Yvonne and Christina burst into laughter when they saw that, hugging each other and even forgetting to eat.
Estelle was too embarrassed to keep silent and said, “Okay, let’s eat. The first person to finish eating gets to be the winner.”
Hearing that, the competitive children started eating the pasta quickly, for fear that others would eat faster than them. Seeing that Estelle had solved the problem, Cristofer forked a piece of vegetable from the salad, put it on Estelle’s plate, and said, “Thank you very much. The salad tastes good. Have a try.”
“Oh, Okay.” Estelle suddenly blushed, though Cristofer only did a normal thing. She wanted to give him something in return, but she was also afraid that this move would make him misunderstand her, so she focused on her food.
During the meal, Mrs. Moorsum and Luke didn’t talk at all. But they were both secretly happy when they saw that because they felt these two stubborn people would finally patch things up. Then Mrs. Moorsum enthusiastically pushed the salad to them and said, “Mr. Hans, the salad is fresh and good for you, especially when you have a cold. You should also eat more.”
Cristofer nodded with a smile, “Thank you, Mrs. Moorsum. I’ll get the vegetable salad for her because she’s too shy.”
But Estelle immediately turned around and said, “I’m not shy!”
“Oh, really?” Then Cristofer put some salmon on her plate.
Luke couldn’t help but laugh, which attracted the children’s attention. “Ahem!” He coughed to hide his embarrassment and forked some vegetables for Mrs. Moorsum, saying, “The salad tastes so good. You should eat more, too.”
Estelle couldn’t stay in the house after dinner because she felt restless and needed to go home to think. Right after finishing her meal, she set down her fork and spoon and said, “I still have work to do at home, so I won’t stay here tonight.”
Cristofer, being considerate, replied, “I’ll have the driver give you a ride. It’s getting late, so it’s safer not to drive alone.”
The children appeared sad immediately, especially Yvonne. She softly said, “Mom, Dad, can’t you stay together tonight?”
Yohan quickly interrupted, saying, “Mom needs to go home to work. Plus, we can come visit Dad here, and Dad can visit us, right?”
Estelle and Cristofer were relieved when Yohan helped explain things, and they quickly nodded in agreement.
Yvonne, even though she didn’t fully understand Yohan, still trusted him. Meanwhile, Christina reacted more directly. She jumped from her chair and ran to Estelle. “Okay, let’s go home first and wait for Dad.”
“Yeah, Grandma must be missing us,” Yvonne added, quickly going to the sofa to gather their things. After the children persuaded themselves, Cristofer found their antics amusing. He leaned in close to Estelle and whispered with a smile, “Honey, when do you think I can visit the children?”
Cristofer purposely talked softly so only Estelle could hear, and she blushed and hurriedly made her way to the gate.
The next day, Estelle’s life returned to normal. She dropped the children off at school before coming to the company. Everything seemed the same, but she sat in her office absentmindedly, feeling empty.
Eva entered her office at that moment, and Estelle asked, “Did anything happen while I was away? Did Mr. Wern have any new requests?”
“No,” Eva replied, placing a stack of documents on Estelle’s desk. She continued with enthusiasm, “Take a look, Estelle. This is all the work I’ve completed. Please review it and let me know if you’re dissatisfied with anything. We’ve also finalized an agreement with a new supplier for the raw stones, and once they complete the formalities, they’ll send us the materials.”
Eva had heeded Vincent’s advice and avoided mentioning Cristofer. She even concealed any clues about him in the documents to prevent Estelle from getting suspicious. However, Estelle still had her doubts, suspecting that only Cristofer could provide such a large quantity of raw stones.
Eva continued with a hint of flattery, “Estelle, don’t you think I’ve made significant progress? Working alongside Mr. Hans for so long has taught me a lot, and your guidance has been invaluable. I wouldn’t have been so meticulous without your trust in me for such an important task.”
Estelle recognized Eva’s attempt to gain favor, even though she couldn’t directly point it out. She nodded in agreement, saying, “Yes, I know Mr. Hans is capable of many things.”
“Great!” Eva left happily after accomplishing her goal. Once she was gone, Estelle found herself bored. Everyone in her company seemed to be working diligently, except for her. Everything appeared to be running smoothly, making her feel redundant. After reviewing the documents, she muttered to herself, “I miss the busy days.”
With nothing else to do, Estelle stood up and began tidying her office. Her phone rang while watering the English Ivy by the window at noon. She saw Cristofer’s name and hesitated momentarily before answering, “Hello?”
Cristofer chuckled softly and said, “I’ve recovered from my cold and wanted to thank you for taking care of me.”
‘He’s calling to thank me?’ Estelle thought, furrowing her brow. She tightened her grip on her phone and replied, “Well, you’re welcome.”
Cristofer talked to Estelle while looking at the office building. His gaze settled on a window with a fluttering curtain because he knew Estelle was standing behind it. He uttered softly, “Are you feeling okay? I’m worried I might have passed on the cold to you.”
“Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
Sensing an unusual tone in her voice, he smiled and asked, “Are you getting used to being back at work?”
“Oh, come on. It’s not my first day back at work.” Estelle was so engrossed in their conversation that she didn’t notice she was accidentally emptying the watering can. When she finally realized it, there was water all over the windowsill. She exclaimed in surprise, “Ah!”
“What’s wrong?” Cristofer asked nervously. He had placed his hand on the car door and was ready to rush upstairs to find her.
“I’m okay,” Estelle replied unhappily, “I just accidentally spilled too much water on the plants.” She sighed and wiped the windowsill, feeling somewhat unlucky today.
Cristofer let out a sigh of relief and settled back into the driver’s seat, releasing the door handle. He asked, “Will you be free at noon?”
“Do you have something in mind?” Estelle understood Cristofer’s intention and asked.
“No,” Cristofer answered resolutely. “Well… I heard about a new restaurant that serves grilled meat and squid, just like the ones we used to enjoy when we were younger. I remembered they were your favorites, but we couldn’t find that street food vendor after they renovated the area. When I saw this restaurant, I thought of taking you there to recall those memories.”