Eva, sounding frantic, quickly uttered, “The kindergarten and primary school both said a woman picked up the children. Estelle, where are you right now?”
Estelle’s hands trembled, and she felt nervous as she replied, “I didn’t check my phone earlier, and I had it on silent while discussing business. What happened to the children?”
An anxious Eva explained, “Someone took the kids before I got there. Estelle, where are you?”
Estelle’s heart sank. “I’ve been at a restaurant meeting a client. I haven’t left yet.”
Eva sobbed, “That woman took the kids before I arrived. Estelle, what should we do now?”
Estelle tried to stay calm, saying, “Let’s not panic. I’ve told the children never to go with strangers, and Yohan knows how to handle such situations. He wouldn’t leave with someone he doesn’t know. First, I’ll talk to the teachers to understand what happened.”
Estelle was still worried, but she needed to stay calm. Without hesitation, she dialed Yohan’s head teacher’s number. She knew the teacher was responsible and always walked the younger students to the school gate.
The teacher picked up the phone, sounding relieved, “Hello, Ms. Hudson. A woman came to pick up Yohan. I was getting worried when I didn’t see you, but Yohan seemed to know her and was quite happy. I assumed she was a relative and let him go with her.”
Estelle felt relieved upon hearing this. She realized she might have overreacted. She quickly reassured the teacher, who sounded anxious, “I’m sorry for the confusion. It appears that the woman is my mother.”
The teacher sighed with relief as well. “No problem, Ms. Hudson. I was getting really worried. I’m just glad Yohan is safe.”
After ending the call, Estelle immediately dialed her mother’s number. “Mom, do you have the kids with you now?”
Aurora sounded frantic, “What? Aren’t they with you? I thought they might have gone out to eat with you since you didn’t come home. Please, Estelle, tell me the children are okay.”
Estelle understood her mother’s concern, so she comforted her immediately, “Mom, don’t worry. The kids… Cristofer picked them up, and I thought he sent them home.”
Aurora’s voice trembled as she replied, “Are you sure, Estelle?”
Estelle maintained her calm demeanor and replied firmly, “Yes, Mom, I’m sure. I thought the kids were already home, but it seems there was a miscommunication.”
Estelle chose not to reveal the truth about the situation, wanting to ease her mother’s worries. After hanging up, she felt her hands sweaty with anxiety. She decided to call Cristofer, as he was the key to resolving this situation.
With bated breath, Estelle called Cristofer, her heart racing as she was waiting for his response. When he answered, she didn’t waste any time, asking urgently, “Did you arrange for someone to pick up the children?”
Cristofer responded in his usual calm manner, “Come home, and you will find out.”
Estelle couldn’t contain her anxiety any longer and forced Cristofer to answer, “What’s going on?” Cristofer’s casual attitude made her more restless, so she directly told him that someone had picked up the children.
Cristofer could sense how worried Estelle was, questioning her trust in him, saying, “Don’t you trust me?”
Finally, Estelle stopped worrying, thinking, ‘You’re the children’s father no matter what. Now that you’re so calm, then the children are safe.’
After a while, Estelle finally felt some relief and hailed a taxi to head to the Hans’ Residence. As per Cristofer’s instructions, Luke was waiting for her at the gate.
Seeing Estelle’s arrival, Luke greeted her with a sense of relief, “Estelle, you’re here. I was worried you wouldn’t come.”
“Hi, Uncle Luke. Where’s Cristofer? And where are the children?” Estelle asked directly, clearly eager to know what had happened. “He said he’d explain when I got here.”
Luke opened the gate and led her inside the house, sensing her anxiety. He quickly comforted her, “Don’t worry. The children are here, safe and sound. Mr. Hans mentioned that it’s a bit complicated, and he preferred to discuss it with you in person rather than over the phone.”
As they walked onto a soft carpet in the living room, Estelle’s eyes immediately landed on Yohan, who was diligently doing his homework at the desk. Yohan brightened up when he saw Estelle and abandoned his task, exclaiming, “Mom, we’ve all been waiting for you!”
Meanwhile, Yvonne and Christina were engrossed in their drawings on a board nearby. There was a plate of cookies and two cups of hot milk on the desk beside them, indicating they were well taken care of. Upon hearing Yohan, they rushed over to Estelle simultaneously.
The two girls bumped into her, and Estelle couldn’t help but step back a bit. Feeling a warm mix of emotions, she asked, “What’s happening here?”
Seeing that the children were safe and sound was a relief, but Estelle remained puzzled about the situation.
As Luke started to explain, a woman suddenly approached and addressed the children, “Alright, kids. Let your mom have some space. I’ve made the cake you’ve been asking for. Remember, you can only have one piece each. We still have dinner later.”
The woman who talked was dressed plainly but neatly. Her round face, with her hair tied up in a bun, gave her a warm and amiable appearance. Estelle looked at her in surprise and exclaimed, “Mrs… Mrs. Moorsum?”
Mrs. Moorsum, unaware of the complications between Estelle and Cristofer, assumed they were still a loving couple. She smiled warmly and said, “It’s been a while, Estelle. You look even more refreshed and professional now.”
“Well, I’ve become a mother of three children, so I must be more organized. I can’t rely on others forever,” Estelle replied with a smile, trying to shift the conversation. She also scanned the room but couldn’t find Cristofer, so she cast a glance toward the study room on the second floor.
When Luke saw Estelle move, he quickly went to the kitchen to help the cook. When Estelle wanted to ask him some questions, he was already gone. Hence, Estelle could only look at Mrs. Moorsum and ask whether she saw Cristofer. But before she could do so, Yohan walked to Mrs. Moorsum and asked, “Mrs. Moorsum, will we have roast chicken wings tonight? I miss your roast chicken wings. Oh, and I also like the ravioli that you make!”
Sometimes, Yohan liked to act like a big brother to his two sisters, but he’d quickly switch to being a cheerful boy when food was mentioned. Mrs. Moorsum chuckled and said, “Tonight, we’re having ravioli. Tomorrow, we can only have chicken wings; otherwise, it will be too much for you.”
Estelle joined in the playful banter, saying, “That’s right. If you eat so much that you can’t sleep tonight, I won’t be able to tuck you in like I do with your sisters.”