“Mrs. Jones, let me reintroduce myself. I’m Estelle, a jewelry designer, and I specialize in jewelry design at Lanster Jewelry Design Academy. I’ve created a set of American and stylish jewelry to attract more customers and increase the Hudson Group’s popularity. I plan to feature it in magazines and on social media platforms. I hope we can collaborate, and I genuinely believe we can both benefit from it,” Estelle explained with sincerity in her eyes.
Hearing Estelle’s words, Mrs. Jones, who had a keen sense of character, was impressed by her sincerity. Her stern expression softened, and she chuckled, saying, “Girl, things aren’t as simple as they seem…”
As they talked, a commotion erupted outside. Before they could understand what was happening, the reception room door swung open with a loud bang, and Gretchen entered, roughly pulling her son’s arm. Her son was in tears, clearly in pain, but she paid no attention to it. Upon seeing Mrs. Jones, she spoke boldly, “Ma’am, I’ve heard you’re here to demand money from the Hudson Group. That’s great. We’re on the same side.”
Observing Gretchen’s arrogant attitude, Mrs. Jones furrowed her brow and asked, “Who are you? Why should I be on your side?”
“I’m Cristofer’s lover, and this is our son. Estelle is a deceitful woman. She publicly promised to let my child return to the Hans family, but now she’s going back on her word! My son is part of the Hans family, and that’s an indisputable fact! Ma’am, you can surely tell right from wrong. Estelle has no right to prevent my son from reuniting with his father, does she?” Gretchen exclaimed.
Estelle turned to look at Eva for help, and Eva raised her hands in a gesture of helplessness, indicating she had tried to intervene but failed.
Before Estelle could respond, Mrs. Jones commented, “I do recall Mr. Hans denied any knowledge of you in public earlier.”
Gretchen countered, “Cristofer said that because he was worried our relationship would damage his reputation and business if he told the truth. How can he not know me? He loves me! Estelle, you can’t keep us from rejoining the Hans family! Ma’am, please reconsider doing business with Estelle. She’ll divorce Cristofer soon. Without Cristofer’s support, the Hudson Group will inevitably go bankrupt. Listen to me. You should demand Estelle repay her debt immediately. If she refuses, you can expose her unethical conduct to the media and force her to sell her company’s assets. Or you can take legal action and have her imprisoned!”
Eva, unable to hold back her anger, interjected, “Gretchen, Ms. Hudson politely welcomed you and your child, and you’re tarnishing her reputation in front of others! How can you be so ungrateful?”
Looking at Gretchen, Estelle sneered and thought, ‘Gretchen, you must have rushed here under Victor’s instigation. Your previous plan didn’t work, so you wanted to make trouble for me again. How childish you are.’
As Gretchen was about to speak, Mrs. Jones couldn’t contain her disdain and remarked, “When I saw the news earlier, I thought you were a poor woman. But now, witnessing your behavior, I realize I was completely wrong. You’re nothing more than a shameless mistress! Mr. Hans has moved on, yet you’ve come here to cause trouble for Mrs. Hans. Why? Because you think women are easy targets? Why don’t you go to the gates of Hans International Corporation and make a scene there? Oh, I see, you don’t dare to. You only pick on the vulnerable and cower before the powerful. Shame on you!”
Gretchen hadn’t anticipated Mrs. Jones siding with Estelle. She had assumed that Mrs. Jones would support her, confront Estelle, and push for compensation. Clenching her lips, she forcibly pulled her child closer and argued, “Mrs. Jones, you’re a mother too. You should understand that every mother wants the best for her child. Why should Estelle’s children have the finest things and be cared for by servants while my child has to endure poverty and tears?”
Mrs. Jones rolled her eyes and retorted, “Your son is crying because you hurt him. Why don’t you release his arm?”
The young boy, in response, managed to free his wrist from Gretchen’s grasp. He swiftly hid behind Eva and stopped crying. Witnessing this, Gretchen grew furious and tried to reach for him again.
Eva acted swiftly to stop her, saying firmly, “Hey, what are you doing?”
“This is my son. Get out of my way!” Gretchen demanded.
“No! You should ask your son if he wants to be with you,” Eva insisted.
The young boy shook his head vigorously and clung tightly to Eva’s leg, refusing to let go.
“Come here! I’m your mother!” Gretchen shouted.
Terrified, the little boy trembled, his face turning pale.
Eva had had enough of Gretchen’s behavior. She pushed Gretchen away and said firmly, “I don’t know why you have the audacity to claim you’re his mother! Have you considered his feelings? You brought him here and made a scene in public. He’s just three years old. Have you ever thought about how scared he must be?”
“I’m only trying to regain what’s rightfully ours!” Gretchen retorted.
At this point, Mrs. Jones said in a cold voice, “What’s rightfully yours? You’re nothing more than a shameless mistress, like a pest in the drain or a revolting rat on the street. I’ve seen plenty of women like you seducing wealthy men and trading your bodies for money. There’s no difference between you and prostitutes. If your child grows up to understand the kind of person you are, he’ll regret being born to you. Instead of causing a scene at Mr. Hans’ company, you’ve come here to create trouble. I’ve never encountered such a disgraceful person like you! Ms. Hudson is wealthy and influential, yet she strives for independence and success in her business. She’s a thousand times better than you. I thought Mr. Hans was a promising young man, but now I see I was mistaken. He’s no different from any other man.”
Eva was stunned by Mrs. Jones’s words, and she thought, ‘I was just away for less than ten minutes. Wasn’t Mrs. Jones very hostile to Mrs. Hans just now? What made her change her attitude so drastically?’
Seeing Mrs. Jones getting emotional, Estelle gently pulled her aside and said, “Mrs. Jones, please calm down…”
“I can’t! Mrs. Hans, if you keep being so passive, this woman will become even more ruthless! By the way, if Cristofer doesn’t end things with her, just get a divorce. You have your own career, and you don’t need to rely on him. I can see your ambition. With strong design skills and with my support, you can make a name for yourself in Hadale. I’ve decided to work with you. Send me your design drawings later, and I’ll feature them on the magazine’s cover in the next issue! Let those men and unscrupulous mistresses know that we can lead wonderful lives without them!”