The receptionist then asked in a low voice, “Miss Hudson, how about we contact Mr. Hans and ask him to come? After all, this woman is here mainly for him.”
Hearing this, Estelle shook her head, thinking, ‘Cristofer’s legs haven’t recovered, and he can’t show up in public. I can only deal with the situation by myself.’
“Get a chair for me,” she said to the receptionist.
“Okay,” the receptionist nodded and quickly trotted to get Estelle a chair.
Estelle fixed her hair and walked up to the company gate. When she appeared, all the cameras pointed at her. The flashes were blinding, so she closed her eyes until the camera clicks stopped. That’s when she spotted Gretchen.
Gretchen wore a thin white dress, and her hair was messy. She knelt on the ground, crying loudly, with red eyes. Beside her, a three-year-old boy in faded clothes knelt as well, looking blank and distant.
Gretchen shouted at Estelle, “Estelle! You finally came to see me! Are you happy to see me begging on my knees? Will you spare my life now?”
The receptionist approached with a chair and offered, “Miss Hudson, please have a seat.”
Estelle accepted, saying, “Sure, place it here. Thank you.”
“Got it.”
After the receptionist set up the chair, Estelle sat down, calmly observing Gretchen and her son.
Gretchen crawled closer to Estelle and said angrily, “We haven’t seen each other in four years. You’ve become successful and lived a luxurious life. Do you ever feel guilty thinking about me and my son?”
Estelle asked, “Is this your son?” She glanced at the boy next to Gretchen, who looked unkempt and dirty.
Gretchen proudly replied, “Yes, he’s my child with Cristofer. I had his baby, but he and you plotted to put me in jail! You two are heartless. I may not be as powerful as you, but today, I demand justice for myself and my child!”
Seeing her like this, Estelle couldn’t help chuckling. ‘Four years have passed, but you haven’t changed a bit. You’re still so good at acting, Gretchen.’
Estelle quickly retorted, “What exactly do you want to do to achieve this ‘justice’ you’re talking about?”
Gretchen wiped her tears and replied, “My own life doesn’t matter, but my son is part of the Hans family. He needs to return to them.”
Estelle quickly understood Gretchen’s intentions. She thought, ‘So, you’re trying to use your son to claim a share of the Hans family’s wealth. Victor must be behind this scheme, using Gretchen to cause trouble here. It’s quite frustrating.’
With a friendly smile, Estelle said to Gretchen, “Alright, I’ll help you get him back to the Hans family.”
Gretchen didn’t expect such an easy agreement from Estelle and was left stunned. She had prepared for a scenario where Estelle denied the child’s identity, prompting Victor to appear and force Cristofer to acknowledge the child as his own.
Upon hearing Estelle’s agreement, Gretchen suddenly changed her stance, objecting, “No, I can’t let him go with you. I’m safer when he’s with me. If I’m alone, you’ll definitely seek revenge!”
Estelle asked, “Then what do you propose?”
Gretchen responded, “The child is still young and needs me. If you want to take him to the Hans family, you have to take me too.”
Estelle firmly refused, saying, “Absolutely not! Don’t even think about it, or your son won’t go back to the Hans family.”
Gretchen, with a sinister smile, said, “Estelle, you’re not in charge of the Hans family, and you don’t have the final say. Cristofer has agreed to have our son with him. Are you going against his decision?”
Estelle questioned, “When did Cristofer agree to this?”
Gretchen replied, “On the day of Old Mr. Hans’ memorial service. Cristofer is not heartless; he won’t abandon his own child.”
Estelle asked, surprised, “So you’ve met Cristofer?”
Gretchen confirmed, “Yes. Estelle, you can’t stop Cristofer from reuniting with his son!”
The media nearby were broadcasting the whole drama, treating it like a soap opera unfolding before their eyes. The Hans family was well-known and influential in Hadale, so they were eager to uncover the secrets of such a prominent family.
After Gretchen’s emotional outburst, all the cameras turned back to focus on Estelle.
“Mrs. Hans, you and Mr. Hans seemed so in love in public. It appeared that he deeply cared for you. How do you feel about the revelation of his illegitimate child?”
“Family is important. The child is innocent. Mrs. Hans, what are your plans for the child?”
“The child’s mother claims that you and Mr. Hans conspired to have her imprisoned. Is there any truth to that?”
As the reporters bombarded her with questions, they closed in on Estelle, surrounding her.
Under the shade of a nearby tree, Vincent anxiously gripped Cristofer’s wheelchair handles. He whispered, “Mr. Hans, should I go and help Mrs. Hans? Gretchen is quite the actress, and I’m concerned that Mrs. Hans might suffer.”
A buzz of conversation rippled through the onlookers.
“They seemed so in love in public, but it was all an act.”
“A wealthy and powerful man like Mr. Hans probably has many mistresses. Loyalty isn’t their strong suit.”
“The child is innocent. Mr. Hans will surely bring him back to the family, right?”
“Do you not see what happened? Mr. and Mrs. Hans heartlessly had this woman sent to prison. Look at the poor child, all disheveled. If Mr. Hans really cared, how could he let the child end up like this?”
“The woman and her son look so pitiful…”
“The boy’s mother has a point. Handing the child over to Mrs. Hans might not end well for her.”
“Mrs. Hans appears kind, but who knows what she’s capable of…”
“Cats hide their claws. Sigh…”
Vincent and Cristofer overheard these comments from the onlookers. Vincent was indignant and began to say, “Mr. Hans, let me…” before he could react Estelle’s voice came abruptly.
The media mobbed Estelle at the moment, but she was rather calm. “Since Cristofer has agreed to let this child return to the Hans family, I certainly will respect his decision. But I have a question about it. Since Cristofer has agreed, you just need to wait for him to send someone to pick you up. Why did you come here and make a scene at the gate of my company, Gretchen?”
Hearing this, people around were also confused, and they looked at Gretchen with doubt.
“Cristofer is very busy. He will pick us up after he finishes his work,” Gretchen said, evasive about why she made a scene here.
“Okay. Then let’s wait for him here. I’ll ask him if he really has a child with you,” Estelle quickly snapped.