Estella lowered her gaze discreetly and burrowed into Lucian’s embrace. Ms. Jarvis smells so much better than Daddy! Lucian scoffed at the irony of the situation. Essie only likes Roxanne so much because of the bond between a mother and a child.Little did he know, Roxanne was feeling the same about Estella.He thought that Roxanne had chosen her job over Estella.“Daddy, don’t feel remorseful, okay?” Estella remembered the phone call that made her cry. In a sheepish and cute tone, she added, “I only want Ms. Jarvis to be my mommy.”Upon hearing those words, Lucian was reminded of the phone call, and he went silent for a few seconds after Estella repeated the question.Annoyed, Lucian wanted to refute Estella’s words. However, he quickly recalled James’ advice. In the end, Lucian took a few seconds to calm himself down.Once he had suppressed his anger, Lucian replied vaguely, “I won’t marry someone you don’t like. Besides, I’m not planning on getting married anytime soon.”“I only l
Lucian watched the kids go up the stairs as a myriad of emotions rushed through him. Just now, Archie and Benny said Roxanne told them to come. She kept calling me throughout the day, but I haven’t picked up any of her calls. I thought she would’ve given up since she knew I was angry. Who would’ve known that she would use the boys against me? At first, she told the boys to call me. After that, she even told them to come and see Essie. Undeniably, she’s gotten smart. However, why didn’t she just come when she has already done so much? She knows that I wouldn’t refuse her if she were to come with Archie and Benny. Could it be that she’s also angry at me? But why should she be? Catalina sensed Lucian’s anger and uttered carefully, “Mr. Farwell, I’ll send some snacks up for Ms. Estella and the boys.”Upon hearing that, Lucian regained his senses. In order to push those thoughts aside, he rubbed his temples forcefully.He then rose to his feet from the couch and uttered in a hoarse voice,
“Were they wearing their watches when they left?” Madilyn, who was calmer than Roxanne, asked with a frown. At once, a light bulb went off in Roxanne’s mind. At the same time, regret and frustration inundated her.Too many things had happened today that everything else fled my mind when I realized that Archie and Benny had gone missing, leaving panic all that remained. Luckily, I went over to look for Madilyn!Following Madilyn’s reminder, she called Archie and Benny without delay.Alas, Archie didn’t answer even after a long while had pa*sed.She then called Benny, but still, no one picked up.As Roxanne and Madilyn listened to the ringing tone drifting out of the phone, their hearts sank to the bottom.There were too many reasons that Archie and Benny weren’t answering the calls.The worst possibility flashed across their minds…Roxanne dug her nails into her palms to force herself to remain calm. Unlocking her phone, she checked the GPS location of Archie and Benny’s watches.Only
Slowly getting to his feet, Lucian pinned a dark look on Roxanne, who stood at the door. “I really don’t know when you learned to use your kids to set me up, Ms. Jarvis.”Roxanne’s eyes flickered, her gaze mystified.When had I ever done such a thing?Glimpsing the innocent expression on her face, Lucian frowned and started to head in her direction slowly.The instant Roxanne noticed his intentions, her heartstrings drew taut, and she backed away warily. Throughout it all, she kept a distance from him.“Why are you drawing away if you’re not feeling guilty, Ms. Jarvis?” Lucian sneered.Upon hearing that, Roxanne hesitantly stopped retreating, her brows furrowing imperceptibly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”His gaze gloomy, Lucian demanded lowly, “Don’t tell me it wasn’t because you were sure I wouldn’t ignore the kids’ calls that you had Archie phone me, Ms. Jarvis?”Again, Roxanne clenched her hands by her sides and remained silent.It’s true that I did such a thing, but
“As long as I find a method effective, it isn’t considered despicable,” Lucian riposted coldly after a while, putting away the scrutiny in his eyes. Her eyes flickering, Roxanne nodded self-deprecatingly. “Oh well, I’m not far-sighted enough.”Lucian stared at her thoughtfully.Out of the blue, he offered in a much gentler tone than earlier, “If it’s to your liking, I can retain you as the technical advisor of Herbscape Group.”Upon hearing that, Roxanne snapped her head around with a frown, meeting his gaze in puzzlement.He was absolutely livid just now, but he’s now extending me an olive branch in the blink of an eye. Is this considered… a chance for me to salvage things?At that thought, mirth bubbled within her.Meanwhile, Lucian’s hand tightened around her wrist when he received no answer from her even after a long time had pa*sed.“Farwell Group can likewise give you the same resources as Damaris Group.”Roxanne could sense that the surrounding temperature was gradually droppi
Lifting her eyes, Roxanne glanced at Archie and Benny. Sensing her stare, Archie and Benny raised their eyes guiltily and flashed her a smile before averting their gazes nonchalantly.A strange feeling welled within Roxanne. Gradually, realization dawned upon her.No wonder Lucian asked me such a question earlier. It turned out that they used my name to come and visit Essie.That understanding had a sense of exasperation inundating her. But ultimately, she didn’t say anything.Well, they only did so because they really wanted to come here and visit Essie. Besides, I’m pretty sure Essie’s mood only lifted because they came.“Are you still feeling unwell anywhere now?” Roxanne regarded Estella in concern.In response, Estella shook her head docilely and replied in a cute voice, “Archie and Benny played with me!”At that, Roxanne knew that her conjecture was right. Relief suffused her.“Why did you come so late, Ms. Jarvis? Have you just finished your work?” Estella inquired, concerned
Roxanne didn’t want to tarry after dinner, so she took her leave with Archie and Benny. “Can’t you play with me for a while longer, Ms. Jarvis?”Estella clutched at the hem of her shirt with all the reluctance in the world.Leaning down, Roxanne stroked her head and cajoled gently, “It’s late, so I’ve got to go home.”After saying that, she added in a moment of weakness at the sight of Estella’s reluctant expression, “I’ll come and keep you company another day.”She merely wanted to comfort the little girl, but the latter unexpectedly took it seriously.“When will that be?” Estella gazed at her pitifully with solemnity written all over her face.Upon hearing that, Roxanne was inexorably stunned for a while.When will that be?On instinct, she lifted her eyes and glanced at the man across from her, telling him with her eyes that she didn’t really mean it.In the past, Lucian would speak up and help her diffuse the situation. But this time, he acted as though he didn’t notice her predi
Roxanne could tell that the children were getting anxious, so she did her best to suppress her emotions. “I’m not mad. In fact, I want to thank you for comforting Essie.” Even though the kids’ actions did cause a misunderstanding with Lucian, Roxanne knew Estella’s mood would not have improved had it not been for them.The children breathed a sigh of relief after hearing their mother but remained somewhat cautious.“Sorry, Mommy. We won’t run off by ourselves again,” promised Archie after crawling into her embrace.Despite how dim the light in the car was, the exhaustion on Roxanne’s face was plain to see.The boy was convinced that he did not do anything wrong before, but at that moment, he was filled with guilt.Benny, too, crawled into his mother’s arms and apologized.Then, Roxanne gave her children a big hug before patting them on the head. “I know you were just worried about Essie.”In response, the kids nodded in agreement because they were indeed concerned about Estella.Howe
Jack had been staring at her ever since she returned. Naturally, he did not miss the look of anxiousness on her face earlier. “I believe it was rather rude of me to answer the call for you. I hope you don’t mind.”Hearing that, Roxanne grinned as if everything was fine. “It’s okay.”Still, Jack probed, “I wonder why he called you. I tried asking him, but he refused to tell me.”In response, Roxanne shook her head. “I don’t know either.”Intrigued, Jack raised his brow.Though Roxanne thought she had done a good job at concealing her emotions, he still saw through her.After all, the change in her expression was too obvious from the moment she stepped into the tent.Indeed, the phone call stirred up some emotions in her heart.Looks like Lucian has a special spot in her heart. This is interesting.Meanwhile, in the CEO’s office of Farwell Group, Cayden peered at Lucian fearfully.Lucian had been looking unhappy ever since he hung up. To be more specific, he had been like that ever sin
After some time, Roxanne asked concernedly, “Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?” The boy shook his head. He felt nothing apart from the moments the needles were inserted.Only then did Roxanne feel relieved.She waited for a little while longer before retrieving all the needles when the time was up.Seeing that, the boy sat up on the bed and asked naively, “Ms. Jarvis, am I healed?”A sharp pang hit Roxanne’s heart. “No. We’ll need to continue observing you in the future. Remember to pay more attention to your health and don’t take part in vigorous exercises, okay?”The boy nodded.Then, Roxanne prescribed him some traditional medicine, to which Jack gave many suggestions.After a thorough contemplation, she still accepted his suggestions and made changes to the prescription.When that was completed, the boy took the paper and went looking for the staff responsible for packing the medicines.Sadness was written all over Roxanne’s face as she watched him leave.Perhaps it was because
That night, Roxanne received a text from Jack before she went to bed. It contained the details to the medical consultation.It was in two days, and the location was an orphanage in the city.After making a mental note of the information, Roxanne typed a simple answer and went to bed early.However, her mind was so occupied with Colby’s words that she could not fall asleep.It was only after an indeterminate time that she finally drifted off to sleep.In the next two days, the boys kept trying to get Roxanne’s attention.To be more specific, they were doing it on Lucian’s behalf.Meanwhile, Roxanne was clueless as to why Archie and Benny were so persistent in mentioning Lucian to her, nor did she know how to deal with them.After pondering about it for some time, she decided to pour all her attention into preparing the medical consultation.When the boys saw she was at work, they finally gave up.Two days later, Jack’s car appeared in front of Roxanne’s house early in the morning.Rox
“What’s wrong?” Jack and Colby were both gentlemen. They wanted to wait for Roxanne to leave before leaving.However, Roxanne’s car was still parked at the same spot even after they had waited for some time. Thus, they went up to check on her.Roxanne felt a little helpless. “The car’s broken.”Maybe some parts weren’t fully repaired from the accident last time.Hearing that, Jack and Colby exchanged glances, and Jack offered, “Let me help you to check.”With that, he got into the vehicle to check on it.He had always been interested in cars, so he thought something like that was happening because Roxanne did not understand them enough.Just as he was about to get to work, he heard Roxanne say, “This car was knocked by another car some time ago. Maybe the mechanics missed a few parts. I’ll get it repaired another day.”At that, Jack stopped whatever he was about to do.Since she already knows what the problem is, then it’s definitely not a man-made problem.“Then… Let me send you hom
There was a slight change of expression on Colby’s face when he heard that. Instantly, his eyes were fixated on Roxanne. She wants to treat Jack to a meal? Since when? How come I know nothing about it? Did they contact each other privately?Intrigued, he blurted, “Really? When was that?”Roxanne replied, “I made that suggestion when Mr. Damaris and I were talking about the medicinal herbs last night.”Turning to Jack, she added, “Mr. Damaris has helped our institute fix a huge mess. This meal is nothing significant compared to the favor received.”In other words, she made it clear that the meal was not meant to pay Jack back for his generosity.Jack did not seem bothered by her words.He glanced at Colby and teased Roxanne, “How then does Ms. Jarvis plan to return me the favor?”Jack’s gaze, coupled with his question, made Colby’s heart sink.He quickly turned to Roxanne, impatiently waiting for her response.Putting on a serious expression, she stated, “I’ll definitely make your sac
After staying up the entire night, Roxanne got up super early the next morning. She wanted to leave as soon as possible for the research institute because Jack was scheduled to deliver the medicinal herbs on time.Hence, she did not want to keep him waiting.With that thought in mind, Roxanne tried to stay awake.Upon getting dressed, she went downstairs, only to be greeted by two concerned children at the dining table.Roxanne sat down next to Archie and Benny. Then, she gave them both a peck on the cheek like she always did.When she lifted her head, she noticed faint dark circles under the kids’ eyes.She frowned immediately and asked, “You two didn’t have a good night’s sleep?”The boys shook their heads, feeling guilty.Benny answered in a piping voice, “I had a nightmare and caused Archie to sleep poorly.”Though feeling groggy, Roxanne could tell that it was just an excuse. She snapped her brows together and said, “You can come over and look for me the next time you have a bad
When they arrived back home, Archie and Benny wanted to cheer Roxanne up, but she did not give them a chance to do so as she headed straight for the study.When they saw Roxanne’s retreating figure, they felt disappointed and worried.They kept thinking that something must have happened at Lucian’s house that they did not know about.Roxanne closed the door to the study. She had a conflicted look as she sat at the desk.The truth was, she did not have any work. That was just an excuse she came up with at the very last minute.She thought of how she felt when she saw Lucian and Aubree together and felt a strange feeling tug at her heart.What’s wrong with me? I knew that Lucian was using me as his tool to compete in business. His previous pursuit was all talk. But why does my heart feel heavy when I see him with another woman…Roxanne had no idea how to face this version of herself.Suddenly, the ringing of a phone tore her away from her thoughts.She snapped back to her senses and loo
At the Farwell residence, Aubree was having dinner with Lucian and Estella.While they were eating, Aubree tried her best to engage in a conversation with the two, but she received no response.This angered her.Indeed, Lucian did not kick her out this time. However, he was acting as though she did not exist, as he had never looked at her once.They finally finished dinner. Aubree stood up first and turned to Catalina. She kindly said, “Catalina, let me help you clean up.”Catalina was surprised and wondered why Aubree had a sudden change in attitude.Before she could say anything, Aubree had started cleaning the table.Since Lucian would not accept her affection, she could only swallow her pride and try to impress him by doing little things.“Daddy…”Estella carefully tugged on her father’s sleeve.Lucian looked down at her.“I want to see the flowers.” She glanced at Aubree as she spoke.She did not want to stay with Aubree.If Aubree were to stay at their place, then Estella would
Lucian’s rejection was cold and indifferent. “Mind your own business.”After uttering that, he took Estella’s hand and went inside.Aubree’s expression darkened as she stared after their retreating figures. However, she quickly adjusted her expression and chased after them.Catalina had already prepared dinner, and when she saw Lucian entering with Estella, she heaved a sigh of relief. “Dinner is ready, Mr. Farwell, Ms. Estella. Come eat!”Just as she finished speaking, she noticed Aubree coming in the doors.Catalina’s expression stiffened slightly, but she forced herself to maintain a cordial smile.Aubree ignored her and made a beeline straight for Lucian and Estella.Lucian, too, ignored her. The only reason he did not outright drive Aubree away was that he did not want to aggravate his mother, who would, in turn, trouble Roxanne.However, if they expected anything more from him, then they would be sorely disappointed.Meanwhile, Lysa brought Archie and Benny home.Roxanne was alr