Chapter 576

Chapter 576

Estelle's tear-filled eyes tugged at Christina's heartstrings.

Christina pulled Estelle into a tight hug, but the words she wanted to say wouldn't just come out.

She had planned to sit down with Estelle today to clear things up. After all, once Tamsin's baby was born, the child's status would undoubtedly be higher than Estelle's.

Rather than letting Estelle be blindsided and panic when the baby arrived, Christina thought it was better to prepare him now.

But she hadn't expected him to be this upset.

Those red eyes were like daggers piercing her heart.

Christina felt a sharp pang of sorrow.

Estelle sensed Christina's distress and smile. "Mom, don't worry about me. I'm not sad for myself, but for you."

"Mom, I've known about you and Dad for a while now. I just want you to be happy, whether you're together or not. Your happiness is what matters to me."

Estelle had heard a lot from his classmates these days.

He knew some things couldn't be forced.

Looking up at her, he said, "Mom, haven't I told you before? In my world, as long as you're happy, everything is okay. I want you to make your own decisions and not compromise because of me."

"I have both my mom and dad, so I'm happy. And if you and Dad ever split up, we can still be okay."

Estelle was wise beyond his years.

Despite the turmoil between his parents, it was the child who suffered the most.

After dropping Estelle off at school, Christina headed to her studio.

She looked at the pictures of Estelle and felt her eyes sting, "Everything's changed."

No matter how much Sebastian said he cared for Estelle, some things were unchangeable.

Like family ties.

Tamsin's baby had not been born yet, but once it arrived, there would inevitably be conflicts among the children. And if Estelle clashed with the baby, Christina was certain Athena and Sebastian would side with their own child.

Estelle would be the one to suffer.

Frustrated, Christina drummed her fingers on the desk.

Footsteps approached.

Without looking up, Christina knew it was Hestia.

"What are you thinking about? You didn't even notice me come in. You look so focused. Are you worried about Estelle?"

Hestia glanced at Christina's search history and laughed. "Why don't you just ask directly? Estelle is a strong kid; he won't be affected by this."

As a mother, Christina wanted to understand everything.

Who would have thought Christina was reading psychology books, specifically child psychology?

Christina shot her a cold look, "Trying to annoy me? Here, take a look at this."

She handed over a file, "A private investigator dug this up for me. Cost me a few million dollars. It was a painful expense."

Honestly, if it weren't for Hestia, Christina wouldn't have bothered with Robert's business.

But remembering the life-saving favor from before, Christina decided to help Hestia one more time. What happens next would be up to fate.

Hestia didn't open the file. Instead, she sat on the couch, crossed her legs, and lit a cigarette.

As smoke curled around her, her stunning face looked even more alluring. "I've seen what's in there. You did all this to show me how unworthy Robert is, or that our meeting was calculated from the start."

Christina was shocked, "You knew?"

"Of course. I'm not an idiot."

Hestia took another drag, exhaling a smoke ring. "Impressed? I learned this skill when I was kept like an animal in a cage."

"My parents were waiting for me to grow up so I could please all kinds of men, including blowing smoke rings."

Many men liked that.

Seeing Christina's stunned silence, Hestia continued, "I've known about Robert's schemes for a long time. No one helps others for no reason."

But to Hestia, what did it matter whether his intentions were impure? In this world, everyone formed alliances for their own benefit.

Being used wasn't a problem; it meant she had value.

As for everything else, she chose not to think about them.

"If Robert hadn't shown up back then, I would've been sold to vagrants."

Recalling her past, Hestia's tears flowed uncontrollably.

She had always been the least favored child, forced to do chores, wash clothes, and scavenge for trash.

Despite her hard work, she was beaten and cursed every day.

When Robert appeared, Hestia made up her mind to use her skills to escape that awful place.

Soon, she got her biggest opportunity.

Robert had been hanging around, thinking he was being discreet, but some people had noticed.

So when Robert swooped in to save her, Hestia took his hand without hesitation.

"You want to talk about Robert's schemes? Have you considered that without Robert, I'd be nothing? The schemes didn't matter."

"Someone like you, a privileged girl, can't understand the pain of those at the bottom. We have to claw our way up just to have a place at all."

Christina realized she was the fool.

It seemed Robert and Hestia were both very clear-headed.

They knew what they could and couldn't do.

So Christina didn't need to worry anymore.

She glanced at the blueprints. "Do you like it? Want me to give you one?"

"I came in such a rush this time. I wanted to bring you some local specialties, but there was a little mishap. Luckily, it wasn't too serious."

Hestia casually recounted a dangerous incident.

Christina didn't press further, and neither of them mentioned the previous topic again.

Meanwhile, Gerald and Thea sat confidently across Louis.

Louis wanted to kick them out.

He glanced at Allegra, who was on the verge of tears, and held back his anger, "What do you want now? Didn't you say you could make it on your own? So why come to me? Isn't that contradictory?"

Gerald and Thea's faces turned dark.

They had thought with new backing, they could make a comeback. But every time they sought opportunities, people shut them down the moment they heard their names.