Sean initially thought Estella was deceiving him when she said there were important files on her laptop. After all, he felt that she was always too cunning for him to tell whether she was telling the truth or not.
"I shouldn't have touched your laptop without your permission. I apologize for my behavior." Sean was feeling guilty and even embarrassed. Was it too late for him to make amends?
"No worries. Didn't you ask the technician to fix my laptop? Now we're even." Estella smiled brightly. She never held grudges for long.
"That's good." Sean was relieved. He looked out of the window at the dull sky. It was already evening. "Aren't you going to see Mrs. Larson? I'll take you there now."
Estella stared at Sean, thinking of something, and suddenly smiled. "I want to continue gathering information for my novel. Can you help me?"
Sean frowned. "I'm sorry. I've already told you that I signed a nondisclosure agreement. It's not in my best interests to discuss Mr. Larson's personal affairs."
Sean took a more serious tone this time.
"Why are you suddenly pulling a long face? Even if there is no confidentiality agreement, I believe you won't say anything about Brandon." Estella could tell from today's conversation that Sean was extremely smart for knowing exactly what to say and what not to say.
"It's good that you know it," Sean said, unsure how to respond. "To put it bluntly, Mrs. Larson is a good and kind person, so she is usually willing to help her friends. However, you must also consider her situation. A similar heinous incident could occur in the future. If you add the plot to the novel, the readers will learn about them. It will affect Mr. and Mrs. Larson's lives and bring them trouble."
He paused before continuing, "They prefer to keep a low profile."
Estella burst out laughing and exclaimed, "I've noticed that you enjoy nagging. Don't worry. I'm not interested in writing a novel about a dictatorial president right now. I'm going to prepare..."
With a mysterious smile, she looked Sean in the eyes. "I'll explain later. Anyway, I'm going to ask for your assistance."
Sean stood still. Estella just gave him a strange look. She must be up to no good.
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