Chapter 373 Chapter 373: Big Devil
Seeing the laptop, Estelle hesitated momentarily and asked, “You also need to use it, don’t you? How will you do your work if you lend the laptop to me? I may have to use it for a long time.”
“Take your time, and don’t worry about my work. I have a whole night to do it.”
“Are you not going to sleep at night?” Estelle asked in surprise.
“I often have trouble falling asleep,” Cristofer admitted with a bitter smile. “My recent mental health issues have led to severe insomnia.”
Estelle nodded thoughtfully and remarked, “No wonder your nickname is Big Devil...”
“What?”
“Your employees see you as a demanding boss who pushes them hard,” Estelle explained. “When you can’t sleep, you end up working overnight at the company, and your employees must stay overtime.”
Cristofer raised an eyebrow and asked, “Did Eva tell you that?”
“She mentioned it when we were chatting earlier. Don’t be upset with her; she didn’t speak ill against you.”
“Understood,” Cristofer responded in a gentle tone. “You can go ahead and work. I’m going to take a shower.”
“Okay... Wait! What’s the password for your computer?”
“1231,” Cristofer replied as he headed into the bathroom.
1231... Estelle couldn’t help but think of Mr. Mysterious. She entered the password and unlocked the computer.
Observing the date in the lower right corner of the screen, she pondered, ‘Another year has passed. Mr. Mysterious and I had planned to celebrate my thirtieth birthday on Mount Cloud this year. Will you keep our appointment, sir?’
After adjusting her emotions, Estelle logged into her email and discovered an unread message. The email contained a list of customer requirements, and the attachments included all the design drawings that the customer had rejected.
As she skimmed through the list, Estelle was left speechless. The customer was interested in purchasing a diamond platinum bracelet, but the price they had offered wouldn’t even cover the cost of the platinum bracelet, let alone the diamonds.
Despite the unreasonable offer, Estelle decided to accept the order for a specific reason. The Hudson Group had faced financial difficulties in recent years, and every order was valuable. Moreover, due to the trouble caused by York previously, the company was on the brink of bankruptcy.
In an effort to salvage the company’s reputation, Estelle made up her mind to accept the order, even if it meant incurring losses, with the determination to complete it perfectly.
There was a knock on the door as she was engrossed in her work.
“Mr. Hans, Old Mr. Hans mentioned you have a slightly hoarse voice and asked if I could prepare sweet soup for you. May I come in?” Luke’s voice came from the other side of the door.
Recognizing Luke’s voice, Estelle set aside her laptop and went to open the door.
With a bowl of sweet soup containing pear and white mushroom in his hand, Luke greeted her with a smile as she opened the door.
“Hello, Uncle Luke. Cristofer is currently taking a shower. You can take the soup to his room. I’ll inform him that you’ve prepared it for him once he’s done with his shower,” Estelle said, returning the smile.
Upon hearing her words, Luke seemed pleasantly surprised and had a realization. “Mr. Hans is in the shower? I understand now. Did I interrupt you two?”
Estelle knew that Luke had misunderstood the situation, so she quickly explained, “Uncle Luke, you’ve misunderstood us. I borrowed his laptop to work on some tasks. He’ll return to his room later...”
Luke’s smile widened as if conveying to Estelle that there was no need to explain. He seemed to understand what was going on and the unspoken feelings between Estelle and Cristofer. He placed the bowl in Estelle’s hands and gave her a meaningful smile as if to say, “You don’t need to explain. I know what’s happening. Don’t forget to give Mr. Hans the soup when he comes out later. It’s getting late. I’ll look after Old Mr. Hans. You don’t need to worry about the kids. I’ll take good care of them.”
Holding the bowl, Estelle felt a bit embarrassed and didn’t know how to respond.
“Please go ahead with your work. I won’t disturb you,” Luke said gently before preparing to leave.
“Uncle Luke, about the children...” Estelle began but hesitated.
“Yvonne is fast asleep, and Yohan is looking after her,” Luke chuckled and shared. “Yohan is really a wonderful brother.”
Estelle, with a contented smile, agreed, “Yes, Yohan has always been protective of Yvonne.”
“He’s a good boy,” Luke praised. “Now, once you finish your work, make sure to get some rest. On another note, your mother called earlier and mentioned she’s at a friend’s place for a few days. She wanted me to reassure you not to worry about her.”
“My mother called here? Whose place did she go to?” Estelle inquired with concern.
“She said she tried calling you, but the line was busy, so she phoned here instead,” Luke explained. “She mentioned she’s at Cassie’s place.”
Estelle sighed with relief. Cassie had been Aurora’s close friend since their childhood. When George passed away, Cassie helped Aurora make the necessary arrangements for the funeral.
“Got it. Thanks, Uncle Luke.”
“No problem,” Luke replied. “Just make sure to remind Mr. Hans to have the soup while it’s still warm. It won’t taste as good if it gets cold.”
“Sure,” Estelle agreed.
As Luke prepared to leave, he cast a lingering gaze at the bowl of sweet soup, almost as if he valued it so much. Observing this, Estelle assumed he was concerned that the soup might cool down too quickly and lose its flavor.
After placing the bowl on the table, Estelle closed the window to keep the soup warm for a longer time.
Bang!
Suddenly, there was a loud bang from the bathroom, startling her.
“Cristofer?”
However, Cristofer didn’t respond, and his silence worried Estelle.
Frowning, she approached the bathroom door and knocked on it. “Cristofer, what happened?”
“I... I’m fine,” came his low and strained response, as if he were trying to suppress pain.
Concerned, Estelle pressed for answers. “What’s wrong with you?”
Still no reply from Cristofer.
“Cristofer?”
“Star, could you please call Uncle Luke for me?”
“Okay, just wait a moment.”
Estelle hurriedly made her way to the door, trying to open it, but to her surprise, the doorknob wouldn’t budge. She furrowed her brow, applying more force, but the door remained obstinately locked.
‘How could the door be broken? It was perfectly fine when I opened it for Uncle Luke just now.’ Estelle was puzzled.
At this time, Cristofer’s muffled voice came from the bathroom, and it sounded like he was in extreme pain.
Feeling helpless, Estelle had no choice but to go to the bathroom. “Cristofer, I can’t get the door open. What do you need? Tell me, and I’ll get it for you.”
“I... I can’t move now.”
“What?” Estelle’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I need someone to help me up. You... I can’t let you do it...” Cristofer groaned.