Without turning to look at Cristofer, Nelson kept his gaze fixed on the sea and explained, “Wearing that bracelet was a superstition for good luck. I don’t believe in it anymore.”
“Buddha would disapprove of your words,” Cristofer gently remarked.
Nelson snorted and replied, “Humph. If Buddha really existed, he wouldn’t have treated me like this. Cristofer, you know how devoted I was to Buddhism. I genuinely believed in Buddha, but all he gave me were two traitors.”
Cristofer thought, ‘Two traitors… Nelson is referring to Geoffrey and me.’ He adjusted his wheelchair and sat beside Nelson, and both of them gazed at the sea. “Uncle Nelson, Buddha ensures fairness for all. He rewards the good and punishes the wicked,” Cristofer uttered in a soft tone.
Nelson nodded and turned to Cristofer suddenly, asking, “Cristofer, have I treated you well?”
“Uncle Nelson, you’ve said you don’t have children and have treated me like your own son,” Cristofer replied, giving a smile.
Nelson affirmed, “Indeed, I’m ready to give you everything I have. Do you think I’m unaware of why Geoffrey has always tried to gain favor with me? I see through him. He wants to be my successor, but I don’t favor him. You hold the highest place in my heart, and I’m willing to share the fruits of my hard work with you. Have I ever done anything harmful to you?”
“No,” Cristofer answered.
Nelson continued, “Furthermore, I’ve warned you countless times about the danger of women, but you didn’t heed my advice. As a result, you’ve suffered greatly because of Estelle. You broke your arm for her, endured pain from her actions, and now you’re confined to a wheelchair because of her. You’re still young, yet you’re like an old man like me in a wheelchair.”
Gazing at the sea, which sparkled and rippled, Cristofer murmured, “I’m a worthless man.”
“If you had listened to me, our relationship wouldn’t have come to this,” Nelson concluded.
“Uncle Nelson, if you hadn’t allowed Gretchen to kill my parents, our relationship wouldn’t have taken this turn.”
Hearing this, Nelson abruptly turned his head to stare at Cristofer and exclaimed in shock, “What are you saying? You’ve discovered that it was Gretchen and her mother who planned the car accident, haven’t you? Why are you blaming me now?”
“Uncle Nelson, are you still unwilling to tell me the truth?” Cristofer asked.
In the next moment, Nelson’s expression changed, and he questioned, “Has Gretchen said something to you? She’s a liar. Do you believe her?”
“I don’t believe her at all,” Cristofer stated firmly. “Uncle Nelson, I’m not naïve. Even if Gretchen had her mother’s help, they couldn’t have hidden the truth about the car accident for a few years. When you helped me find the two Land Rover cars back then, I suspected that the accident had something to do with you. However, you were so kind to me at the time, and I didn’t want to doubt you. But now the truth is out, and it’s time for us to part ways.”
Upon hearing this, Nelson sneered and retorted, “Cristofer, why can’t you just trust me? I saved you twice and treated you so well. Is this how you repay my kindness?”
Without turning to look at him, Cristofer replied, “Uncle Nelson, no matter how kind you’ve been, it won’t bring my parents and Estelle’s father back to life.”
Nelson averted his gaze and argued, “You have no concrete evidence.”
Cristofer simply smiled in response.
“What’s more, I’m over eighty years old. Even if I were accused of involvement, I wouldn’t face a lengthy sentence, and I could request bail from the court,” Nelson pointed out.
“To achieve your goals, you encouraged Gretchen to tamper with the cars’ brakes and stage the accident. Consequently, she and her mother went to prison while you remained free. Uncle Nelson, you are quite cunning,” Cristofer remarked.
Nelson casually stated, “When you do things, don’t burn your bridges. That’s the last lesson I’ll impart to you. Even if you love Estelle, don’t love her wholeheartedly if you want to avoid burning bridges.”
Cristofer seriously replied, “My relationship with Estelle has nothing to do with you, and I don’t need your advice on how to treat her. You saved me twice, and I’ve paid my debt by breaking my arm. I don’t owe you anything anymore, but you owe me for causing the deaths of my parents and Estelle’s father. I must seek justice for their deaths.”
Nelson snorted and asked, “What do you plan to do? Call the police and have them arrest me? I’ve already told you I’m old and can make bail.”
“Even if I can’t put you in jail, I can limit your freedom. Uncle Nelson, since you love living in this villa so much, you can stay here until the end of your days,” Cristofer replied firmly.
With his eyes widening in shock, Nelson said angrily, “What do you mean? Do you want to put me under house arrest? The people working here are all my men! You can’t do anything to me!”
“Uncle Nelson, nowadays, everything is different from what you think,” Cristofer said and clapped his hands twice. Then a servant walked over and said respectfully, “Mr. Hans, what can I do for you?”
“From today on, the chef will have a long holiday, and the others will do their jobs as usual. Make sure that Uncle Nelson takes medicines regularly,” Cristofer ordered.
Knowing what Cristofer meant, the servant said, “Okay, I see. Mr. Lopez is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. He doesn’t eat or drink every day.”
Cristofer then nodded with satisfaction and said, “Vincent, let’s go.”
With his eyes full of disbelief, Nelson looked at the servant and then at Cristofer. “You… Did you buy over all the people here? Cristofer, what the hell are you doing?! Do you want to starve me to death?”
“Uncle Nelson, you manipulated Gretchen and her mother to carry out your scheme. After my parents died and Estelle went abroad, you approached me with a hidden agenda. You’re clever and might believe you can manage everything. But you overlooked the fact that people often change when they see a chance for more gain. Now, Geoffrey and I aren’t the only ones you can’t trust anymore,” Cristofer stated.
After finishing his words, Cristofer left with his eyes full of coldness. Vincent had never seen such a cold expression in Cristofer’s eyes. Even when Cristofer worked like a working machine and was called a demanding devil by his employees, he was not so terrible.
When he helped Cristofer get into the car, he thought of what Cristofer had said to Nelson and couldn’t help feeling a chill all over. He had always thought about how Cristofer would get even with Nelson, but he had never expected that Cristofer would do it in this way.