“Yeah,” Vincent answered honestly, though he didn’t understand why Cristofer asked about it, “But we broke up when we graduated from college.”
“Were you sad about it?”
“Of course! Everyone will feel sad when they break up with their loved ones. But I joined the Hans Group and became your assistant after that, so the busy work life helped me forget the sadness.”
Then Cristofer started smiling bitterly. He said helplessly, “If you’re in love, you won’t forget it, no matter how busy you are. Vincent, I’ve tried. I couldn’t fall asleep, so I kept myself as busy as possible. I worked day and night but still couldn’t get over her.”
The problem between Cristofer and Estelle was nothing like the trivial conflict between Vincent and his girlfriend. It was a massive misunderstanding about their years of history.
Vincent couldn’t think of any better way, so he asked, “Mr. Hans, have you figured out what to do? Or do you want to wait and do nothing? I’m afraid Mrs. Hans will move on with her life faster than you if you do nothing about your relationship.”
Hearing that, Cristofer thought of the day Estelle moved out and felt a heartache. Then he said, “I don’t know what to do. But I won’t force her to be with me if she doesn’t want to. I’m satisfied with the current situation. Well, I can’t ask for more.”
Meanwhile, Estelle was sorting the gifts with Aurora and the children after dinner.
“Let’s put the stuffed toys on Yvonne’s and Christina’s beds and the models on Yohan’s bookshelf, shall we?” As a liberal mom, Estelle always respected the children’s opinions.
Christina looked at the gifts for a while and suddenly asked, “I want the Legos. Can I exchange the elephant toy for Yohan’s Legos?”
“No problem. I don’t like this set anyway. Dad gave me a better one before,” Yohan said, handing the box of Legos to her.
The smile on Estelle’s face suddenly froze. She thought, ‘I have tried my best to avoid Cristofer, but he is always everywhere in my life as if he has been carved into my life.’
Aurora noticed that Estelle looked a little weird, so she said, “Estelle, why don’t you go to your room to work? I can look after the kids.”
“Oh yeah, I have financial statements to look at,” Estelle nodded. Then she quickly walked to her study room as if someone was running after her. Sitting in front of the desk and staring at the computer screen, she couldn’t focus. Then Eva called her and pulled her back to reality.
Eva said in a cheerful voice, “Estelle, the operation team, and the financial department have analyzed last month’s data, though it is still the weekend. I’m sure you will find it the best news these days.”
“Really?” Estelle asked while smiling sincerely.
Estelle worked tirelessly to fix her father’s company, the Hudson Group. She practically lived on coffee to keep going and save the company from going out of business.
Even though Eva was just a secretary, she looked up to Estelle and became a big fan after seeing how well the Hudson Group was doing with Estelle in charge. Eva said, “Yes, the people you talked to last time want to work with us.”
“Really?!” Estelle jumped up in excitement and almost knocked over her computer screen. She caught it just in time and asked, “Do you have their info? Send it to me.”
‘This order could bring in new blood for the Hudson Group. If we nail it, we will have chances to cooperate with other luxury brands. Maybe we can become the benchmark of jewelry design again.’ Estelle was thrilled as she checked her email, hoping for good news.
After letting Estelle know about her success, Eva laughed and said, “Estelle, I’ve sent you all the info and reports from different departments. I hope you won’t be too excited to sleep after reading it. See you tomorrow.”
After saying goodbye to Eva, Estelle got down to work, reading the customer’s requirements. She planned to complete the first draft by next week.
The new customer was an independent jewelry brand collaborating with a luxury brand. They wanted to create affordable jewelry without compromising on quality. Their goal was to establish a good reputation and fill the market gap for affordable luxury jewelry.
“These standards are quite high,” Estelle murmured as she reviewed every detail. The customer’s brief mentioned creating a couple of rings with a theme of connected hearts. Estelle thought, “This product is likely intended for couples.”
As she considered the target audience, Estelle pondered, ‘Who would be willing to invest in luxurious jewelry for couples? College students can’t afford it, and middle-aged couples usually don’t buy such items. It’s more likely to attract city elites or white-collar professionals with stable jobs. The jewelry needs to strike a balance – not too flashy for the workplace but unique enough for couples.’
At that moment, she realized she was applying user persona analysis, a skill Cristofer had taught her in the past.
****
Estelle made some coffee for herself and started working. It was midnight when she finished drawing the patterns inside the couple rings, so she could only save the draft and open the spreadsheets. It would be Monday tomorrow, and she would deliver a stirring speech to the shareholders and the staff in the routine meeting.
At this moment, Aurora softly knocked on the door and asked, “Estelle, can I come in?”
“Yeah, Mom, the door is not locked.” Estelle was signing into her account on the website, so she couldn’t stand up to open the door.
Then Aurora came in with a glass of hot milk. Seeing Estelle’s empty coffee cup, she said worriedly, “I know you need to drink coffee to keep yourself refreshed, but drinking too much coffee is harmful to you. Here is a glass of hot milk. Have some to warm up your stomach.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Estelle felt a gust of warmth in her heart. She took the glass and took a sip of the milk. At the same time, the data on the website had loaded.
Although Aurora barely asked her about the business, she could get some information from the data. Seeing the sharp increase in sales, she said happily, “Is it this month’s sales? The company seems to be blossoming. It reminds me of the days when your father was still with us.”
Then, her eyes suddenly turned red. She turned around and wiped away her tears so that Estelle wouldn’t be worried about her. But Estelle still saw her when drinking the milk, feeling bitter.
“Mom, I can do this. Don’t worry about me.” Estelle put a smile on her face and wanted to change the topic.