Chapter 528 Chapter 528: Where’s My Younger Brother?
Estelle nodded, relieved that the client was willing to wait for her input. She composed herself, put on a friendly smile, and entered the meeting room, apologizing for her tardiness.
Upon seeing Estelle, the client’s stern expression softened, and he appeared eager. “Better late than never. I’m more than willing to wait if it means getting a great design. I don’t mind spending the whole day here,” he remarked, eliciting laughter from his colleagues.
Estelle appreciated the relaxed atmosphere and returned the smile. She then discreetly signaled Eva to start the projector. With everything set up, she began presenting her design concept to the client.
“Previous designs were seasonal and lacked diversity. To achieve a simpler and more elegant look, I based this design on the flower’s life cycle.”
Estelle confidently pressed the button on the remote control, revealing her design on the screen. Three elegant illustrations illustrated the journey of a flower, from bud to full bloom, capturing the customer’s attention. The addition of the vine under the flower sparked surprise in the customer’s eyes.
While Estelle was the most familiar with the designs, even she couldn’t help but be pleasantly surprised by how vivid they looked on the screen. She quickly composed herself and maintained her composure.
However, the customer raised another concern. “We plan to mass-produce this product and need to manage costs. Can we reduce the expenses? We’re open to simplifying some details if necessary.”
Estelle nodded with a reassuring smile. She had anticipated this concern and was prepared. She pressed another button on the remote control, displaying carefully selected materials. “Cost reduction is indeed possible without compromising any details. This crystal is an excellent choice and aligns perfectly with your requirements,” she explained.
The customer quickly assessed the costs and realized they were lower than before. Without hesitation, he approved Estelle’s design.
“Please inform the legal department to prepare the contract, Eva,” Estelle instructed with a satisfied smile. After the others had left, she rushed to the computer to review the design drawings carefully.
Estelle remembered clearly that the design drawings were not like this when she saved them last night. The pistils on the second and the third design drawings had been modified, and the designs looked more elegant than before. Since she hadn’t modified the design drawing, then the only possibility was that someone had turned on the computer and modified them after she fell asleep.
‘The person who did that could only be Cristofer. So he was pretending to be asleep?’ Looking at the design drawings, Estelle had mixed feelings, imagining the scene where Cristofer got up slowly, sat in a wheelchair with difficulty, and went to the study room. At this time, her phone vibrated, and she received a message from Eva.
‘Mrs. Hans, the customer has signed the contract and paid the advance payment.’
“Got it,” Estelle replied to Eva and continued to review the design drawings that Cristofer had modified.
She opened the drawing software and played the whole drawing process to see how Cristofer had modified the designs. After watching the process, she couldn’t help thinking with admiration, ‘Cristofer is born for the jewelry industry. He didn’t only modify the pistil but also lengthen the vine, which brought indescribable vitality to the flowers on the design drawings. So many years have passed, and Cristofer is still so excellent in design.’
Back then, Estelle and Cristofer got together not just because of their passion but also because they shared a love for jewelry design. Estelle had been interested in designing jewelry from a young age, and Cristofer had some knowledge about it due to his family’s business.
Cristofer once told her, “We can create our own jewelry designs when we get married. I’ll make a necklace for you, and you can design our wedding rings.”
Back then, they were still students. When Cristofer mentioned this, Estelle felt shy and didn’t respond, thinking it was too early to talk about marriage.
Cristofer suggested, “How about star-shaped jewelry? I think you’d like it.” He drew a star-shaped pendant on a piece of paper.
Estelle couldn’t recall exactly when or where they had this conversation, but the image of the star-shaped pendant he drew had stuck with her all these years.
Lost in her thoughts and considering whether to call Cristofer, Estelle was interrupted by Eva’s angry voice from outside the meeting room.
“Stop right there! I’ll call security if you try to force your way in!”
Hearing this, Estelle was shocked, thinking that someone had come to the company to cause trouble. Just as she was about to check it out, the meeting room door swung open, and Victor entered.
Raising an eyebrow with arrogance, Victor asked, “Why are you here? Where’s my younger brother?”
Seeing his rudeness, Estelle frowned and questioned, “Why are you here?”
Victor, who showed no remorse for hurting Estelle and Cristofer, sneered and replied, “I’m here to visit my younger brother, of course! I heard his legs haven’t fully healed. Is he really disabled? I should have…”
“You’re not welcome here,” Estelle interrupted him before he could finish, standing up and continuing coldly, “Cristofer has already settled the debt the Hans family owed you. You have half the company shares and assets. You got everything without lifting a finger while he works late every day. What more do you want?”
Nonchalantly pulling up a chair and sitting down, Victor retorted, “I’m a shareholder in this company now. I have every right to be here. You can’t kick me out.”
Not wanting to waste time arguing with him, Estelle stated, “Enough with the excuses. Tell me what you want and leave.”
“Don’t get angry. I couldn’t have gotten what I wanted so easily without you. Have you forgotten what you did to Cristofer before? To some extent, I should be grateful to you. But those assets should have been mine. Reclaiming them isn’t wrong,” Victor deliberately provoked Estelle, noticing her growing frustration. He continued with a sinister expression, “I owe you nothing. Thanks to your help, I’m better off now. Those properties should have been mine from the start.”
Seeing his face contorted with malice and cruelty, Estelle couldn’t bear it, as he resembled Cristofer. She turned to look out the window with her arms folded. “What rightfully belongs to you will find its way to you. But what isn’t meant for you, even if you snatch it, you’ll eventually lose it.”
“Are you mocking me?” Victor raised an eyebrow and continued, “Even if I lose everything, I’m still healthier than Cristofer. Besides, he’s disabled now. Have you considered moving on with another man? I look just like him. What if you leave him for me? I don’t mind that you’re divorced.”