Chapter 497 Chapter 497: Were You Fooling Us?
Thinking that Victor might harm her, Estelle became scared and exclaimed, pushing the car door to attempt to get out.
Victor immediately pulled her back and asked, “Where are you going?”
“What are you planning?” Estelle asked with a wary expression, her eyes fixed on him.
Following her gaze, Victor chuckled and realized she was looking at his chest. “You’ve misunderstood me. I just want to smoke,” he explained, swiftly retrieving a pack of cigarettes from the pocket near his chest.
He took out a cigarette, placed it between his lips, and casually tossed the pack between the center console and the windshield. After lighting the cigarette with a lighter, Victor took a long drag and said, “See? I just wanted to smoke. I have no intention of harming you.”
However, Estelle didn’t feel relieved. Instead, she felt both shocked and angry. “You hid this pack of cigarettes under your coat earlier?” she asked.
“Yes, what else did you think it was? A detonation device? Haha! I can’t even afford ointment, let alone explosives,” Victor replied with a laugh.
Estelle couldn’t believe her ears. “Then what about those black items in the forest?” she questioned.
“They’re just packs of coal powder mixed with a bit of saltpeter. Did you really think they were explosives?” Victor replied. With one hand on the steering wheel and the other tightly gripping Estelle’s wrist, he pressed the accelerator. Noticing Estelle’s firm gaze on him, he casually asked, “Why are you staring at me like that? I never said those items in the forest were explosives. You must have misunderstood.”
“Victor, you deceitful man!” Estelle exclaimed in anger.
Hearing her outburst, Victor couldn’t help but chuckle and said, “I only wanted to play a prank on you both, but you surprised me. I was concerned about how to handle Cristofer’s body after he died, but now I have no worries. He’ll spend ten years in prison, his life shattered. I’m thrilled about it. It seems God is on my side.”
“He won’t end up in prison! I’ll tell the police the truth, and you’ll be the one going to jail!”
“Go ahead. If you do that, you’ll be charged with perjury. I’ll be arrested as the main culprit and you as an accomplice. Furthermore, I’ll ensure you never see your children again if you dare to do it. Miss Hudson, think carefully before you act,” Victor warned, his voice growing colder.
The next day, when Cristofer woke up, he found himself in a hospital bed with his right wrist handcuffed. The bright light in the ward was too harsh, and his eyes felt uncomfortable.
There were some policemen in the ward. Seeing him awake, they began the interrogation.
“What’s your name?” a policeman asked.
“Cristofer.”
“Stop lying.”
“I’m really Cristofer.”
“Don’t lie to us anymore. We saw Mr. Hans and Mrs. Hans at the police station this morning. You are not Mr. Hans.”
“Mr. Hans and Mrs. Hans?” Cristofer asked in confusion.
“You do look like Mr. Hans very much, but Mrs. Hans has testified that you are not Mr. Hans. So don’t lie to us.”
Cristofer had just woken up and was a bit confused. “Is the Mrs. Hans you mentioned... Estelle Hudson? Is she okay? Was she hurt?” he asked.
“Yes, it’s Estelle Hudson. She’s fine now, thanks to Mr. Hans protecting her,” the policeman replied.
Cristofer had a pounding headache and shook his head to clear his thoughts.
“Who are you? How do you know Mr. Hans?” the policeman asked. “Tell me your name.”
“My name is Hunter...”
“How old are you?”
“I’m thirty-three.”
“What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a businessman.”
“What’s your connection to Mr. Hans?”
Hearing the question, Cristofer frowned and said firmly, “I am Cristofer.”
“You just said that your name is Hunter. Were you fooling us?”
“I’m Cristofer, but I’m also Hunter,” Cristofer insisted.
“What are you talking about? Are you out of your mind?”
“I suffer from bipolar disorder and have a split personality,” Cristofer explained briefly.
“No wonder you don’t look like you’re in your right mind. It turns out that you are mentally ill. Well, you may have to rest first. We’ll get you a psychiatrist and continue the interrogation after you are better.”
The policemen in the hospital room exchanged glances, sighed, and then left. Cristofer could still hear their conversation in the hallway while lying weakly in his bed.
“He seems to have a mental illness. He might be found not guilty because of insanity.”
“I heard he’s Mr. Hans’ brother.”
“Yes, that’s right. He was sold to a remote area by human traffickers shortly after he was born. It’s been a tough life for him. He could have enjoyed the same wealth as Mr. Hans, but now he’s resorted to stealing to survive.”
“But stealing is a crime!”
“We’ll need to conduct a psychiatric evaluation on him later. If he’s mentally ill, he might avoid the full extent of legal consequences.”
“Does he have any guardians? Usually, someone like him should be under the care of guardians unless he requires mandatory medical treatment.”
“His adoptive parents are seriously ill and won’t live much longer. They can’t even take care of themselves, let alone him. I heard he resorted to theft in the past to raise money for his adoptive parents’ medical bills.”
“Since he’s Mr. Hans’ brother, could Mr. Hans be his guardian? The Hans family is wealthy. Supporting him wouldn’t be a burden.”
As the policemen moved further away, their voices grew faint until Cristofer couldn’t hear them anymore. In the quiet hospital room, Cristofer tried to piece together what had happened moments ago.
‘According to the police, they saw Mr. and Mrs. Hans at the police station, and Estelle confirmed to them that I am not Cristofer. How could it be possible? How could Estelle do such a thing?’ When Cristofer realized what Estelle had done, his heart jolted in shock, and he sat up instantly.
Suddenly, a knock on the door came, and a doctor in a white coat entered. When he saw Cristofer, he seemed surprised. “Are you Mr. Hans?” he asked cautiously.
Cristofer recognized the doctor and was equally surprised. “You’re Dr. Cruise, right?”
“It’s been a while, Mr. Hans,” Dr. Cruise replied. He looked at Cristofer’s serious injuries and asked in astonishment, “What happened to you? How did you end up like this? And where’s Mrs. Hans? I saw you both in the news a few days ago, and I was happy that you had reunited.”
Cristofer furrowed his brow, glanced around, and then asked, “Which hospital is this?”