Gretchen was taken aback by Estelle’s unexpected response. She thought, ‘Estelle, what’s your game plan? You must be aware of Victor’s and my scheme. How can you remain so composed?’

Estelle turned to the receptionist with a warm smile and said, “Could you please get some coffee and snacks ready for the media? Oh, and let’s bring a chair for the child. It’s okay for grown-ups to kneel for a while, but it’s not good for the little one to stay on his knees too long.” Then, she addressed the media, saying, “Thank you for coming. We’re not sure when Cristofer will arrive, so please bear with us.”

Although the...