Raising an eyebrow, Victor reclined on the bed, enjoying his cigarette, and with interest, he said, “Yes. Tell me the story between you two.”
Estelle then extended her tied-up hands and requested, “Could you please untie the rope first? The phone is smashed, and you’ve sent away the hotel staff. I can’t escape.”
Hearing this, Victor hesitated, inspecting her carefully, thinking whether he should trust her.
“If I intended to flee, my only option would be to jump out of the window. But we’re on the twelfth floor. I’d die if I did that, so you needn’t worry about me escaping,” Estelle assured him.
With a chuckle, Victor asked, “Miss Hudson, you’re a jewelry designer, correct?”
“Yes,” Estelle affirmed.
“Your hands must be very precious to you, then. You should take good care of them,” Victor remarked with a suggestive tone.
Estelle didn’t quite understand his implication.
Victor proceeded, “You’re right. You can’t run away. I’ll untie the rope for you.” With that said, he rose from the bed, approached Estelle, and squatted down to untie the rope.
However, the rope had become tangled due to her earlier struggles to break free and wouldn’t easily be untied. Victor, lacking patience, sneered and removed the cigarette from his lips. He used the lit end to burn the knot that clung to Estelle’s skin.
The rope was made of flammable material, and the cigarette sparked a small flame that swiftly consumed the rope.
In the next instant, Estelle felt a sharp pain in her wrists. She hurriedly freed herself, but it was too late. Her wrists had been reddened and bore small blisters from the burns.
Observing this, Victor wore an amused smile and commented, “You’re quite strong. Despite the severe burns, you bear the pain without a sound. Most other women would cry out in agony from such an injury.”
Gently touching one of the blisters, Estelle winced at the pain but merely furrowed her brow. “I’ve endured pain far more intense than this,” she disclosed.
“What kind of pain have you endured then? The pain of childbirth?” Victor smirked. “They say that on a pain scale from one to ten, the pain of childbirth ranks between nine and ten. You’ve given birth to three children for Cristofer. It seems you truly love him.”
Shaking her head, Estelle clarified, “Since you’re so interested in Cristofer and me, I’ll tell you our story.”
“I’m all ears,” Victor motioned her to continue.
“When I was twenty years old, I became pregnant with our first child. At that time, Cristofer and I were about to get married. But the day before our wedding, a car accident occurred, resulting in the deaths of my father and his parents.”
“They deserved it,” Victor remarked coldly.
“Cristofer believed that my father’s drunk driving had caused the accident and led to his parents’ deaths. After the accident, my uncle took over the Hans Group. From that moment, Cristofer held an intense grudge against me.”
Upon hearing this, Victor couldn’t help but chuckle and asked, “He thought that you and your uncle had planned the accident to gain control of the company?”
“Yes.”
“Haha! The story sounds intriguing. Please continue.”
“Due to the car accident and my uncle’s actions, Cristofer grew to despise me intensely. Later, I discovered that I was pregnant. Fearing that he wouldn’t accept the child, I went abroad with the intention of returning after giving birth. However, the baby was born with septicemia and spent almost five years in the ICU.”
Victor took a deep drag from his cigarette and exhaled a plume of smoke. “Is the child your son?” he asked.
“Yes,” Estelle confirmed.
“I’ve met him before. He’s very bright and takes after Cristofer,” Victor remarked.
“… Yes,” Estelle nodded in agreement.
“Okay, please continue. What did you do when you found out your son had septicemia?”
“I had a friend who take care of him, and I returned to Hadale alone.”
Victor appeared somewhat surprised upon hearing this. “You don’t seem like a mother who would abandon her own child.”
“I would never abandon my child. However, at that time, Yohan needed a stem cell transplant, and the only way to obtain the necessary stem cells for the procedure was to have another child with Cristofer.”
Victor nodded in understanding. “So you gave birth to your elder daughter.”
“Before I became pregnant with Yvonne, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. To give birth to Yvonne, I couldn’t undergo chemotherapy or take any medication. Compared to the pain caused by cancer, the pain from the burns is nothing. The excruciating pain from cancer tormented me for nine months until Yvonne was born healthy.”
Victor’s expression softened a bit. “… You’re incredibly strong. You’re a wonderful mother.”
“Thank you. I had to be strong for my children,” Estelle replied.
“To be honest, I admire your strong character,” Victor acknowledged.
“You don’t need to admire me,” Estelle responded.
“But that doesn’t change my determination to carry out my revenge plan. Cristofer and Gary are the last two remaining members of the Hans family, and I won’t spare them. Oh, thanks to your story, I’ve just remembered that your children are also part of the Hans family.”
Estelle was taken aback by this revelation, her eyes widening in shock.
Seeing her reaction, Victor took pleasure in it. He abandoned his gentlemanly facade, casually sitting with a cigarette between his lips. “Don’t be afraid. Although your children are from the Hans family, they’ve never harmed me, and my abandonment has nothing to do with them. Once I’ve dealt with Cristofer and Gary, I’ll take control of the Hans family and then provide you with some money. With that money, you can go abroad with your children and your mother to live a comfortable life for the rest of your days.”
Estelle was somewhat surprised by Victor’s unexpected change of heart. It was hard for her to believe that the same person who had acted like a demon moments ago was now expressing mercy and offering such words.
“Miss Hudson, since we’re here with nothing to do, allow me to share a story as well,” Victor proposed.
Estelle furrowed her brow and said, “… Is the story about you?”
“Do you want to hear it?” Victor asked. “Whether you want to or not, you’ll listen. In reality, I’m fully aware that once I’ve done my revenge, I’ll inevitably be jailed sooner or later. I hope that someone will remember me.”
Estelle remained silent, biting her lower lip as she awaited Victor’s narrative.
“Back then, I was bought by a child trafficking ring for fifty thousand dollars from York, who then sold me to another gang at a higher price. Eventually, I was sold to a destitute family in a mountainous area.”