In the days that followed, everything went just as Estelle had anticipated. When the two hundred sets of jewelry hit the market, they sold out instantly. Many people were disappointed they couldn’t get their hands on them. Some scalpers bought the jewelry at its regular price and resold it for ten or even twenty times the original cost. Still, many eager buyers rushed to get their own piece.
Every day, numerous people asked about Estelle’s jewelry designs and where they could buy them. Over time, the Hudson Group’s reputation grew steadily. Recognizing the opportunity, Estelle partnered with Bella again and introduced a new jewelry collection in the next magazine issue. This collection still carried the American style but with a touch of elegance and sophistication.
Large accessories were considered trendy, but some found them too extravagant. To cater to a broader audience, Estelle ensured the jewelry was crafted in the right sizes to suit everyone’s preferences.
With the arrival of spring, Estelle drew inspiration from flowers and designed a set of jewelry with four different patterns. The camellia design was for those who wanted a delicate look, the rose pattern for an elegant style, and the pink geranium or lily patterns for those who preferred a more understated appearance.
Estelle’s artistic designs set a new fashion trend, and with the successful word-of-mouth marketing from before, the second collection gained even more attention upon release.
As a gesture of gratitude for Bella’s help, Estelle devised a plan to boost the magazine’s sales. In the new magazine issue, each one came with a code on its cover, effectively turning every magazine into a raffle ticket. The magazine company would randomly select two hundred codes as winning numbers. Only those with magazines bearing these numbers would have the chance to purchase the newly released jewelry. It all came down to luck.
This clever move led to a tremendous increase in magazine sales, reaching unprecedented heights. Wealthy individuals and celebrities bought tens of thousands of magazines in hopes of winning the jewelry, resulting in Bella’s fortune and a stellar reputation for the Hudson Group.
During this time, Estelle received numerous phone calls from customers who wanted to purchase her jewelry directly, avoiding the need for the lucky draw. To help Estelle manage these requests, Bella graciously answered these calls and informed customers that Estelle had left her phone at the magazine company and couldn’t be reached at the moment.
Estelle took special steps to produce four additional sets of jewelry this time. One set with the camellia pattern was intended for Rebecca, the pink geranium-patterned one for Eva, and the rose-patterned set for Bella. As for the one with the lily pattern, she planned to display it in the Hudson Group’s hall.
Over the past half-month, both Estelle and the Hudson Group had gained increasing recognition in the jewelry design industry. Many people eagerly anticipated the release of Star’s third jewelry collection and were prepared to purchase the upcoming magazine issue.
Bella, curious about the new release date, asked Estelle when it would be. Estelle, who was currently checking Yohan’s exercise book, replied calmly, “No rush. I’ll release it in a few days. I’ve just moved here and have been busy taking care of the children every day. I need some time to adjust to my new life so I can focus on my work later.”
****
In the mornings, Estelle had a busy routine. She began by opening the children’s room and waking them up.
She said to Yohan, “Yohan, as the big brother, you should be a good example to your sisters. If you stay in bed, they might do the same. Yvonne, Christina, it’s time to wake up.” She drew the curtains to let in the morning sunlight.
Yohan immediately got out of bed upon hearing Estelle’s words. He got dressed and gently woke up Yvonne. Yvonne, still half asleep, said, “Let me sleep for just one more minute…”
Yohan responded, “No, whenever you say that, you end up sleeping for at least half an hour more. Get up now.” Yvonne reluctantly threw off her blanket and sat up.
However, waking up Christina was a challenge. She was the youngest and the most attached to Estelle. Whenever she gave Estelle a pitiful look and asked to sleep a little longer, Estelle found it hard to refuse her.
“Mom, do I really have to go to kindergarten today? Can’t I stay with you? I want to go to work with you and help,” Christina said softly.
Estelle replied with a smile, “Sweetie, the best way to help me is to get up right now.” She playfully rubbed Christina’s nose with her finger and then carried her to the bathroom to help her wash up.
Because Christina was so young and delicate, Estelle was extra gentle and patient with her. She dipped a towel in warm water, squeezed it out, and gently wiped Christina’s face. “Are you wide awake now?” she asked softly. “There are lots of kids at kindergarten to play with. Why don’t you want to go?”
Christina pouted and replied, “I like playing with Yohan and Yvonne more.”
Estelle smiled helplessly and comforted her, “If you want to play with them, you need to go to kindergarten. Otherwise, when they start primary school, you’ll still be in kindergarten and won’t be able to play with them.”
Hearing this, Christina immediately said seriously, “Mom, I’ll go to the kindergarten!” Then, she began to brush her teeth quickly for fear that she would be late.
‘How to make a child love to go to kindergarten is really a problem for parents. When I was a child, I also didn’t want to go to kindergarten and would even cry because I didn’t want to part with my parents, Estelle thought. Looking at Yohan, who looked like Cristofer, she couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Did Cristofer also cry for this when he was a child? He is somewhat rebellious. If he didn’t want to go to kindergarten, no one could do anything about it. Oh, no. Why did I suddenly think of him?’
Feeling a little annoyed, Estelle shook her head vigorously, trying to get Cristofer out of her mind. In the past half a month, she had lived a full life and seldom thought about Cristofer. She was busy working together with Bella, taking care of her children, and practicing driving every day. Although she was tired, she was happier than before. And now she had better driving skills and could drive the children to school in person.
‘Are his legs getting better?’ she wondered. At this moment, Aurora came into the bathroom with Yvonne and Yohan and then began to help them wash up.
“Estelle, breakfast is ready. You can eat first. I’ll look after the kids,” Aurora offered. She knew Estelle had been working hard and wanted to help her out as much as possible.
Estelle, with a hairband between her teeth, replied, “It’s okay, Mom. You go ahead and eat. The kids are well-behaved. I can take care of them.”
Despite her confident words, it was clear that Estelle was quite busy. While fixing Christina’s hair into pigtails, she quickly squeezed toothpaste onto Yvonne’s toothbrush.
Yohan, observing his mother’s haste, washed up quickly and then told Aurora, “Grandma, you can help Mom with Christina. I’ll do Yvonne’s hair. I’ve seen Dad do it, so I know how.”
Surprised by this revelation, Aurora asked, “Cristofer knows how to do the girls’ hair?”