Gretchen was taken aback by Estelle’s unexpected response. She thought, ‘Estelle, what’s your game plan? You must be aware of Victor’s and my scheme. How can you remain so composed?’
Estelle turned to the receptionist with a warm smile and said, “Could you please get some coffee and snacks ready for the media? Oh, and let’s bring a chair for the child. It’s okay for grown-ups to kneel for a while, but it’s not good for the little one to stay on his knees too long.” Then, she addressed the media, saying, “Thank you for coming. We’re not sure when Cristofer will arrive, so please bear with us.”
Although the receptionist didn’t fully understand Estelle’s plan, she nodded and followed her instructions. Soon, Hudson Group staff brought coffee and snacks for the media.
The receptionist also approached Gretchen’s son with a chair and offered him some dessert, saying, “Hey there, little one. Take a seat and enjoy some treats.”
The child’s eyes lit up with excitement at the sight of the sweets. However, when he was about to grab one with his dirty hands, Estelle intervened, saying, “Hold on a moment.”
Gretchen protested, “What’s the problem? Mrs. Hans, can’t he even have a dessert? Don’t be so strict.”
Estelle clarified, “I didn’t say he couldn’t have any. But his hands are dirty, and eating without cleaning them is not hygienic.” Estelle then approached, lifted the boy, and sat him in the chair. She cleaned his hands with a wet tissue and smiled, “Now you can enjoy your dessert.”
The little boy beamed and happily started eating his treat.
Onlookers remarked, “Mrs. Hans is really kind to the child.”
“Yeah, it’s clear she’s a considerate mother. The boy’s real mother didn’t even think of cleaning his hands. She’s thoughtless and inconsiderate.”
“Mrs. Hans comes from a cultured family, after all…”
Hearing the discussions, Gretchen looked at Estelle with resentment. Seeing Estelle putting a piece of dessert in her son’s hand, she knocked the dessert off her son’s hand and said angrily, “Don’t eat it! Do you know who this woman is? Aren’t you afraid it is poisonous?”
Being scolded by her, the little boy didn’t cry. Instead, he just rolled his eyes speechlessly and then looked around idly in the chair. Obviously, the boy didn’t have a good relationship with Gretchen.
Estelle then said in a soft voice, “Miss White, if you have any problems with me, just come at me and don’t vent your anger on your child.”
“Stop being hypocritical!” Gretchen yelled.
“No matter what kind of person I am, I won’t let my children be exposed to the media in this way. Have you ever thought about the consequences of what you are doing? Will your son’s teachers and classmates talk about him behind his back? You brought your son here for your own interest and let such a little child kneel in the sun for an hour with you. Have you ever thought about his feelings? Why do you have to let the child suffer with you?”
Estelle’s words silenced Gretchen.
“Besides, you said that it was Cristofer and me who put you in prison. Which prison were you in? How long were you in prison, and when were you released?” Estelle said in a calm and gentle voice.
“I was in the women’s prison of Hadale! I spent four years in prison,” Gretchen answered sharply.
Estelle then bent over and asked the little boy, “How old are you this year?”
The little boy blinked his eyes and stretched out three fingers.
“He’s three years old,” Estelle said to Gretchen, “That is to say, you had just been pregnant when you were put in prison, right?”
“Yes. Cristofer and you conspired to put me into prison regardless that I was pregnant.”
Hearing this, Estelle sneered and said, “If we really wanted to hurt you, we wouldn’t have let you give birth to the baby safely, and you wouldn’t have had the chance to make a scene with the child here.”
“Estelle, it’s meaningless to talk about this now. Cristofer will come soon and tell you his decision,” Gretchen snapped arrogantly.
Hearing her words, Estelle chuckled and said, “Okay. I’m also looking forward to his coming. If he admits that this boy is his son, I’ll transfer the properties that he gave to my children to your son.”
Not too far away, Cristofer grinned and told Vincent, “Seems like she’s handling things well on her own. With what Estelle just said, even if Victor tries to show up as me, he won’t acknowledge the child as mine. He’s always after all the family assets and won’t allow Gretchen and her son to have any.”
Vincent chuckled and said in admiration, “Mrs. Hans is really clever.”
Cristofer agreed, still smiling, “She’s always been smart.”
“Vincent, let’s go,” Cristofer ordered.
Hearing this, Vincent asked in surprise, “What? Mr. Hans, are you sure we’re leaving now? What if Victor comes later and Mrs. Hans can’t deal with him?”
“Gretchen and Victor are nothing to be afraid of. Let’s go to meet a big shot,” Cristofer said gently.
“Big shot? You mean Mr. Lopez?”
“Yes,” Cristofer smiled meaningfully.
Vincent suddenly realized that they hadn’t been in touch with Nelson for a while. Nelson cared a lot about Cristofer. When Cristofer was in jail, Nelson should’ve been worried and paid his bail, but he didn’t, which was strange and unusual.
Vincent nodded and asked, “Mr. Hans, should we take some bodyguards with us?”
Cristofer shook his head, “No.”
“Alright.”
****
When Cristofer arrived at Nelson’s beach house, he thought Nelson might be taking a nap. However, he was surprised to see Nelson sitting quietly in the yard from a distance with his back to them.
Once the car stopped, Vincent got out first and took a wheelchair from the trunk. Carefully, he helped Cristofer out of the car and into the wheelchair.
As they entered the yard, a servant respectfully greeted Cristofer, saying, “Good afternoon, Mr. Hans.”
Cristofer nodded with a smile and asked, “Has Uncle Nelson had lunch?”
“Yes. He’s sunbathing over there,” the servant replied, pointing to Nelson.
“Great. I’ll have a chat with him. You can go back to the villa,” Cristofer said.
The servant bowed and returned to the villa.
The sun was shining brightly, and the day was warm. The villa was nestled near the mountains and faced the sea, making it an ideal spot for retirement.
Nelson followed Buddhist practices and always wore a rosewood bracelet he had received from a temple. However, when Cristofer approached him, he noticed that Nelson wasn’t wearing the bracelet. Cristofer smiled and asked, “Uncle Nelson, why aren’t you wearing your bracelet? You used to cherish it and wear it every day.”