Estelle’s heart, and she wondered, ‘Is it possible that Mr. Lopez helped both Mr. Mysterious and Cristofer? He raised Mr. Mysterious and gave Cristofer the start-up capital when he lost everything. But why is he so kind to both of them?”
More than an hour later, Cristofer and Estelle arrived at Nelson’s villa.
“You can go in first. I’ll be there after I park the car,” Cristofer urged her.
“Okay,” Estelle nodded, thinking, ‘Cristofer, you didn’t make me wait for you but told me to go inside first. Maybe you believe that I wouldn’t want you to overhear my conversation with Mr. Lopez, so you made up a reason not to enter the villa. Or perhaps… you just don’t want to listen to our conversation at all. It’s true that whenever I bring up Mr. Mysterious, it tends to put you in a bad mood.’
After exiting the car, she walked to the villa’s door and rang the doorbell.
Hearing the doorbell. Nelson said to Geoffrey happily, “It must be Cristofer. Geoffrey, go open the door!”
“Uncle Nelson, Mr. Hans didn’t say he would come today.”
“Hurry up! Open the door!” Nelson said snappishly.
Suddenly, the door swung open, surprising both of them. Geoffrey, leaning on his cane, made his way to the door. When he saw Estelle, he chuckled and said, “Oh, it’s you, Miss Hudson.”
Estelle explained, “I’ve come to see Mr. Lopez.”
“For Mr. Mysterious?”
“Yes.”
Geoffrey stopped her and said, “Hold on a moment. I’ll check if Uncle Nelson wants to see you.”
“Let him know that if he doesn’t see me, he won’t have a happy and peaceful future,” Estelle asserted.
“Ha! Miss Hudson, you’ve become braver. I wouldn’t even dare to talk to Uncle Nelson like that,” Geoffrey remarked.
Not bothering to talk to him, Estelle ignored him and went straight into the hall of the villa. Geoffrey, who was just pretending to stop her, made way for her and let her in. Laughter bubbled up inside him, and he thought, ‘Estelle, it’s good that you are here. The more complicated the situation is, the more beneficial it will be to me.’
A few moments later, Estelle spotted Nelson in the hall, smiling as he tinkered with his fishing rod. However, his smile vanished instantly when he noticed Estelle’s arrival. He asked, “How did you find this place?”
Ignoring his question, Estelle approached him and stated, “I have some questions for you. I’ll leave once you answer them.”
Clearly displeased, Nelson responded with disdain, “Miss Hudson, we agreed that once I help you find a suitable liver donor, you would leave Hadale.”
“You’re worried that my presence in Hadale might affect Mr. Mysterious and his career, aren’t you?”
“Humph. Since you know, why ask again?”
“Why are you so concerned about Mr. Mysterious? Is it because he’s exceptional or because you raised him and considered him your child?” Estelle asked bluntly.
Nelson became suddenly cautious upon hearing her questions. “Miss Hudson, mind your tone!”
“What? To keep Mr. Mysterious with you, did you even arrange for someone to run him over with a car?” Estelle accused.
“This is a matter between him and me. It doesn’t concern you. Leave!” Nelson impatiently demanded.
“I’ve said I’m here to ask you a few questions. I’ll leave once I have the answers,” Estelle insisted.
“What if I refuse to answer your questions?” Nelson challenged.
Estelle responded with a sneer, “Mr. Lopez, who do you think will live longer between us? To put it frankly, after your passing, I can easily reunite with Mr. Mysterious.”
“Don’t you dare, Estelle! Do you believe I wouldn’t hesitate to take action against you?” Nelson warned in a deep voice.
“I know you’re capable of anything. But, Mr. Lopez, if you harm me, do you think Mr. Mysterious will stand idly by? You can make him leave me and never see me again. However, if I were to die, can you be sure he’ll still respect and obey you as he does now?” Estelle questioned.
Nelson glared at her, clenching his teeth. “Estelle, I’ve known from the beginning that you’re a curse!”
“I’m not bothered by your opinion about me. Now, I have questions for you. If you don’t answer, I won’t leave Hadale. First question – Did you take Mr. Mysterious when he was a baby and raised him?”
Avoiding eye contact with Estelle, Nelson replied hesitantly, “… Yes.”
“Which university did he graduate from, and what’s his full name?”
“I’m too old to remember those details,” Nelson retorted.
“You even forgot his name?” Estelle exclaimed in surprise.
“Miss Hudson, why do you act like you’re interrogating a criminal?” Nelson snapped in anger.
Estelle spoke icily, “Mr. Lopez, I understand you don’t want me around, and frankly, I want to leave as soon as I get the answers. I believe you want me gone even more than I do.”
Nelson sneered, “You’re absolutely right. Whenever I see you, the word ‘nuisance’ comes to mind.”