Afterward, Estelle left the bedroom without hesitation. She closed the door quietly, not feeling angry at all.
Cristofer lay on his bed as Estelle had suggested, feeling a wave of happiness overwhelmed him. As he happily reminisced about the sweet memories with Estelle, he closed his eyes to rest. However, his phone suddenly vibrated, interrupting his thoughts, and he saw Vincent’s name on the screen.
He picked up the call, and Vincent said with seriousness, “Mr. Hans, can I have a moment of your time? I have something very important to discuss with you.”
“Sure.”
After pondering for a while, Vincent finally said, “Mr. Lopez has passed away.”
Suddenly, Cristofer felt like the entire world had fallen into silence. He swallowed hard and tried to speak but couldn’t find his voice.
Vincent, nervous and holding his phone in the office, asked tentatively after a pause, “Mr. Hans? Mr. Hans?”
After a while, Cristofer finally managed to say, “Alright. Thank you for letting me know.”
“Is there anything I can help you with?” Vincent suddenly felt like he had asked a foolish question.
But Cristofer couldn’t focus on anything else, and he responded, “Skip the funeral and graveyard. Just place his ashes in his seaside villa.”
“Okay.”
Cristofer’s voice was rough due to his cold, and he asked, “Is there anything else?”
Vincent responded quickly, “Yes, Mr. Hans. Eva and I discussed the project, and I’ve sent her your solutions. She mentioned that most of the problems have been resolved, but they’re facing a shortage of materials due to a surge in orders. We’re actively searching for a reliable supplier. The Hudson Group used to have a trusted supplier in the jewelry industry. However, since Estelle took over the company, it has grown faster than expected, and their current suppliers can’t keep up with the demand.”
Cristofer smiled, saying, “Estelle’s success is growing by the day.” After a moment of thought, he asked, “Did Alexandra provide any updates? How is the gemstone mining progressing at our subsidiary in Africa?”
“Everything is going smoothly. I’ll send you the report now.” Vincent always felt a sense of apprehension whenever Africa was mentioned, fearing his boss might impulsively send him there again.
After a quick review of the report, Cristofer said, “Excellent. We have a sufficient supply of gemstones. You can send some to Estelle’s company. The next season’s exploration can compensate for it as long as the quantity is sufficient. You know the procedures and how to handle it, right?”
Cristofer knew that Estelle wouldn’t accept his offer, so he remembered the formalities involved in transferring materials. He added, “If Estelle asks about it, you can inform Eva that we have a new supplier.”
“Okay. What about the pricing?” Vincent sighed quietly to himself, thinking, ‘Mr. Hans, your approach to winning back your wife isn’t quite right. If you were more honest, Estelle might have changed her mind a few years ago.’
“Set the price slightly below the market value,” Cristofer replied. He intended to provide the raw stones to the Hudson Group at cost, even if he had to cover the price difference from his own pocket. However, he realized that this move might hurt Estelle’s pride, so he abandoned the idea to avoid worsening the situation.
As Cristofer’s trusted subordinate, Vincent immediately started working on the task. However, he encountered a hurdle when trying to complete the necessary formalities. Later, he sadly called Cristofer, “Mr. Hans, you need to make a decision.”
“What is it?” At that moment, Cristofer watched Estelle and Neptune playing in the spacious backyard through the French window. This heartwarming scene softened Cristofer’s eyes and voice.
“The issue is that the raw stones are important assets of our company. Transferring a large quantity of them requires the signatures of the CEO and the majority shareholders. I don’t have the authority to execute the transfer.” Vincent could draft the document as the top assistant, but his signature held no weight.
In the yard, Estelle found a sheltered spot under a large tree near the wall to protect Neptune from the rain. She asked Luke to bring a wooden box and placed it on the ground. Then she put the pet carrier and a soft cushion inside it, creating a comfortable spot for Neptune until the dog house arrived.
Mrs. Moorsum brought a bowl of warm goat milk from the kitchen and smiled, “The puppy is adorable, like a fluffy marshmallow. I’ve heard that puppies this young can only drink goat milk. Estelle, you should try feeding her.”
The breeder had given Neptune baby formula before delivering her to their house. However, after a while of curious exploration in Estelle’s arms, Neptune soon got hungry. She eagerly approached the bowl when she caught the scent of the milk.
Estelle carefully tilted the bowl to prevent Neptune from knocking it over. But Neptune pounced on it so enthusiastically that she almost tumbled into the bowl. Furthermore, she drank the milk so joyfully that some spilled out of the bowl, almost staining Estelle’s clothes.
Seeing this scene, Luke and Mrs. Moorsum couldn’t help but laugh, with Luke’s laughter being particularly loud. He remarked, “This puppy isn’t afraid of strangers at all. Estelle, I think she already sees you as her owner.”
“That’s quite fast. Neppy, aren’t you afraid I might hurt you?” Estelle looked at Neptune with concern and gently patted her fluffy little head.
Mrs. Moorsum smiled and reassured Estelle, “Estelle, it’s not too fast at all. Dogs are somewhat like children in certain ways. Have you heard of imprinting behavior in baby animals? I think this little puppy already sees you as her mom. The children will be delighted when they meet her.”
“Yeah, they’ll love having this new friend around.” Estelle suddenly realized that there was another hurdle in her path to leaving.
Meanwhile, on the second floor, Cristofer’s smile had faded.
“Mr. Hans, are you still there?” Vincent asked with concern over the phone.
“Yeah.” Cristofer quickly refocused and said, “You know about the changes in the company’s ownership. I no longer hold any shares. But don’t worry, I won’t disclose it to others, so you can proceed as usual.”
Cristofer had consulted a lawyer and secretly created his will, evenly distributing all his assets among the three children. This was one of the few things he could do for Estelle and the kids, regardless of what might happen in the future.
Vincent awkwardly asked, “Should I secretly visit the children’s school to have them sign it? But they’re too young to sign, and their signatures would be invalid.”
The thought of getting three young children to sign a document made Vincent want to bang his head against the wall. He couldn’t imagine waiting for them at the kindergarten or elementary school gates; he’d become the company’s laughingstock.