When Estelle came out of the bathroom, Cristofer was leaning against the head of the bed with a book in his hand. While drying her hair with the towel, Estelle walked over and glanced at the book. It was ‘The Little Prince.’
“Why are you reading this book?” Estelle asked.
Cristofer didn’t answer her directly. “I’m not busy recently and have more free time than before.”
When Estelle just thought Cristofer just picked the book at random and read it to kill time, he continued, “The children are growing up. They can’t just always listen to simple fairy tales. Their bedtime stories should be more profound.”
Hearing this, Estelle was slightly stunned.
“They will move out with you the day after tomorrow. I… I can’t move freely now and can’t help you. But what’s good about it is that I have more free time now. I’ll make the best use of my spare time to read more children’s books so I can tell them stories in the future,” Cristofer remarked calmly.
‘Estelle, we grew up together and used to love each other deeply. I know you better than anyone. Although you’ve changed a lot in recent years, I’ve come to know you well again in the past months. Now, you’re not as stubborn as before, and you’ve grown more mature and capable of handling things on your own. However, one thing that hasn’t changed is your love for the children. If I insist on keeping them here, you’ll visit often to see them, and I’ll have the chance to see you from time to time. But I don’t want things to turn unpleasant.’
Thinking about this, Cristofer recalled the advice Justin had given him earlier: “If what you want doesn’t come to you, take the initiative to go for it.”
He found Justin’s words sensible and came up with an idea. “As your ex-husband, I can’t keep you here. But as a father, I can visit Genting Garden to see both you and the children, Estelle.”
Estelle understood his intention but remained silent. After drying her hair, she went to bed.
****
The moving day arrived one day later. In the morning, Estelle went to Genting Garden and arranged for cleaning services. After the house was cleaned, she went shopping for everyday items. In the evening, as she was getting ready to pick up the children from the Hans’ Residence but suddenly Eva arrived with the three kids and Luke.
Luke had a tough time saying goodbye to the children. He knew that now that Estelle had moved out, she wouldn’t return to the Hans’ Residence until she was reconciled with Cristofer. The thought of not seeing the kids every day made Luke’s eyes teary. After ensuring that Estelle had everything under control, he reminded the children to behave and told Yohan to take care of her sisters repeatedly.
Eva then approached Estelle and said, “Mrs. Hans, the car has been fitted with child seats and is easy to drive. You can use it first. If you’re not comfortable with it, just let me know, and Mr. Hans can switch it to another car.”
Since Cristofer had given her the car for the sake of the children, Estelle couldn’t decline. “Okay,” Estelle agreed.
“If you need help while practicing driving, don’t hesitate to ask,” Eva offered.
“Thank you,” Estelle replied.
Still feeling a bit uncertain about her driving skills, Eva suggested, “Mrs. Hans, how about I handle the school drop-off and pick-up for the children until you’re more confident with your driving?”
Considering that she was still not entirely comfortable behind the wheel, Estelle agreed and appreciated Eva’s concern for the children’s safety.
Bella’s house had two stories, though it wasn’t as large as the Hans’ Residence. It was sufficient for two adults and three children. To make things more convenient for Bella, Estelle offered to take the second floor, leaving the first floor for Bella.
Bella had been busy lately, and when Estelle went downstairs one night after settling the children, she found Bella still hard at work. With her hair pinned back and wearing black-framed glasses, Bella typed furiously with a frustrated expression. “Why can’t they do such a simple thing? It’s so annoying…”
Estelle poured herself a glass of warm water and another one for Bella. She asked, “Are you still working late at this hour?” as she handed the glass to Bella.
Taking the glass, Bella drank it all quickly and explained, “With the rise of online media and the decline of print media in recent years, our magazine’s sales have been low. However, this time, thanks to the jewelry you designed, many customers ordered this issue of the magazine, so I need to print more copies. But my employees are unsure how to handle it. Ugh!” After a pause, she suddenly smiled with relief and said, “Estelle, I’ve realized that working late can be enjoyable.”
Listening quietly, Estelle took a sip of her water and smiled.
“I used to focus all my energy on Roman, trying to win him back and thinking that a reformed ladies’ man is worth more than gold. I didn’t want to divorce him. But recently, I’ve been concentrating on my work and enjoying life, and I’ve come to realize that he’s not as important as I thought. I’m even happier now.”
Estelle nodded, thinking, ‘It’s been five days since I visited Bella’s company, and that day, Bella and her husband agreed to start divorce proceedings the next day. They might have already gotten divorced.’ She then said softly to Bella, “A more wonderful life awaits you.”
Seeing Estelle drinking water leisurely, Bella said, “You should ask the production department to work overtime and produce more jewelry. This is a great opportunity to make money!”
Holding the glass in her hand, Estelle thought for a while and said, “There’s no hurry.”
“No hurry? Oh, dear. Do you know how popular the jewelry you design is now? All the famous influencers and many celebrities want to buy it. They all said they want to wear it when they attend a forthcoming fashion event. Didn’t you want your company to return to its previous glory? Why don’t you do something about it?” Bella said excitedly.
Estelle knew what was going on in her mind. She said, “Nowadays, fashion trends come and go quickly. And if people can get something easily, they will lose interest in it soon and take a fancy to another thing. So I’ll only produce two hundred sets of the jewelry. And they will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.”
As Bella was smart, she immediately understood what Estelle meant, and she asked, “You want to do word-of-mouth marketing to boost the popularity of the Hudson Group?”
“Yes. I want to make the Hudson Group more popular,” Estelle smiled broadly.