Chapter 473 Chapter 473: I Can Give Him What He Wants
As she moved to leave, Cristofer stopped her. “Estelle, do you have any questions?”
Estelle did have many questions, but at that moment, facing him, she was unsure where to begin.
“I understand you might not know how to face me right now, and I’m uncertain, too,” Cristofer acknowledged. “Take your time. If you’re not sure what to ask yet, please let me speak first.”
After a pause, he continued, “The fake Mr. Mysterious is named Victor. While we haven’t done a DNA test, I’m certain he’s my twin brother. He told me that when he was born, York made our parents believe he was stillborn and then sold him for fifty thousand dollars.”
“That’s not what I want to know,” Estelle interrupted him.
Cristofer didn’t get upset by the interruption. Leaning weakly against the headrest, he continued to gaze at her with gentleness. “Then what would you like to know? You can ask me anything, and I’ll give you the truth.”
“I want to know...” Estelle walked slowly to the bedside and asked with concern, “I want to know how you’re feeling now.”
Seeing Estelle’s genuine concern, Cristofer was pleasantly surprised. He smiled warmly and replied, “I’m feeling much better, but I still have a bit of dizziness.”
“You did say I could ask anything, and you’d tell me the truth,” Estelle reminded him, seeing through his initial response.
Cristofer chuckled with an embarrassed swallow and admitted, “Okay, I still feel pain.”
Sitting by his bedside, Estelle asked with worry, “Where do you feel the pain specifically?”
“I’m hurting all over,” Cristofer replied.
“Do you have any other sensations apart from the pain?” Estelle inquired.
“I... I suddenly feel like crying,” Cristofer confessed, lowering his head with a self-deprecating smile. “You must think I’m a weak man who cries easily.”
Estelle’s eyes welled up, and she felt a lump in her throat. Tenderly tucking him in, she sniffled and said, “When did you remember everything?”
“Last night.”
Upon hearing this, Estelle furrowed her brow and asked, “But a few days ago, when we talked on the phone, you told me that you were Mr. Mysterious and that the man I saw was an impostor. Hadn’t you regained your memory by then?”
Shaking his head slightly, Cristofer explained, “No, I didn’t remember until Justin told me that I’m Mr. Mysterious. But I had a hunch before that because I kept having dreams with scenes I’d never seen before, all related to Mr. Mysterious and you. However, since you told me that your Mr. Mysterious had died three years ago, I thought I couldn’t be Mr. Mysterious because I was still alive.”
“Did Justin tell you everything that happened when you were Mr. Mysterious?” Estelle asked.
Cristofer nodded. “Yes.”
“Then why did you deny it when I asked if you were Mr. Mysterious?” Estelle asked.
Taking a deep breath, Cristofer’s eyes filled with sadness as he confessed, “Because I didn’t want to put you in a difficult position. You loved Mr. Mysterious and despised me. I knew you wouldn’t accept that I was Mr. Mysterious, so I didn’t tell you the truth. Coincidentally, my brother appeared and pretended to be Mr. Mysterious on the very day I discovered the truth. So, I decided that as long as he treats you well in the future, I... I would keep my true identity a secret for the rest of my life.”
Hearing his explanation, Estelle snorted and remarked, “How can you be certain that he will treat me well in the future? Have you considered that he might have ulterior motives for getting close to me?”
“He wants nothing more than the Hans family’s wealth or to see me suffer. I can give him what he wants,” Cristofer replied.
“Even if you give him the Hans family’s wealth, even if you suffer, there’s no guarantee he’ll treat me well,” Estelle pointed out.
“That’s why I didn’t just hand over the Hans family’s wealth to him directly,” Cristofer explained, looking at her earnestly. “I’m not that foolish. Estelle, I’m a businessman. He has to meet my conditions before he can get what he wants from me.”
Estelle frowned slightly and asked, “What conditions did you set?”
“I’ve transferred all my assets to my three children. You’re their mother and legal guardian, which means you can manage the assets on their behalf. If he wants to access the money or take control of my company, he’ll need your approval first. If he mistreats you and you two break up in the future, he won’t get a single cent of those assets,” Cristofer explained, his eyes sparkling with pride as he concluded, “Estelle, I’ll be watching over him, protecting you and the children. I won’t allow anyone to harm you.”
Estelle’s voice trembled as she asked, “But what about you? Have you thought about what your life will be like after losing everything?”
“Me?” Cristofer smiled warmly and replied, “As long as I can see you and the children living well, my own life doesn’t matter.”
“...”
“Estelle, you don’t have to force yourself to accept me. I may be Mr. Mysterious, but I’m also Cristofer. You can still harbor resentment toward me and don’t have to be with me. Just like I told you before, do what you think is right,” Cristofer said gently.
Then they fell into silence, with only the sound of the TV in the ward filling the room. A popular TV drama was playing, and the heroine said, “Perhaps I shouldn’t have pretended to be him that year. He’s the one I truly love.”
Hearing this, Cristofer smiled and remarked, “Life is like a drama.”
Estelle also smiled with her head lowered. “Yes, their story is somewhat similar to ours.”
“Yes,” Cristofer agreed with a nod. “So, where is your true love? Haven’t you made plans to meet him?”
“He’s not my true love,” Estelle replied quietly, understanding he was referring to Victor. “I’m not sure what to do now. I wish I could be as brave and rational as the heroine in the TV drama.”
Cristofer continued, “Do you know when I fell in love with you?”
Estelle blinked, surprised by the sudden question. She had no idea when Cristofer had fallen in love with her. She remembered him being popular in school, and although many girls had their eyes on him, she had treated him like a brother.
However, to her surprise, one day, Cristofer confessed his love to her and kissed her. It had been her first kiss, and she still vividly remembered how she had felt then. More than ten years had passed, but the memory of that kiss still made her blush.
“Ahem...” Estelle felt a bit embarrassed. “Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?”