“I am prepared to accept you just as you are. Honestly speaking, none of the women my mother has introduced to me have captured my interest. I would rather remain single for the entirety of my life than spend it with any of them. However, if you were to be my life partner, I would be willing to enter into marriage at the earliest opportunity.”
Hearing this, Estelle took a step back to keep a distance from him. “Mr. Roberts, I’ve told you that I already have...”
“Mr. Mysterious, huh?” Tim interjected, his tone laced with disdain. “After you claimed that Mr. Mysterious is superior to me, I conducted a thorough investigation. In Hadale, there are indeed only two individuals around your age who surpass me in terms of excellence, namely Cristofer, and Justin. Therefore, Estelle, it is clear that Mr. Mysterious can’t be wealthier or more influential than me. Perhaps such a man doesn’t exist at all; he is merely a figment of your imagination.”
Upon hearing this, Estelle let out a sigh of resignation and responded, “The world is filled with talented individuals. Justin and Cristofer are not the sole examples of exceptional men.”
“Don’t forget that my family is among the richest and most powerful families in Hadale. I know all the young talents in Hadale. I can say that no one is more excellent than Justin and Cristofer in our city.”
Estelle insisted, “The identity of Mr. Mysterious must remain undisclosed. I cannot reveal who he is, but I can assure you that he truly exists.”
“If he does exist, then he can only be either Justin or Cristofer,” Tim replied resolutely. “However, he cannot be Justin because Justin’s affections are solely reserved for Rebecca. Hence, the only plausible option is that Mr. Mysterious is Cristofer. He must have approached you under a false identity, deceiving you.”
With her head lowered, Estelle didn’t say anything. Somehow, when she heard Tim’s words, her heart jolted.
‘Mr. Mysterious does look the same as Cristofer, but his voice, manner, and personality are completely different from those of Cristofer.’
“No, he can’t be Cristofer,” Estelle responded, shaking her head.
Knowing that she didn’t believe him, Tim said in a gentle voice, “I’m not forcing you to believe me. Whether Mr. Mysterious existed or not, remember that I’ll be waiting for you no matter what happens.”
Hearing this, Estelle frowned and asked in confusion, “Mr. Roberts, you are an outstanding and successful man. Even if you just want to have a marriage of convenience without love, there will be countless girls wanting to marry you. Why do you have to marry me? “
“I don’t know,” Tim said and shrugged, “I also want to know the reason. Estelle, Justin was depressed for many years because of Rebecca before, and I didn’t understand why Justin couldn’t get over her. But a few days ago, I suddenly understood his feeling. Maybe this is fate. Sometimes when you fall in love with a person, no one can replace her in your heart, and she is the only one that you want to spend the rest of your life with.”
Then Estelle’s phone beeped.
‘Tell Tim that I will let him know of my existence.’
Estelle then directly showed the message sent by Mr. Mysterious to Tim.
After reading the message, Tim asked, “This is a... text message? Come on, Estelle. Are you serious? Are you sure this man is not a phony?”
“It’s none of your business,” Estelle stated firmly.
“Estelle, you often appear intelligent, so why are you so easily swayed by this man?” Tim questioned. “Never mind, I understand that I won’t be able to convince you. By the way, my father’s birthday is this Friday, and he is hosting a party. I require a female companion. Could you do me a favor?”
“I’m not free on Friday,” Estelle refused him bluntly.
Anticipating her refusal, Tim continued, “I believe you’ll have some free time on that day. I happen to possess video footage captured by a dashboard camera showing the car accident that involved your father six years ago. Take a moment to consider it carefully, and let me know if you will be attending the party.”
After saying that, he took a deep look at her, turned around, and left.
When Estelle returned to the ward, Aurora, who had been waiting for her, said immediately, “Estelle, I just remembered that Tim is the youngest son of the Roberts family!”
In a state of mental turmoil, Estelle’s thoughts were scattered. Upon hearing Aurora’s words, she nodded slightly and absentmindedly responded, “Yes.”
“Oh my goodness! I’ve heard about him before. They say he’s a rebellious but talented young man. I never imagined that he would become my future son-in-law.”
Estelle interrupted her at once and said, “Mom, I have nothing to do with him.”
“What?” Aurora asked. “Then who’s the man you mentioned yesterday?”
“It’s...” Estelle found herself at a loss when it came to introducing Mr. Mysterious to Aurora. Not knowing his real name and being bound to keep his identity a secret, she couldn’t provide any information about him to Aurora.
“It’s not Tim anyway,” she said.
“But...”
“Mom,” Estelle said, “I’ll take him to see you in the future. Now it’s not the right time.”
****
When Estelle stepped out of the hospital, preparing to hail a taxi to go back home, a white Porsche gradually stopped in front of her. Lost in her thoughts, she initially failed to notice the vehicle until the driver honked the horn twice, grabbing her attention.
Estelle looked over and saw Cristofer open the door and exit the car.
Cristofer gently walked toward her and said, “Estelle, get into the car. I have something to tell you.”
“Just say it here,” Estelle said.
“It’s not allowed to park here,” Cristofer said. “Don’t worry. I won’t do anything to you. The cooling-off period will come to an end this Friday. I want to talk about the divorce with you.”
They hadn’t seen each other for a few days, and Estelle found that Cristofer looked haggard. He had dark circles around his eyes and looked tired.
After getting into the passenger seat, she waited for Cristofer to talk to her, but he was silent for a long time.
“Our marital house will belong to you, and I’ll give you twenty million...”
“I don’t need your money.”
“The money is for the children,” Cristofer stated earnestly. “I understand that you may not want to accept my financial support, but Yohan and Yvonne are my children, and I am responsible for providing child support. I don’t want them to forget about me once they have a new father. After our divorce, I would like to see the children once a month. I will arrange for Vincent to pick them up, and we can meet at the Hans’ Residence. It’s not just me who wants to see them; Grandpa also wishes to spend time with them. If you’re not at ease, you are welcome to join us at the residence with the children.”
After thinking for a while, Estelle nodded and agreed to his request, thinking, ‘It’s reasonable that the children see him once a month. Mr. Mysterious won’t mind it.’
“And...” Cristofer took a deep breath and stammered, “I...”
“What?”
“Nothing.” Cristofer asked her, seemingly unintentionally while driving, “Where do you live? I’ll drive you back home.”
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