Gina panicked at the sight of her daughter’s demeanor. She instinctively turned to look at Samuel. Samuel remained relatively rational, but he was wearing a grimace. “What did you do?”Hearing her father’s question, Aubree lowered her gaze guiltily, her eyelids twitching uncontrollably.Even as the situation progressed to that stage, she was still trying to figure out ways to describe her doings with reduced severity.After contemplating for a few moments, she uttered warily, “I-I contaminated the water Essie drank with bacteria.”Samuel’s and Gina’s faces darkened as soon as they heard that.They had always known Aubree despised Estella and had been mistreating her.However, since Lucian didn’t find out about that, they turned a blind eye to Aubree’s misconduct.Unexpectedly, Aubree’s foolishness knew no boundaries.Noticing the changes in her parents’ mood, Aubree quickly added, “I didn’t do that on purpose. I was just trying to teach the b*tch, Roxanne, a lesson. I wanted those tw
When their appeal fell on deaf ears, the Pearsons were filled with despair. Sonya gave them the side-eye. “How dare you lie to me all these years? And now, you still have the cheek to beg for my forgiveness?”The three of them hung their heads, not daring to utter a single word.After a brief yet deathly silence, Sonya turned to leave. “You guys better pray hard!”Samuel finally got back up to his feet a long while later. As he stared at his daughter, who was still kneeling, a pained look flashed across his eyes. “You should leave the country.”Aubree raised her head the moment she heard those words.“That’s the only way out.” Samuel let out a long sigh. “You can save yourself by leaving. Otherwise, we’ll lose both you and our wealth!”A look of hesitation filled Aubree’s eyes.Leave the country… Would Lucian really let me off? More importantly, would he even give me the chance?As concerns filled her mind, Aubree just couldn’t agree to her father’s proposal.In the blink of an eye,
After rea*suring Estella, Roxanne walked up to Lucian with Archie and Benny. “Mr. Farwell, why was this man following Mommy?”Archie, the most vigilant of them, had been scrutinizing Cory while Roxanne was chatting with Estella.Hearing that, Roxanne turned to look at Cory with a frown.She had a hunch that the reason Lucian requested their presence was tied to that man.The only thing she couldn’t figure out was why he wanted Archie and Benny to be there.She looked at Lucian with concern. “Shall we let the children go upstairs to play?”Lucian shook his head solemnly. “This matter involves them too.”The three children deserve Aubree’s apology the most.Hearing that, Roxanne and the children were taken aback.They’re just children. What could’ve happened for Lucian to put on such a grave look on his face?Right then, something struck her. She turned to Lucian and asked hesitantly, “Is it—”“Have a seat and wait.” Lucian gestured for them to sit.Roxanne had no choice but to save he
“Since you have trouble recalling, I’ll let Mr. Zaythrone remind you of them.” All Lucian felt when he saw her tears was disgust. “If he gets anything wrong, you’re welcome to correct him.” With that, he gave Cory a look to signal for him to begin.Acknowledging the cue, Cory cleared his throat and spoke. “Ms. Pearson hired me to keep an eye on Ms. Jarvis. She—”He had barely begun when Aubree lunged at him suddenly.“Shut up! I don’t know you! You’re a madman! I don’t know what you’re talking about. Go to hell!”Even though her outburst caught him off guard, the physical strength between them was just too great.The moment he regained his senses, Cory easily pushed her away from him. “Stop raving like a lunatic, you shrew!”Upon crashing to the ground, Aubree snarled, “You’ll suffer divine retribution for this! Do you think the Farwells will let you off just because you snitched on me?”Cory paid Aubree no heed as he turned to face Lucian and Roxanne with an ingratiating look.“Ms.
Estella’s cries became sharper, and her eyes were filled with terror as she gripped Roxanne’s shoulder tightly. Roxanne instinctively pulled Estella into her embrace and turned around, wanting to take the attack on the latter’s behalf.However, only a muffled thud was heard.The pain that was supposed to follow did not happen.It took Roxanne several seconds before she slowly lifted her head to glance in the direction where Aubree was coming from.To Roxanne’s surprise, Aubree’s hand that held the ashtray earlier was held by Lucian while the ashtray had dropped to the ground.Various emotions could be seen flashing across Aubree’s face.First, there was the mad look on Aubree’s face for the urge to kill Roxanne. Another was her terror for Lucian.“You crazy woman!”Lucian’s grip on Aubree’s wrist was so tight that it could almost crush her bones.It was only then that Aubree snapped back to her senses. Suppressing the pain in her wrist, she apologized frantically, “I-I don’t know wha
Estella, who had yet to calm down, almost burst into tears at the sight of Sonya. Seeing that, Roxanne quickly hugged Estella tightly. She then stood up to look at Sonya. “Mrs. Farwell, please don’t agitate her. Essie’s still emotionally unstable.”At the same time, Lucian walked over with a frown.He thought his mother had finally gotten a clear view of the situation after witnessing the way she had treated Aubree earlier.To his surprise, Sonya had gone looking for Roxanne for trouble after chasing Aubree away.“I’m just worried about my granddaughter. How is this agitating her emotions?”It had been an emotional day for Sonya. She failed to keep her emotions in check, which made her sound displeased when she uttered those words.When she finished saying that, she reached out to pull Estella out of Roxanne’s arms. “Come here, Essie. Let me see if there are any injuries on your body.”Panicking, Estella crawled up Roxanne’s shoulders. “Ahh! I want Mommy! I don’t want Grandma! No!”U
Noticing that Lucian still had a look of guilt in his eyes, Roxanne pursed her lips and held his hand as she added, “Nothing like that will happen to Essie ever again.” “We’ll do our best to protect Essie too!” Archie and Benny chimed in.The look in Lucian’s eyes softened up a little after he heard that, much to Roxanne’s relief.“Maybe I should bring Essie over to my place for the day. She has been through quite a lot today,” she suggested.Roxanne could tell that Estella was still unable to accept Sonya, so she was worried that Lucian’s decision to have Sonya stay over at the manor would affect Estella’s emotional state.Estella wrapped her arms tightly around Roxanne’s neck upon hearing that as she wanted to stay with her.However, Lucian did not approve of Roxanne’s suggestion. “Take her to the bedroom and get some rest. Essie won’t pay too much attention to anything else with you around.”Roxanne was a little hesitant to do so, but Estella nodded profusely in agreement.I’m not
Roxanne was a little worried that Estella would be unhappy that Lucian wasn’t around to dine with them. To her surprise, however, Estella was smiling happily as she munched away on her food. It was as though she didn’t even mind if Lucian was there.Roxanne felt her heart ache when she saw that.Is Lucian really so busy that he barely has time to spend with his daughter? That probably explains why Estella is recovering so slowly…Roxanne was about to bring the kids back upstairs after dinner when Catalina entered the living room and said, “Mr. Farwell is waiting for you in the back garden, Ms. Jarvis.”Having witnessed the incident earlier that afternoon, Catalina was tempted to address Roxanne as “Mrs. Farwell.”However, she chose not to, as she figured it would make her uncomfortable.Roxanne paused and stared at the kids after hearing that.What does Lucian want to see me for? Would it be convenient to bring the kids with me?“We want to go too, Mommy!” Benny exclaimed while tuggi
Meanwhile, Lucian arrived downstairs and went into the car with Roxanne in his arms. She was so deep asleep that she did not stir at all. After putting a jacket over her and fastening her seatbelt, Lucian got into the driver’s seat and drove back to the hotel.Worried that he might wake Roxanne up, he drove very slowly.By the time they got back to the hotel, it was already past nine at night.“Roxanne?”Lucian parked the car and softly called out to Roxanne.In response, Roxanne scrunched her eyebrows slightly. She then pulled the jacket over her shoulder and covered her ears.Seeing that, Lucian couldn’t resist stroking her hair. He got out of the car quietly before carrying her off the car seat.It was breezy outside. Despite the jacket draped over her, Roxanne instinctively snuggled into his chest.Lucian held her tighter and quickened his pace, though his steps remained steady.At the sight of the sweet couple, the people in the hotel lobby looked over with surprise and envy.Ig
Just then, Jack’s muffled voice rang out beside Roxanne. “Ms. Jarvis, are you okay?” Roxanne forcefully blinked her eyes to clear her head, but all her efforts proved futile.Despite having heard Jack’s question, she couldn’t muster the energy to reply, so she could only acknowledge him by holding eye contact.Jack had also drunk quite a lot, and after noticing how intoxicated Roxanne was, he knew it was time to bid farewell to Terence and the family members.“It’s getting late. We should be heading back to get some rest. We’ll still have to return to the nursing home tomorrow to continue the treatments.”Upon hearing that, the crowd knew better than to take up any more of the duo’s time. As such, everyone expressed their gratitude once more before seeing Roxanne and Jack out of the restaurant.With Roxanne in such a drunken stupor, Jack had to keep her steady by holding her arm.There were even a few instances when he tried to pull the doctor into his arms so they could walk togethe
It took Jack and Roxanne a while before they could pacify the elderly man and calm him down. After that, they continued treating the rest of the elderly people.Initially, the elderly people liked Roxanne for her looks and her sweet demeanor, and they were also curious about her relationship with Jack.However, after witnessing how the two of them treated the elderly man, the others saw the duo in a new light.During their consultations, they would eagerly list out all of their health issues.Many even talked about the minor issues they faced every day, desperately hoping that Roxanne and Jack could make them as healthy as a horse.The two of them ended up getting heavier and heavier workloads.Once the sessions were over, Roxanne was exhausted.“How do you feel?”Jack was tired too. He took a bottle of water and walked over to sit beside Roxanne.Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she then took the bottle he pa*sed to her and took a sip out of it before turning back to the smiling e
It was apparent that they did not buy her explanation at all. Roxanne cast a glance at Jack, hoping that he would help her out.However, Jack only smiled before turning away and changing the topic. “No matter what kind of relationship we have, it won’t affect our ability to treat you. Next, please.”He did not deny the elderly people’s a*sumption of their relationship, and so the elderly people became even more confident about their guesses as they looked at Roxanne and Jack lovingly.Upon realizing that she could not change their minds, Roxanne decided to drop the topic.Nevertheless, she later made sure not to do anything to let others misunderstand the nature of her relationship with Jack.Roxanne ended up consulting dozens of elderly people, but their health issues were all common and not too severe.As she was fully prepared to find their conditions had worsened, she was glad to see that they seemed better than she had thought they would be.Thank God they’re not doing as terrib
Arriving before the room door, Roxanne glanced at the shirt on herself. “I’ll wash this shirt and return it to you.”Since they were at the food stall for quite some time and even got into a conflict with those drunkards, it was no wonder their clothes were reeking of barbecue and alcohol.Roxanne was undeniably a little thrown off by the smell.“You probably got a shock earlier, didn’t you?” Lucian asked, sidestepping the topic Roxanne brought up.It took Roxanne a good few seconds to process the man’s question. In response, she pursed her lips and smiled. “Yeah, a little. That was a big group. We should’ve just walked away. There’s no point getting entangled with them.”Lucian’s brows drew together. “I don’t like the way they look at you.”In other words, he was telling her he chose not to leave because those drunkards were blatantly taking liberties with her through their words.Roxanne was taken aback, but she slowly put on a smile on her face. “Thank you.”I was the one who sugg
“I’m sorry. I really didn’t see you there.” Not wanting to escalate the situation, Roxanne apologized and adjusted her chair a little.The drunkards’ eyes lit up with lust when they saw her pretty face and amazing figure.Roxanne frowned in discomfort when she noticed them ogling her body.That was when she heard Lucian standing up next to her.She had wanted to stop him as she thought he was going to start a fight with the drunkards, but he simply stepped in front of her and shielded her with his large frame.“Given how packed this place is, it’s common for people to bump into each other. Of course, since you all think we’re at fault here, I’ll take responsibility and make it up to you guys. Which table are you seated at? I’ll have the stall owner put your expenses on my bill,” Lucian said while glaring at the drunkards.Roxanne breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that.Oh, thank goodness… I thought Lucian was actually going to fight them! He may be skilled and all, but they ha
“So, what are we going to eat?” Since he had already heard her stomach growling, Roxanne decided to be straightforward about it.Lucian retracted his gaze and replied, “I haven’t been here in a long time, so I’m not too sure if that restaurant is still in business. Come on, let’s head downstairs.”The two of them continued chatting as they made their way toward the elevator.That was when Jack’s door opened by a crack, and he could see them as they entered the elevator.The look in his eyes turned gloomy the moment he saw Roxanne’s outfit and recognized the man standing next to her.That’s Lucian! So, he’s the one who came to Jadeborough with Roxanne! I can’t believe Roxanne declined my dinner invitation only to go out for supper with Lucian! Is it true what the rumors say about their relationship improving because of Essie? If that’s the case, then it’ll be near impossible for me to win Roxanne over!Jack’s face darkened.The elevator slowly came to a halt on the first floor, and Ro
Lucian furrowed his brows and replied, “What else can I do? I don’t know anything about medical consultation. Since you are in the medical industry as well, give me some tips, then.” Jonathan held his forehead in exasperation.Is he seriously thinking of helping out at the nursing home tomorrow?The man let out a long sigh in his heart before replying patiently, “From what you’re telling me, Roxanne and Jack are staying in the same hotel now. Aren’t you worried at all? You know Jack has ulterior motives toward Roxanne…”The crease between Lucian’s brows grew deeper.He looked up at Roxanne’s room and saw that the lights had already been turned on.Recalling Jonathan’s words, Lucian could no longer sit still. Immediately, he opened the door and got out of the car.Jonathan was still blabbering nonstop over the phone.After heading into the hotel, Lucian made a reservation for the room next to Roxanne’s.It was already almost ten at night when Roxanne entered her room.She hesitated fo
“If you enjoy it here, then we can go traveling often in the future,” Lucian said when they were on the way to the lake. “The past few years have been incredibly hectic, so I’m looking forward to taking some time off to relax during my vacations.” He was holding Roxanne’s hand. She stared at his side profile and felt a bitter feeling spreading across her heart.For the past six years, they had been out of touch and unaware of each other’s current status.Roxanne led a hectic but fulfilling life.On the contrary, Lucian didn’t seem to be doing well.“We can bring the kids here one day. I don’t think they have been in the mountains before.”Lucian stopped in his tracks and turned over his shoulder to look at her.They had arrived at the lake.Perhaps they were in the mountains, for the lake water was crystal clear. The branches of the drooping willows by the lake were swaying lightly in the breeze.Roxanne glanced at him and said distractedly, “I believe Archie and Benny want to travel