“What?!” Estelle jumped to her feet, hastily gathering her things. She asked, “How is she now? Are you sure she’s okay? I’ll be there right away!”
It hadn’t been a year since Christina’s surgery, and she was much more fragile than adults. Estelle’s heart raced at the thought of it.
Hearing Estelle’s worried voice, Luke hurriedly comforted her, “You don’t have to rush. The roads are probably slippery after the rain. It’s too risky to drive too fast.”
“Don’t worry. Vincent is here at my office. He can give me a ride. Uncle Luke, I’m on my way,” Estelle said, slinging her bag over her shoulder and rushing towards the door. She then turned to Eva, who looked surprised and said, “You can leave work early today. Let’s head to the Hans’ Residence right now.”
Eva was uncertain about what had happened, but she quickly followed Estelle because she had rarely seen Estelle so anxious. While waiting for the elevator, Estelle called Vincent, “Where are you? Eva and I are coming to meet you.”
“I’m near the parking lot,” Vincent replied, impressed by Luke’s ability to get things done. He thought to himself, ‘He’s good. If I had this persuasive skill, I would have been promoted and given a raise long ago.’
Once they were in the car, Estelle asked Vincent, “How did Christina fall down the stairs?”
‘What? Christina fell down the stairs? When did that happen?’ Vincent, unaware of Christina’s fall due to not knowing about Luke and Cristofer’s plan B, tried to go along with it and said, “She fell down the stairs while the kids were running and playing. It’s not uncommon for kids to get injured while playing.”
However, Estelle remained worried upon hearing this. Sitting in the car, she wished she could instantly reach the Hans’ Residence sooner. During the ride, she kept glancing out of the window. When they finally arrived, she rushed to the gate in the pouring rain without even bothering to take an umbrella.
Eva opened an umbrella and followed her, but she couldn’t catch up. By the time Estelle entered the house, she was drenched to the bone. Ignoring her discomfort, Estelle immediately approached Luke and anxiously asked, “Where’s Christina? How is she?”
Looking at the water dripping from Estelle’s hair, Luke tried to comfort her, saying, “She’s okay. First, you should dry yourself off. Or else you’ll catch a cold.”
“Uncle Luke, I need to see Christina right away,” Estelle insisted, pushing forward even though Luke tried to stop her. Walking from the corridor into the living room, she spotted Cristofer playing happily with the children.
He sat in the middle of the sofa next to Yohan, who resembled a mini version of him. Yvonne and Christina were playing and trying to climb onto Cristofer’s shoulders as if he were a tree. Christina, more agile, was nearly winning the game.
Estelle was taken aback by the sight. She pushed her wet hair back to prevent dripping on the sofa and approached them. After observing for a moment, she understood what had happened and questioned Cristofer, “Is this your idea?”
Confused by Estelle’s question, Cristofer asked, “What idea?” He was aware that Luke had come up with a plan, but he didn’t have the details.
The three children had missed their father immensely, and they clung to him when they returned from school. They wanted his company while watching cartoons and having afternoon tea. Cristofer was more than willing to oblige, leaving him with little time for anything else.
Estelle snapped, “How could you trick me into coming here by saying the child was injured? You know how much Christina means to me! I’ve lost a child before, and I can’t bear the thought of losing another one!”
It had been a long time since Estelle had been this angry with Cristofer, and her furious expression brought back memories of the past. Although Cristofer still didn’t understand what was happening, he decided to give in. “I’m sorry,” he said, looking at Estelle with a gentle gaze as if she were the most important person in the world. Then he convinced Yvonne and Christina to climb down from his shoulders and said softly, “Can you two go play with your brother? I need to fetch a towel for your mom.”
“I want to go with you,” Christina declared, not wanting Cristofer to leave and choosing to stay by Estelle’s side. She tugged on Cristofer’s arm and gazed up at Estelle, saying, “Mom, Yvonne, and I want to be with you.”
Yvonne immediately hopped onto Cristofer’s back and said, “Yes, I want to stay with Dad!”
Estelle was still furious about Luke’s deception, so when the children acted out of line, she sternly reprimanded them, “No. Get off your dad right now! You can’t behave like this. Do you want me to scold you?”
This marked the first time she had been so firm with the children, leaving Yvonne and Christina bewildered. They reluctantly climbed down from Cristofer and sulked in silence. Yohan, realizing their lack of manners, apologized to Estelle, saying, “I’m sorry, Mom. It’s my fault for not looking after the girls. I think I should take the blame.”
Estelle’s anger subsided as the children started behaving properly, and Cristofer tried to ease the situation, saying, “Come on, this is the Hans’ Residence. The children are at home. They can be a little naughty in their own house.”
Estelle replied, “But we can’t let them misbehave. We should help them establish good habits. I understand you want to spoil them because you haven’t seen them in so long, but there should be some boundaries.”
Upon hearing Estelle’s words, Yvonne and Christina pouted and held hands, saying, “Mom, we’re sorry.”
Cristofer didn’t want them to feel down, so he gathered them into his arms and assured them, “It’s okay. Your mom only said that for your own good.”
The father and his three children made quite a team, almost making Estelle appear as the villain. In response, Estelle huffed and said, “Alright, you all have fun. I’m going to change my clothes and dry my hair.”
When Estelle moved out, she had left many of her belongings in the house, and Cristofer hadn’t moved them. Her clothes and everyday items remained in their original places. As a result, Estelle quickly found suitable clothing. After drying her hair and returning downstairs, she found Aurora sitting in the living room.
Upon spotting Estelle, Aurora expressed concern, saying, “Estelle, Vincent informed me that the children would be staying over tonight, so I came as well. Did you get wet in the rain?”
“My hair got wet, but I’ve already dried it,” Estelle quickly explained to ease Aurora’s worry. “Vincent gave me a ride here.”