Feeling her lack of resistance, Cristofer grew bolder and gently held her hands. Unbeknownst to them, Eva was approaching their location.
Earlier, Eva had noticed Estelle’s absence when she had intended to order lunch for her. She knocked on Estelle’s office door, but there was no response. Bravely, she decided to enter the office. To her surprise, Estelle was not in her office.
“Why would Estelle leave the office? She doesn’t usually go out,” Eva mumbled to herself in confusion. She explored the room and noticed a cloth and a watering can on the windowsill. While approaching the window, she happened to see Cristofer’s car parked outside the building.
Eva decided to go downstairs and investigate the situation without overthinking it. As she descended, she saw Cristofer and Estelle engaged in a passionate kiss, a sight she could never have imagined. The car door was open, and Cristofer had positioned Estelle in the driver’s seat, with her hands resting on his chest.
In Eva’s opinion, Estelle and Cristofer should have been together for a long time, and seeing them together was heartwarming. Feeling embarrassed at having stumbled upon their intimate moment, Eva instinctively wanted to retreat. However, her legs felt like they were glued in place, and she couldn’t find a place to hide. ‘They look so sweet together,’ she thought to herself.
At that moment, Cristofer had parked his car beneath the oldest tree outside Hudson Group’s office building, and the dense canopy of leaves provided complete cover, hiding them from view, including their shadows. It was Estelle who first noticed Eva standing there, and in her surprise, she hastily pushed Cristofer away, coughed, and adjusted her disheveled hair, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Cristofer, now wearing a slightly sheepish expression, turned his attention toward Eva and asked, “Hi, Eva. Is everything okay at the company?”
Realizing that she had unwittingly intruded on an intimate moment, Eva felt flustered and quickly covered her eyes with her hand. She stammered, “Oh! I didn’t see anything! Everything’s fine at the company. You can continue… Sorry…”
Estelle felt her cheeks burning as she lightly touched her flushed face and muttered under her breath, “I’ve finished lunch. I need to return to the office.”
Cristofer acknowledged her words with a nod, gently squeezing her hand. “Okay. Just don’t overwork yourself. If you need anything, you can always reach out to Eva.”
Eva, who had been hoping to make a discreet exit, was caught off guard when Cristofer mentioned her name. Feeling a bit awkward, she added, “Estelle, please don’t worry. I won’t mention anything about what happened between you two today. Nobody discusses gossip with me since I haven’t been with the company for a while.”
‘How long have you been watching us, Eva? Oh, forget it.’ Estelle didn’t want to dwell on the fact that Eva had been watching them, so she decided to let it go. She pushed the car door open and said, “Let’s get going. It’s time to get back to work.”
However, Cristofer was reluctant to let her go just yet. He wanted to persuade her to stay a bit longer. “It’s still lunch break time. It’s too early for you to start working, Estelle.”
“Yeah!” Eva nodded instantly. Then, she remembered some news she had seen during her break at work and asked Estelle with a hopeful smile, “Estelle, can I get a raise? I’ve been working really hard and diligently like a bee. Do you think I deserve a little extra?”
Estelle considered Eva’s request but didn’t make any promises. She replied, “I’ll assess your performance and make a decision.”
Eva decided to adjust her request after Estelle’s initial response. “Alright, how about a day off then?”
Estelle, who had calmed down, didn’t want to bend her rules for personal reasons. She asked, “Why? Tomorrow is a workday, and the weekend is just around the corner.”
Eva’s excitement was vivid as she explained, “I want to go hill-walking tomorrow. A once-in-a-century meteor shower is happening tonight, and I’d hate to miss it. I’m an amateur astronomer, and I really don’t want to miss this rare opportunity.” She gestured animatedly while speaking, conveying her strong desire to witness the meteor shower.
‘When was the last time I saw a meteor shower?’ Estelle suddenly got distracted. Her name meant stars, but she had never seen a meteor shower before.
“Hello? Estelle?” Cristofer noticed that Estelle was thinking about something. He then said to Eva, “You can have a day off tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hans,” Eva gave him a thumbs up and said, “I’m sure you can be a sweet and harmonious couple. I’ll go back to finish today’s work. See you!” Immediately after that, Eva stormed away and went into the office building. Obviously, she was thrilled.
It wasn’t until then that Estelle came to her senses. Glaring at Cristofer, she said seriously, “It seems that you are her real boss. She doesn’t listen to me at all.”
Cristofer cleared his throat awkwardly and said nervously, “Actually, I want to have a word with you.”
“Okay. What do you want to say to me?”
Cristofer involuntarily indulged himself in her sparkling eyes. Then he softly held her hands and said in a low voice, “Would you like to watch the stars with me tonight?”
“Let me think…. Today, I….” Estelle subconsciously wanted to refuse Cristofer. Estelle hesitated when Cristofer asked her, but he had a solution ready. He suggested, “I can help with your work, and Uncle Luke and Mrs. Moorsum can take care of the children. Your mom can also assist with looking after them. You won’t need to worry about anything.”
Cristofer had noticed that Estelle often used work and childcare as excuses to turn him down. So, he made sure to address these concerns to eliminate any reasons for her to say no.
Observing the lunchbox in Cristofer’s hands, Estelle suspected his true intentions. She accused him, “You didn’t just bring lunch for me, did you? You’re using it as an excuse to get me to watch the stars with you, right?”
Cristofer chuckled and admitted, “Guilty as charged. I just wanted to share that experience with you.”
Estelle pouted and remarked, “You’re quite clever, Mr. Hans, luring me into your trap.”
Cristofer smiled and accepted Estelle’s agreement, saying, “I appreciate the compliment.”
‘If I say no after all he’s done for me, it would make me seem heartless and petty. I’ll just go watch the stars with him; nothing to be afraid of,’ Estelle thought to herself. She waved her hand and quickly replied, “See you tonight.”
“Sounds good! I’ll pick you up after work. See you later!” Cristofer smiled and watched her walk back into the building. He didn’t take his eyes off her until she entered the gate.