“Do you still love him?” Victor asked.
“Love?” Estelle sneered as if it was a ridiculous question. “Would you love someone who hurt you and nearly killed you?”
“… I understand,” Victor replied, noting her attitude.
“As for Mr. Mysterious…” Estelle frowned deeply, adding, “I did love Mr. Mysterious once, and I always hoped to reunite with him. But Cristofer crushed that hope. I can’t accept that he’s Mr. Mysterious. He deceived me and made me feel foolish. How could I still love him?”
A beep from Victor’s phone interrupted the conversation.
With a sinister grin, Victor pressed a button to save the recorded video. He then said with satisfaction, “Excellent. I love this story. Miss Hudson, thank you for your cooperation. I believe Cristofer will be devastated and might even consider suicide after hearing your words.”
****
In a quiet hospital room, Christina was asleep in Cristofer’s arms with her mouth slightly open. Suddenly, Ron hurried in, looking worried. “Mr. Hans, there’s a problem.”
“Shh, keep it down. Don’t wake Christina,” Cristofer cautioned, frowning at Ron. He could tell something was amiss from Ron’s anxious expression. Carefully, he pulled his arm out from under Christina’s head and quietly got out of bed. The anesthesia had worn off, and he felt pain all over again, causing him to gasp. He was still weak, and his legs were unsteady when he landed on the ground.
Thankfully, Ron was there to support Cristofer, preventing him from knocking over the IV stand next to the bed. After a few moments, Cristofer managed to stand upright and whispered, “Let’s step outside.”
“But Mr. Hans, your leg…”
“I have leg fractures, not a disability. Let’s not waste time,” Cristofer replied as he slowly moved with the help of crutches.
Hearing this, Ron, who had more to say, chose to remain silent. He fetched a chair and placed it in the hallway. “Mr. Hans, please have a seat. The doctor said you should stay in bed for at least three months and use your legs as little as possible during that time,” he said with concern.
“Understood,” Cristofer said, then slowly lowered himself into the chair with difficulty. He took a deep breath and asked, “Now, please tell me what’s going on. Did those shareholders cause trouble while I was away from the company? Don’t worry about it; I’ll deal with them later.”
“It’s not related to the company, Mr. Hans. Vincent just called me and said that Miss Hudson suddenly asked him to go to the Hans’ Residence to take Old Mr. Hans and the children away!” Ron explained in a hurry.
“Take Grandpa and the children away?” Cristofer was surprised and puzzled.
“Yes, Vincent said Miss Hudson sounded very serious and hung up quickly. Vincent rushed to the Hans’ Residence and moved Old Mr. Hans and the children to the company. He tried calling Miss Hudson but couldn’t reach her,” Ron added.
Cristofer’s expression changed instantly upon hearing the news. “When did Estelle call him?”
“It took Vincent about an hour to reach the Hans’ Residence and bring Old Mr. Hans and the children to the company. He only called me after he finished all of this. So, Miss Hudson called him approximately an hour ago.”
“One hour… Tell Vincent to track her phone and find out where she is as soon as possible. Hurry!” Cristofer urged.
“Okay!”
“Wait,” Cristofer said, his face growing grim, and he extended his hand. “Give me your phone. You go inside and attend to Christina. She might wake up soon.”
Understanding Cristofer’s intention, Ron tried to advise him, “Mr. Hans, don’t act recklessly for her! You don’t know what kind of person she is! She confessed to me that she was only with Mr. Mysterious for money! She doesn’t love you or Mr. Mysterious!”
Cristofer shook his head and replied, “She may not love me, but I can see that she loves Mr. Mysterious…”
“But she knows you are Mr. Mysterious! Are you sure she’ll still love Mr. Mysterious now? I hate to be blunt, but even if you go to save her, she might not be grateful to you,” Ron cautioned, causing Cristofer to clench his fist.
“Mr. Hans, please don’t act impulsively. Her attitude toward you may have worsened after discovering your lie.”
Taking a deep breath, Cristofer quickly stated, “Whether she hates me more or not, I can’t just stand by. Victor is a dangerous person. I can’t let Estelle stay with him. Ron, take Christina back to her room right now. I’ll handle everything.”
“Mr. Hans!” Ron still wanted to persuade him.
“This is an order! Follow my instructions,” Cristofer insisted.
Reluctantly, Ron clenched his teeth and took a few deep breaths to compose himself. He handed his phone to Cristofer and said, “Yes, Mr. Hans.” With that, he returned to the ward, picked up Christina, and brought her back to her room.
Cristofer then used Ron’s phone to call Vincent. Vincent’s anxious voice came from the other end as soon as the call connected. “Have you informed Mr. Hans? I still can’t reach Mrs. Hans…”
“Vincent, it’s me,” Cristofer said firmly.
“Mr. Hans?!”
“We don’t have much time. I’ll be brief. Locate the point where Estelle’s mobile phone signal vanished. Call me immediately when you find it,” Cristofer instructed.
“Understood!”
After ending the call, Cristofer dialed a number. Shortly, Victor’s voice came from the other end of the line. “Hello?”
Recognizing the familiar voice, Cristofer knew he had the right number. He got straight to the point, demanding, “Where have you taken Estelle?”
“Cristofer? Haha! I’ve tried calling you many times, and I was wondering if you changed your phone number,” Victor remarked.
“Enough with the nonsense. Our feud has nothing to do with Estelle. If you want revenge, come after me and let her go.”
“No need to worry,” Victor replied, sounding pleased. “I’ve treated her well. I just tied her up and burned her with a cigarette. As for the rest…”
Before he could finish, Cristofer erupted in anger, demanding, “What else did you do to her?”
“Hahaha. We had some fun just now! We’re twins with telepathy. Can’t you sense how joyful I am?”
“Victor!”
With a malicious tone, Victor continued, “I couldn’t find a whip and candles, so I used rope and cigarette butts to spice things up. It was quite enjoyable.”
“You dare to harm her!” Cristofer yelled icily.
“So what? If you doubt me, I’ll send you a video. You’ll see how helpless she looked tied up on the bed,” Victor said with a sinister chuckle, then sent Cristofer a video.