Estelle wouldn’t insist on taking her children along, so she bent down and replied, “If they want to stay here with their Dad, I can pick them up tomorrow.”
“Mom, you’re not staying here tonight?” Yvonne questioned, her wide eyes blinking.
Estelle gently ruffled her hair and explained, “I have to go to the company tomorrow. It would be inconvenient for me to spend the night here.”
“In that case, we’ll go with you,” Christina declared, pouting. “We can always return tomorrow to see Dad.”
Smiles spread across everyone’s faces upon hearing Christina’s declaration. Feeling a little sad, Cristofer also bent down with the support of his walking stick and consoled Christina. “Absolutely, you can visit me whenever you miss me. I’ll have Uncle Vincent bring you here.”
Cristofer, in an effort to uplift the children’s spirits, assisted Estelle in reassuring them and directed Vincent to drive them home. Estelle noticed that Cristofer had transformed into a more polite and considerate person. Yet, she was relieved that he didn’t insist on her staying.
As she prepared to leave, Estelle addressed Cristofer, saying, “I can bring the children here next weekend.” She couldn’t help but feel sorry for the children, who lowered their heads, their enthusiasm dampened.
Touched by her words, Cristofer smiled and nodded, “Certainly. My legs will recover soon, and I can do more activities with the children then.”
Estelle suddenly found it difficult to bid farewell to him, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say, so she reluctantly left.
****
After that dinner, Estelle and Cristofer didn’t see each other for a few days. They would send messages when they needed to talk about picking up the children or working with other companies. This method worked well.
One day, while Estelle was busy drawing her designs, Eva knocked loudly on the door. Estelle told her to come in, and she entered, looking angry. “Estelle, these reporters are writing nonsense!”
“What did they write? Let me see it.” Estelle thought someone was writing negative things about Hudson Group, so she put down her pencil and said seriously, “I won’t let them get away with it this time!”
After Hudson Group successfully collaborated with Wallace’s model team, some people in the industry wanted to harm the company secretly. They couldn’t compete with Hudson Group on their own, so they tried to accuse Hudson Group of plagiarism or other unfair practices.
Eva agreed, saying, “They should be held accountable for this.”
Estelle grabbed her iPad to read the news but then sighed. “Are you really so upset about this?”
“Yes,” Eva nodded, puzzled. “Why aren’t you angry?”
Estelle smiled, “There’s no reason to be angry. What they said is true, and they didn’t make up any lies, although they drew conclusions from what they saw. But they didn’t say anything false about me. So, why should I be angry? There’s no point in causing trouble for myself.”
She went back to her designs. Since Eva didn’t leave, Estelle continued without looking up. “Come on, if you have time to be angry, why don’t you go to work and keep yourself busy? You have a meeting with a client in the afternoon, right?”
“Yes,” Eva replied reluctantly. “But people will know about it once it’s in the news.”
Lately, Estelle and Cristofer hadn’t appeared publicly together, and Estelle had been running Hudson Group on her own. This led to rumors that they were living separately and running their own businesses, sparking divorce speculation.
Some reporters, always on the lookout for juicy stories, began analyzing the potential reasons behind their marriage troubles, adding the recent incident. Soon, this news went viral and became a hot topic in the entertainment world.
Initially, Estelle was surprised. ‘Cristofer and I aren’t celebrities. Why do people always focus on us?’ But then she sighed and smiled bitterly, ‘I guess Cristofer is too influential, and every move he makes can impact Hans International Corporation’s stock price. Both those who need his help and those who want to see him fail are paying attention to him.’
While Eva was still upset about the news on Estelle’s behalf, Cristofer also heard about it. He took a deep breath and told Vincent, “Find out who these reporters are and which media they work for. Instruct the legal team to handle it.”
“Understood, Mr. Hans,” Vincent replied. “Boss, do you want them to remove the report or issue a clarification?”
A clarification? Clarify what? Growing more irritated, Cristofer waved his hand and said, “Just have it removed.”
****
Estelle, who was known for her dedication to work, was unfazed by the recent gossip. She was currently at a café, meeting with a representative from a European company, which was a significant opportunity for her.
Hudson Group has been doing exceptionally well lately. Estelle had successfully taken on several orders from domestic companies, but she was still striving to expand into the global market. Thus, this chance to collaborate with the European company held great value for her. She had anticipated that the company would send an experienced middle-aged representative for the negotiations. To her surprise, they had chosen a stylish and youthful young man.
“Mr. Wern, I must say, it’s quite impressive to see someone of your age achieve so much,” Estelle remarked, genuinely surprised.
Wern, a handsome man with captivating green eyes, beamed at her compliment. “Thank you. I’m truly flattered. I’ve recently been relocated from London to our headquarters in Milan, and this assignment here is a test for me.”
He had a great sense of humor and talked melodiously, bringing back memories of the European gentlemen she had encountered during her studies in Lanster. Estelle couldn’t help but add, “The two places aren’t that far apart. I’ve been to London before when I was studying in Lanster.”
Having spent time studying and living in Lanster, Estelle had a good grasp of the city’s culture. Additionally, she had explored neighboring countries during her spare time, making her quite knowledgeable about the region. This made it easy for her to connect with Wern.
Upon learning about Estelle’s background, Wern expressed his surprise, saying, “You studied design in Lanster? That’s unexpected!” He appeared genuinely taken aback but was now eager to engage in conversation with Estelle.
Eva couldn’t help but find Wern’s reaction amusing. She suppressed a smile and reached for her coffee cup, worried that her amusement might inadvertently offend the client. However, her attention was so focused on concealing her grin that she accidentally stirred her coffee a bit too vigorously, nearly spilling it. Fortunately, Estelle swiftly came to her aid, steadying the cup. Estelle then smiled gently and suggested, “The coffee is hot; you can enjoy it later. Let’s take our time discussing the order.”