Yohan, eager to assert his independence, declared, “I’m a big brother now, Mom. I don’t need you to tuck me in.”
Estelle affectionately patted his head and replied, “Alright, big brother. You go back to your homework now. I need to talk to Mrs. Moorsum.”
Yohan nodded and returned to his desk to join Yvonne and Christina, who were playing hide and seek.
“Mrs. Moorsum, did Cristofer ask you to come back?” Estelle asked.
Hearing Estelle’s question, Mrs. Moorsum smiled warmly, “You used to call him Sir, so I did, too. Just a few days ago, I saw him on TV, and I finally realized that he’s the famous Mr. Hans. Estelle, I’m so happy for you. Mr. Hans seems like a good man, and your three children are adorable.”
Estelle chuckled dryly. Then Mrs. Moorsum remembered something important and said, “Estelle, I’m sorry. Please don’t blame Mr. Hans. It’s my fault for not telling you in advance that I would pick up the kids.”
Estelle, still confused, asked, “Why did you… Did Cristofer ask you to do this?” But she stopped abruptly as she realized something she had overlooked. ‘Cristofer wasn’t worried when he found out someone had picked up the kids and told me to come home. It means he might know everything!’
Mrs. Moorsum continued, “I missed the kids so much. Yvonne was just a baby when I last saw her, and now she’s grown into a big girl. Yohan is a big boy too, and Christina…”
Unable to find Cristofer, Estelle turned to Mrs. Moorsum for answers. “When did you return, and are you planning to leave again?”
“I came back today,” Mrs. Moorsum explained with a smile. “I wasn’t getting along with my daughter-in-law, and my son was busy with work, rarely spending time at home with me. I couldn’t bear it any longer, so I decided to find a job and become a babysitter again.”
Estelle, who had a good relationship with Mrs. Moorsum, felt sorry to hear about her struggles. In a comforting tone, she said, “Your daughter-in-law may understand you better once she becomes a mother herself.”
Mrs. Moorsum nodded and smiled, saying, “I’d rather work outside than stay restlessly at home. Being a babysitter isn’t so bad, especially when I can work for nice employers like you and Mr. Hans. He called me and said he needed a babysitter, so here I am!”
Cristofer had been searching for a suitable babysitter to have the children visit his house more often. However, the candidates so far were either inexperienced or unkind, causing him and Luke to worry. Estelle initially returned as the children’s mother, then moved out with them, pretending not to know Cristofer’s intentions. Seeing Mrs. Moorsum now, Estelle was touched, her eyes welling up with tears. During that time, Mrs. Moorsum’s company had been a great comfort to her, apart from the sense of safety Mr. Mysterious provided.
“You can stay here. We can be just like before,” Estelle said to Mrs. Moorsum, her eyes turning red but trying to stay composed.
“That’s wonderful. I knew you and Mr. Hans were the best employers I could find! Please wait for me; I’ve prepared pumpkin ravioli. Let’s eat now. Let me bring it out,” Mrs. Moorsum said, concerned that Luke might ruin the dishes due to his lack of cooking skills. She quickly wiped her hands and returned to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Eva had already informed Cristofer about what happened between Estelle and Wern earlier in the day. When Eva came downstairs and saw Estelle, she was surprised and stuttered, “Hi, Est… Estelle. Why did you come here so soon?”
Eva was surprised to see Estelle sitting in the living room. She felt awkward and said, “I came here to report to Mr. Hans. I’m on your side, I promise!”
Estelle was upset and asked angrily, “Did you help him deceive me?”
Eva knew that Estelle would eventually find out about her involvement when she agreed to help Cristofer. She nervously stuck out her tongue and hurriedly sat down next to Estelle, saying, “Are you mad at me? I didn’t lie to you. Please hear me out.”
“Okay, what do you want to say?”
Eva moved closer and explained, “I was really worried when I couldn’t find the children. If Mr. Hans hadn’t called me, I would have called the police. But when I arrived, I learned that the babysitter had picked up the children and brought them here. I swear I didn’t lie to you.”
Back then, Eva was shocked when she arrived at the kindergarten and couldn’t find the children. She even feared that something terrible had happened, like a kidnapping. If Cristofer hadn’t asked her to help cover up his plan, she would still be trying to make amends for losing the children.
Estelle wanted to trust Eva. She thought Eva was a naive person who wouldn’t do anything malicious. But she was annoyed at being unnecessarily frightened today, so she asked with a hint of frustration, “Where is Cristofer now?”
“Um, Mr. Hans is in the study. Vincent went to the company to get some documents for him, so it will take a while for him to return,” Eva replied cautiously. She looked at Estelle’s face and asked carefully, “Do you want to confront him?”
“No,” Estelle replied calmly, “I want to talk to him.”
Eva was surprised by Estelle’s response and said, “Dinner is ready. Why don’t you talk to him later? I’m sure he will apologize to you when he comes downstairs.”
Estelle lost her patience when she realized that Cristofer had used the children as an excuse to bring her here again. She snapped, “Last time, he tricked me into coming here for fondue by claiming that Christina fell down the stairs. And now, he had Mrs. Moorsum pick up the children. Does he even know how worried I was? He could have used a different excuse!”
“Well, I don’t think it’s entirely his fault this time. He just didn’t have a chance to inform you,” Eva tried to defend Cristofer, feeling that he faced many challenges in pursuing Estelle.
Estelle had been upset with Cristofer since the last time they had fondue at his house. Now, she finally had an opportunity to express her frustration, and she continued, “He had time to order people to investigate Wern’s ex-girlfriends. Why didn’t he have time to send me a message?”
People often acted unreasonably when they were close to someone. After venting her frustrations to Eva about Cristofer, Estelle suddenly realized she was being a bit irrational.
Lost in her thoughts, she thought, ‘Cristofer used to pamper and spoil me, and I would occasionally lose my temper with him. But when I was with my dad, I was always obedient. Why do I act differently around them? Perhaps it’s because I feel comfortable being myself with them, knowing Cristofer will indulge me. It’s true what they say: people subconsciously know who will tolerate them and who won’t.’