“Thank you,” she said to Justin.
“Don’t mention it. Head to the room now, Grandpa Gary is waiting,” Justin urged her.
As soon as she entered the villa with Victor, she saw many doctors in the living room. Then, she led Victor to Gary’s bedroom on the first floor. In the bedroom, Luke was sitting at Gary’s bedside. When he saw Estelle and Victor coming in, he stood up and wiped his tears, saying, “Estelle, you’re finally here. This is…”
“Yes, he’s Victor,” Estelle nodded in confirmation.
Luke then nodded slightly and said, “It’s good that he came. Old Mr. Hans has been wanting to see him.”
At this time, Gary, who was not fully conscious, slowly opened his eyes and saw Estelle and Victor standing at the bedside. “Luke, Estelle, I want to talk with him privately. Could you give us some private space?” he said in a weak voice.
Hearing this, Luke and Estelle looked at each other hesitantly and then had to leave the room and close the door. Standing outside, Estelle could vaguely hear Gary’s voice, but she couldn’t hear it clearly.
“I’ve asked the maids to take the children out to have fun. It’s better not to let them see Old Mr. Hans like this,” Luke told Estelle.
Estelle nodded sadly, saying, “Cristofer is coming back soon. Hope that Grandpa Gary can hold on a little longer.”
As soon as she finished her words, the two of them heard a loud bang. Then they saw Victor coming out expressionlessly. “You may go in and check on him,” Victor ordered.
Estelle and Luke then rushed into the bedroom immediately, followed by the doctors.
“Doctor, please have a look…”
“I’m sorry for your loss. Old Mr. Hans has passed away,” the doctor said after checking on Gary.
Everyone was in the bedroom at the moment, and no one noticed that Eva and Cristofer were at the villa’s gate. Realizing what had happened, Eva was shocked. “Mr. Hans…”
Clenching his fists, Cristofer was staring in the direction of the bedroom, his eyes turning red and blue veins standing out on his temples.
“Drive me back to the Hans’ Residence,” he said in a deep voice.
“Aren’t you going to see Old Mr. Hans for the last time?”
Closing his eyes in grief, Cristofer frowned tightly. “Eva.”
“What’s up, Mr. Hans?”
“Do as I said,” Cristofer gritted his teeth.
“Okay…” Nodded sadly and started the car. Soon, it disappeared into the road.
****
Half a month later….
It was in the evening. The Hans’ Residence was quiet, and the insects in the yard chirped occasionally.
Outside the study, Luke, who had hesitated for a long time, finally made up his mind and knocked at the door, saying in a low voice, “Mr. Hans, I have something to discuss with you.”
After a few seconds, Cristofer opened the door for him, sitting in his wheelchair. “Come in, please, Uncle Luke,” he said lightly.
Since Gary passed away, Luke has looked much older than before. He had seen Cristofer grow up from childhood. Now, looking at Cristofer sitting in the wheelchair, he couldn’t help feeling sorry for Cristofer.
“Mr. Hans, I’m old now. It’s hard for me to take care of the three children simultaneously. Maybe you should hire a nanny for them,” he suggested in a low voice.
Cristofer was thinner than before and looked a little pale, but his eyes were still bright and sparkled. Hearing Luke’s words, he nodded and said, “Okay. You can hire a reliable nanny to help you. Give her the top wage in the service industry. Sorry, Uncle Luke. I was so careless that I didn’t notice that it’s hard for you to take care of them alone.”
As Cristofer had been in prison for half a year before, he felt out of step with society and was still trying to adapt to the outside world. Besides, since Estelle broke his heart again, he had been living in depression these days and hadn’t paid much attention to the children and Luke.
Hearing Cristofer apologize to him, Luke said quickly, “It’s okay, Mr. Hans. It’s understandable that you are busy with work and have no time to pay attention to the children. It was always Estelle…”
At the thought that Estelle’s name was a sensitive topic for him now, he paused mid-sentence. Seeing Cristofer lost in thought, Luke continued, “Mr. Hans, the household staff can handle chores, but they’re not equipped to care for the kids. Yvonne and Christina are girls, and it’s not suitable for me to take care of them, so we need to hire two female nannies.”
Luke had wanted to discuss this matter with Cristofer for a while, but he held off because Cristofer had been in a bad mood lately. It was only today, when he noticed Cristofer was feeling better, that he gathered the courage to bring it up.
Hearing Luke’s suggestion, Cristofer sighed and agreed, “Alright, go ahead. Just make sure to involve the kids in the nanny selection process.” With that, he wheeled himself towards the playroom to spend time with his children.
Luke reached out to assist him but then withdrew his hand. He understood that Cristofer, who had always been proud, didn’t want to be treated as helpless. So he quietly followed Cristofer.
Since Cristofer was put into prison, there have been countless rumors about him. In this case, after being released on bail, Cristofer had to brace himself every day, show up in public, and demolish the rumors. This took a toll on him mentally and physically. Being with his children was the only time he felt relaxed. When he arrived at the playroom, he gently knocked on the door.
Hearing the knock, Yohan assumed it was Luke coming to play with them, so he eagerly opened the door with a smile. Upon seeing Cristofer, his eyes lit up with joy.
Cristofer was momentarily speechless, struck by Yohan’s eyes that resembled Estelle’s.
After a few moments, Yohan broke the silence, saying, “Dad, you’re here at last! We wanted to ask you to play with us, but Grandpa Luke said you were busy, so we gave up.”
Cristofer smiled gently and comforted him, “You’re a good boy. I’ll spend more time with you from now on.”
Seeing Cristofer coming, Yvonne and Christina stood up from the carpet and ran over. Then they took his arms and looked at him with happy, watery eyes. They were so adorable that Cristofer couldn’t help but smile when he saw them.
“Dad, when will Mom come back? We all miss her, Yvonne said in a soft voice.