Chapter 379 Chapter 379: I Have Only One Request
Cristofer chuckled and continued, “Alright, let’s consider a different scenario. You’re Justin, and you’ve faced bankruptcy, so your budget is quite tight. In this situation, what kind of request would you make if you wanted to give Rebecca a bracelet as a gift?”
Frowning, she shook her head and said, “I’m not sure. If I were in his shoes, maybe I’d focus more on finding a way to recover financially. I’d simply inform the designers of my budget and material preferences and let them present a design based on that.”
“Now, do you understand why I assumed the customer to be a young man with a limited budget?”
Estelle suddenly had an epiphany and said, “Yes, it makes sense. When it comes to buying jewelry, women often emphasize the style and tend to provide specific requirements, while men are more concerned about the material and budget, and they may not specify the style.”
“Exactly,” Cristofer nodded in approval, “Men and women often have different approaches to gift-giving. Your customer’s lack of specific demands indicates he’s likely a budget-conscious man. He probably visited various jewelry companies, but their prices exceeded his budget. Eventually, he chose the Hudson Group, knowing they needed his order to rebuild their reputation, and they would accommodate his requirements.”
After hearing his analysis, Estelle clearly understood the customer’s situation and wore a look of realization. She then asked, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re like a detective solving a case during negotiations?”
Shaking his head, Cristofer answered, “No. I’m all alone in the world and have no one by my side. My subordinates don’t dare to say such words to me in the company.”
“What do you mean by you being all alone in the world?”
“My parents have passed away. I have no lover, and my children are not by my side. I’m all alone, ain’t I?”
Estelle felt that these words were also familiar to her. After a while, she replied, “But you still have Grandpa and Uncle Luke. They love you dearly, and you are not alone. Cristofer, there is someone more lonely than you in the world. You at least enjoyed happy family time for over twenty years, but he had been living in loneliness with no one loving him since he was born.”
“Someone? Who are you referring to?” Cristofer said and smiled bitterly, “Is it Mr. Mysterious?”
Estelle went silent.’
“I know that you love him, and I can’t compare with him in your heart no matter what I do,” Cristofer uttered sadly. After a short pause, he sighed and continued, “Star, I have only one request.”
“What is it?” Estelle asked.
Cristofer sighed again and then said in a low voice, “Don’t talk about him in front of the children, will you?”
Estelle was shocked after hearing his request.
“I know what you think. You don’t want Mr. Mysterious to be forgotten, so you force yourself to remember him and try to keep all the traces of his existence. The children are still young, and it has been three years since the last time they saw Mr. Mysterious, so they might have already begun to forget about him. That’s why they mistook me for Mr. Mysterious.”
Estelle fell silent, at a loss for words.
“I’m not trying to erase the traces of Mr. Mysterious’ existence. I know that he was good to our children, and I appreciate him for it. You can hold onto your memories of him, but the children are still young. I hope that they can grow up in a simple environment.”
“What do you mean by a simple environment?” Estelle asked.
“Well, in a simple environment, their dad and their mom love them. And their great-grandpa, grandma, Grandpa Luke, and Auntie Rebecca all love them. Without complicated relationships, such an environment is the best for them.”
Understanding his point, Estelle lowered her head, licked her lips, and remained silent.
“Besides, we’ve agreed that we’ll play the role of an affectionate couple in front of Grandpa so that he can spend the last days of his life happily. If Grandpa knows that you always emphasize in front of the children that they have another father, it won’t make him happy.”
Hearing this, Estelle suddenly remembered that Luke had said Gary could see that she and Cristofer hadn’t reconciled.
“So, for the sake of the children and Grandpa, let’s not bring up Mr. Mysterious in front of them. You can temporarily consider Mr. Mysterious and me as the same person, okay?”
Estelle raised her head in surprise upon hearing his words. She said hesitantly, “But... You were angry when I mistook you for Mr. Mysterious a few days ago.”
“Are you talking about what happened at the Grand Hotel in Hadale City?”
“Yes,” Estelle said, “I remember that you were very angry at that time and asked me not to mistake you for him…”
Cristofer smiled bitterly and said, “I didn’t expect to change my mind so soon. It’s quite a slap in the face, but I’m willing to do it,” Cristofer said firmly, “Star, as long as you come back to me, even if it’s just acting, I’m willing to do anything for you.”
“Don’t you mind being seen as a substitute for Mr. Mysterious?” Estelle asked.
“No. I’m willing to be Mr. Mysterious’ substitute,” Cristofer answered, gazing at her with sincerity.
Hearing this, Estelle was stunned, not knowing what to say. “Do I really look like him?”
“Yes, you two look very similar to each other.”
“I guessed right,” Cristofer said with a nod, “If I didn’t resemble him, you wouldn’t have looked at me with a mix of affection and sadness time and time again.”
Feeling embarrassed, Estelle asked, “Is it that obvious?”
“Yes, I’ve seen that look in your eyes many times,” Cristofer nodded earnestly and said with a helpless look, “Even though you were looking at me, I could clearly sense that you were thinking about him.”
“I’m sorry,” Estelle said, lowering her head.
“I’m not blaming you, and you don’t have to apologize to me. I was angry with you before because I felt that you hurt my pride. Back then, I didn’t want you to treat me as another person. But today, you cooperated with me to act in front of Alexander and Grandpa. You cooked a non-spicy dish with complicated procedures, considering my poor stomach. And you told Grandpa that you would be his granddaughter-in-law all your life. Thinking about these things, I suddenly felt that my pride is not that important.”
Touched by his words, Estelle had mixed feelings and couldn’t help thinking of the past. Back then, to save Yohan, she had to give up her pride and beg Cristofer to go back to their home. At that time, Cristofer hurt her pride ruthlessly and made her heartbroken.