Holding the balloon strings, she quickly made her way toward the children, with Cristofer following closely behind. Due to Cristofer’s tall stature and long legs, he easily matched Estelle’s pace as she hurried.
Unbeknownst to Estelle, a small sightseeing train approached them, nearly colliding with her. In a quick reaction, Cristofer reached out and pulled her to his side, preventing the accident. In a hushed tone, he scolded her, “Slow down and be careful. I won’t always be with you in the future and won’t be able to protect you at all times. You need to prioritize safety while walking.” After ensuring her stability, he added, “Let’s go.”
This time, he took the lead, and Estelle followed closely, taking smaller steps.
“Mom, Dad!” the three children called out to Cristofer and Estelle joyfully, holding onto their legs upon their arrival.
Eva, their nanny, then suggested, “Mr. Hans, Mrs. Hans, would you like me to take a family photo for you?”
‘Family photo?’ Both Cristofer and Estelle were a bit surprised at the idea of a family photo.
“Yes!” Yohan enthusiastically chimed in before his parents could respond. “Dad, Mom, we’ve never taken a family photo before. Let’s take one now, okay?”
Cristofer turned to Estelle and asked, “What do you think?”
Not wanting to disappoint Yohan, Estelle agreed, “Okay, let’s take a family photo.”
Eva guided them into the proper positions and adjusted the camera. “Mr. Hans will hold Yvonne, Mrs. Hans will hold Christina, and Yohan will stand between the two of you. Yes, that’s right. Three, two, one!”
With the camera’s snap, the smiles of the entire family were captured in the photo.
****
Happy moments always pass quickly. After the children had a great time, nightfall arrived, and it became dark outside. The moon and stars were shining brightly, and many people were waiting in line at the Ferris wheel.
The children were exhausted, especially Christina, who was not feeling well. She had fallen asleep in Eva’s arms. Yvonne snuggled up to Yohan, feeling tired.
Yohan sat quietly to let his sister rest. Estelle observed him and thought, ‘Yohan may still be a child, but he acts so mature when taking care of his sister. Sometimes, he’s even more considerate than me. His personality reminds me of Mr. Mysterious. They’re both gentle, kind, considerate, and dependable. When he grows up, he’ll be a handsome, steady, and kind-hearted young man who many girls will admire, just like Cristofer used to be.’
Thoughts of Cristofer brought mixed emotions to Estelle. Cristofer used to be loving and caring towards her, but a tragic car accident that claimed his parents’ lives changed him and strained their relationship.
“Estelle, I wish we could turn back time, but unfortunately, we can’t,” Cristofer suddenly remarked.
Upon hearing Cristofer’s words, Estelle turned to look at him and noticed him gazing at the family photo taken by Eva. He pointed at himself in the photo and remarked, “You still look as young as before, but I’ve aged.”
In the picture, his face remained handsome, but he appeared more mature and composed compared to his younger self. Although he wore a smile, there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.
Eva playfully teased, “Mr. Hans, you need to take good care of yourself to maintain your youth. Mrs. Hans is so young and beautiful. If you don’t stay youthful, she might leave you for someone younger and more handsome in the future!”
Cristofer responded with a smile, “It’s okay. As long as that man treats her well, I’ll let her go and wish her happiness.”
Eva was taken aback by his words and looked at Cristofer and then Estelle, puzzled. She asked, “Is something wrong? Are you announcing a breakup?”
“Auntie Eva, don’t say that! My parents will never break up, no matter what!” Yohan quickly chimed in.
“Yeah, Mom and Dad are the most loving couple in the world. They’ll be together forever!” Yvonne added.
Eva smiled awkwardly and said, “Mr. Hans, I was just joking. I didn’t mean any harm. Please don’t take my words seriously.”
Cristofer maintained his composure and calmly replied, “Your performance-related pay for this month is reduced.”
“What?! Why? Mr. Hans, please reconsider. You’ve already deducted a significant portion of my salary this month!” Eva protested.
“There’s no reason,” Cristofer replied calmly.
Eva protested, “How could you do this? I’m going to file for labor arbitration!”
“Feel free to do so,” Cristofer responded.
“Mr. Hans, I was only joking. You’re still young and handsome. Please don’t deduct my salary. I really need the money to find my boyfriend…”
“I understand that. But it doesn’t change anything.”
“Even though you know that, why are you still deducting my salary? You’ve already done it twice this month! You heartless capitalist!” Eva exclaimed.
“Heartless capitalist? Anything else?” Cristofer raised an eyebrow and asked with a faint smile.
“You greedy vampire! You’re so cruel and heartless!”
“Alright. You’ve insulted me, so I’ll deduct an additional two hundred dollars from your salary.”
“You…” Eva was left speechless by Cristofer’s response.
“If you perform well in your job from now on, I’ll consider giving you a raise next month,” Cristofer said.
“Really?”
“I have no reason to lie to an employee like you,” Cristofer replied.
“That makes sense…”
“Go buy some food for the kids,” Cristofer instructed.
“Sure! I’ll do everything you ask as long as I can get a raise!” Eva exclaimed.
Cristofer’s wallet was still in Estelle’s hand. When Estelle took out some bills from the wallet, Eva seemed hopeful, thinking Estelle might give her a bonus. However, to Eva’s disappointment, Estelle returned most of the bills to her wallet and handed her only one bill.
Eva’s excitement quickly turned into disappointment as she took the single bill and walked towards the shop with her shoulders slumped.
Observing Eva’s reaction, Estelle sighed and said, “In Eva’s eyes, we might seem really stingy now.”
“What we did was for her own good. Sometimes, it’s better to keep the truth hidden,” Cristofer remarked casually.
“Aren’t you worried that someday she might find out the truth and resent you for not telling her earlier?” Estelle asked.
“I’ll keep the truth hidden for as long as I can. It would be best if she moved on from her boyfriend and never learned the truth. But even if she does find out in the future and hates me for it, it’s okay to have one more person who dislikes me,” Cristofer said in a resigned tone.
“Cristofer,” Estelle sighed and reassured him, “I’ve told you that I no longer hold any grudges against you. You don’t need to blame yourself for what happened in the past. Just let go of those regrets.”