Roxanne returned to her senses and protected her children behind her back. She gave Aubree a distant smile. “There’s no need for you to worry, Ms. Pearson. It’s just a minor illness.”Then she glanced at Lucian. “It seems like you’re busy with Mr. Farwell. I won’t bother the both of you further.”Without waiting for their replies, she grabbed her children and attempted to escape the couple’s line of sight.After she took two steps away, Lucian spoke. “Are Benny and Archie not feeling well?”His gaze brushed past the children and saw Benny’s pale face. He also noticed the boy was holding his abdomen with darkened eyes.The pale-faced boy turned around and uttered in an angry tone, “It’s just a stomachache! You should just take that lady to the doctor, Mr. Farwell. There’s no need for you to pay attention to us!”It was pretty obvious he was angry. The corridor was silent as his voice echoed in the stairwell.Sensing the hostility from the child, Lucian furrowed his eyebrows. He wasn’t
After a series of examinations, Roxanne discussed Benny’s condition with the doctor in the consultation room.Her concise and intelligent discussion took the doctor by surprise. After a while, the doctor asked with a smile, “Miss, which hospital are you working at? Will you consider working here?”Roxanne smiled humbly and replied, “It’s okay. I only know a little about stuff like this. That’s all.”With that, she reminded her sons, “Quick! Say thank you to the doctor.”Archie and Benny got off their seats and gave a solemn bow to the doctor. “Thank you, doctor.”The doctor was charmed by Archie and Benny’s cuteness. “You’re welcome. Remember to take your medicine on time when you get home. You’re lucky that your mommy knows a lot. Otherwise, things may have gotten worse, and you may have to be hospitalized. You should thank your mommy instead!”With innocent smiles on their faces, they turned and thanked Roxanne.She caressed their heads, took the prescription, and left with her chil
“Is your stomach aching badly? Do you want me to carry you?”Roxanne, who had come to the staircase, knelt down in concern and looked into Benny’s eyes.Benny cracked a mischievous yet gleeful smile. “It stopped hurting a long while ago, but I could sense that you felt like leaving early.”From the moment Mommy saw Daddy and the wicked woman at the elevator just now, there was a drastic change in her mood.Furthermore, when they were blocked in the corridor by Lucian, he could clearly feel the hostility Roxanne exuded.Coincidentally, both he and Archie resented the sight of Lucian, hence the excuse to get Roxanne to leave.Upon hearing Benny’s words, the relieved yet amused Roxanne gave his nose a playful scratch. “Next time, don’t scare me by telling me that you have a stomach ache while being sick. Instead, you should just say that you’re tired.”Roxanne was given a fright by Benny earlier. If not for the urge to avoid further interaction with Lucian, she would have brought Benny b
Upon emerging from the stairwell, Aubree, with a drastic change in her expression, hurriedly walked into the washroom. Gritting her teeth, she gently knocked her plaster-casted arm against the wall. The impact was instantly followed by her face writhing in agonizing pain. When she subsequently checked the time and saw that it was the usual hour for Sonya’s visit, Aubree rushed back up the stairs to her ward.The tremendous pain in her arm, plus climbing six to seven flights of stairs in a single breath, caused Aubree to be covered in sweat upon returning to her ward.Lucian, who was waiting inside, was about to call her when he heard the commotion beyond the door. After watching Roxanne leave with the children, he went to the orthopedic department to look for Aubree. When he didn’t find her there, he decided to return to her ward, where she was still nowhere to be seen.“Lucian, you’re back.” There was a hint of desolation in her voice.Lucian simply nodded. “Where did you go?”Aubre
Since it was already late when she stepped out of the hospital, Sonya headed back to the Farwell residence in spite of her anger. I must demand an explanation from Roxanne over what happened and also give her a stern warning. As for what to say, I’ll have to give it proper thought first.That night, Sonya didn’t sleep a wink, for her mind was entirely occupied by the matter.The next morning, Sonya had a simple breakfast before getting the driver to send her to Roxanne’s house.Meanwhile, Roxanne was having breakfast with the children.Benny, who was feeling much better after taking his medication, was enjoying his breakfast very much.When she saw how he had returned to his energetic self, Roxanne sighed to herself in relief.Just when she planned to take them to the research institute after breakfast, an unexpected guest arrived.Amidst the children having breakfast, Roxanne got up to get the door upon hearing the doorbell ring.At the sight of the visitor, Roxanne’s heart sank. Sh
Naturally, Sonya, too, heard their exchange. Nevertheless, she, having long decided to have her son marry Aubree, had warned Roxanne off and wasn’t worried that the latter would disobey.As a result, she couldn’t care less about their interaction and continued to sip her coffee elegantly.When Sonya heard Roxanne’s leaving footsteps, a contemptuous smile descended upon her face.Disgraceful women can always be easily frightened away. Furthermore, there’s no way I’m going to allow such a woman to marry into the Farwell family.“Have a seat.” Sonya finally turned around to give Lucian a look as she invited him to sit.The frowning Lucian, whose eyes were burning with suppressed anger, strode up to his mother and sat down.The cup of untouched coffee in front of him was ordered by Roxanne earlier.Playing back in his mind the words she said to his mother a while ago, Lucian deepened his frown.“Waiter, please get us another cup of what I’m having.” Sonya raised her hand at the waiter. “
In other words, Lucian would not tie the knot with Aubree. Sonya could not help but ma*sage her temples while shooting daggers at her son. “Did you come here this early in the morning just to upset me?”Lucian remained unperturbed. “I can send you to the hospital if you’re feeling unwell, but there’s no way you can force me to marry Aubree.”Both mother and son kept mum for some time.Sonya waved her hand and gestured for him to leave. “Go. Get out of my sight.”Lucian nodded. Before leaving, he said, “I’ve stationed a few men by the door. Call them if you need their help.”Before Sonya could react, Lucian had left the café.“Heading back to the office now, Mr. Farwell?” the driver asked with respect when Lucian got into the car.Lucian knitted his brows. Roxanne’s house flashed across his mind. I wonder how she’s doing now. Did she mean what she said just now?Lucian went deep in thought but eventually snapped out of it. He replied to the driver, “Back to the office.”The car starte
Pippa heard Estella’s sobs as soon as she entered the cla*sroom. She quickly looked over, only to see the little girl crying her heart out with a tearful face. “What’s wrong, Essie?” Pippa hurried to the little girl’s side.Estella simply continued crying without saying a word.Beside her, Yoel obediently stood up and explained the situation to Pippa, “Ms. Ward, when cla*s was over, I wanted to invite Estella to play, but I seemed to have scared her.”Soon, someone could not stand it and spoke up for Yoel. “It was Estella who hit Yoel first, but she ended up crying herself.”Pippa listened to the children’s words, and understanding dawned upon her.Having been Estella’s teacher for such a long time, she naturally was aware of the girl’s condition. Moreover, she had also noticed Estella’s gloomy mood for the past two days.It should be as Yoel said. He scared Essie, so she hit him.At that thought, Pippa looked at Yoel with concern. “Where did Estella hit you? Are you okay? Let me hav
Jack froze for a few seconds before coming to some kind of realization and agreeing to it. The two of them then went out of the research institute.A look of delight danced across Colby’s face when he saw them leave.Ever since Jack came for Roxanne, Colby had been keeping his focus on the two.Therefore, he saw the look of struggle on Roxanne’s face.Evidently, what he had said in the morning was effective.Meanwhile, Roxanne came to a stop in her tracks at the entrance of the institute with mixed feelings still surging in her heart. In the meantime, Jack stopped behind her.“Sorry.” Roxanne had calmed herself down on their way out and realized that she had been a little too carried away earlier.Jack raised a brow and teased, “What’s the matter? Why are you apologizing to me all of a sudden? You couldn’t have secretly done something terrible to the project, could you, Ms. Jarvis?”Roxanne shook her head immediately. “Of course not.”I’ve done so much for this project. Why would I d
Estella looked at her father, who was already at the door and turned to look at Aubree, who was still standing by the couch. A few moments pa*sed, and the little girl finally begrudgingly got out of her chair and jogged to keep up with Lucian.Aubree let out a relieved sigh and caught up to them as well.“Daddy,” Estella mumbled. She gave her father a puppy-eyed look and tugged at the corner of his shirt in a bid to curry favor with her father.Lucian lowered his gaze to meet Estella’s. He lifted his hand and patted her head. “I’m really busy lately. Please don’t throw a tantrum at me.”Estella pursed her lips in disapproval, refusing to believe what he said.She knew as a matter of fact that Lucian was in a bad mood because he had quarreled with Roxanne.Estella was flabbergasted that Lucian was still trying to lie to her, despite the fact that even she knew the real reason her father was upset.Why are adults so weird? Why doesn’t Daddy just make up with Ms. Jarvis?Of course, Luci
Cory was in a good mood, knowing he had once again made a fortune. He then said, “Of course. Ms. Pearson, I’m sure you’ve come to me again because you believe in my capabilities. Now, tell me. What is it that you want me to investigate?” Narrowing her eyes, Aubree said, “Investigate what happened between Roxanne and Lucian!”Cory let out a meaningful chuckle when he heard what she said.Aubree questioned coldly, “Why are you laughing?”As if unaware of her anger, Cory muttered, “Since you’ve agreed to the price I proposed so readily, I have to show you something.”With that, he took out a phone from the bag beside him and typed away on the screen.Soon, Aubree received a few messages on her phone.“I believe what you’re about to see won’t disappoint you, Ms. Pearson.” Cory sounded confident.Aubree furrowed her brows and swiped open her phone, checking the messages he sent.The chat interface showed that Cory had sent her more than ten pictures.Each picture was attached with the tim
Aubree followed Estella closely into the room. Hesitantly, she muttered, “Lucian…” She felt somewhat guilty when she noticed the young girl fuming at Lucian.At the same time, she was relieved that Estella had not said a word to her father.Lucian nodded at Aubree and said, “Sorry for troubling you to look after Essie.”Aubree was delighted by his words. She sputtered, “Not at all. I’m happy to do this. Essie’s a lovely girl.”As for how she upset Estella in the car earlier, Aubree decided to sweep things under the rug if the young girl kept things to herself.“Dinner’s ready. Why don’t you eat with us?” Lucian offered.Aubree was over the moon. “Sure.”They entered the dining room one after another.Catalina had already set the table for three.Aubree said, “I’ll go get Essie.”Despite her suggestion, she was not confident about coaxing Estella downstairs.After all, the young girl was put out because of Aubree, and she might not listen to her instructions.If she throws a tantrum i
Archie and Benny stayed in the bathroom for a little while longer before heading out. Roxanne was still chatting with Jack at the time.She had wanted to get him to leave as soon as possible, but Jack started talking about the ancient medicine books halfway through the conversation.Due to Roxanne’s incredible pa*sion for medicine, she couldn’t help but get carried away talking about it again.It wasn’t until Lysa told them dinner was ready that she snapped out of it.“Would you like to stay for dinner, Mr. Damaris?” Roxanne asked out of courtesy.Jack arched an eyebrow when he saw Archie and Benny standing next to the kitchen.They were both glaring daggers at him and looked like they would tear him to pieces if he accepted her invitation.Because they were still kids, they just looked adorable no matter how fierce their expressions were.Jack couldn’t help but smile in amusement as he drawled suspensefully, “Thank you for the invitation, Ms. Jarvis. I—”He was halfway through his s
In the kindergarten, Archie and Benny sat in their seats quietly while the other children were playing games with Pippa. They could sense something was off when Roxanne said she would send them to school that morning.It wasn’t until Roxanne handed them over to Pippa that they noticed Roxanne glancing at the crowd from time to time as if she was looking for someone.When Pippa led them into the school, they looked back and saw Roxanne still looking around.Although Archie and Benny said nothing, they knew Roxanne was looking for Lucian and Estella.Mommy must feel terrible after the fight with Daddy that day.At the thought of Roxanne’s sadness and disappointment, Archie and Benny’s moods were gloomy, too.“Archie, Benny, what’s wrong?”Seeing the listless look on the boys’ faces, Pippa walked over to comfort them, “Are you missing Estella?”At the mention of Estella, Archie and Benny’s faces immediately fell. I wonder how Essie is doing…“Don’t worry. Mr. Farwell will take good care
Frowning, Lucian fell silent for several seconds. Within several short seconds, the smile slid off Aubree’s face.Until Lucian’s voice sounded once more.“Judging by Essie’s demeanor this morning, the relationship between you seemed to have improved by a lot.”Aubree froze for several seconds at his words before she registered what he said.It was true that the child had been receptive toward her that morning.Aside from rejecting her touch, Estella had responded to almost everything she had said.It was a big improvement compared to before.“I was the one at fault back then,” Aubree replied with a laugh. “I wasn’t patient enough with Essie. Now that I’m a little more patient, Essie can sense it and responds accordingly.”“That’s good,” Lucian answered solemnly. “Enjoy each other’s company.”Smiling, Aubree a*sured him she would.Without discussing it any further, Lucian ended the call on the pretext of work.Though he had already decided to proceed with the engagement, he did not ha
Estella’s resolve wavered at the mention of Lucian. She had seen how drunk Lucian was the night before and surmised he must have drunk a lot.I wonder what Daddy was up to.Aubree delighted at the indecision in Estella’s eyes and continued, “If you don’t want to attend school, I can help put in a word or two when your daddy’s feeling better.”It was only then that Estella relented and allowed her entry into the room.Aubree got to her feet to let Estella get dressed while she picked out the clothes she would wear to school.Once the clothes were selected, she a*sisted Estella to brush her teeth.Estella gradually began to let her guard down.Aubree used to threaten her whenever they spent time together.Estella supposed Aubree wouldn’t try anything since she didn’t seem inclined to do so this time.Moreover, Aubree brought up Lucian in their conversation.Estella was docile and compliant to her demands as she did not want to trouble Lucian. Nonetheless, her expression was still sulle
Aubree spent the night in the same guest room she stayed in during her previous visit. As she entered the room, she could not help but recall what she had done last time.For a moment, I even thought of using the same method to teach that little b*tch another lesson to see if she dares to be disobedient again!However, it was only a fleeting thought because, ultimately, she was still afraid Lucian would find out about it.Now that she had hope, she would never be able to forgive herself if she lost it due to another mistake she made.As Aubree lay in bed, the scene from earlier in Lucian’s bedroom kept playing through her head.I was so close to becoming Mrs. Farwell! If only Cayden hadn’t appeared!Aubree stayed up all night, waiting for Cayden to come over and inform her that Lucian had woken up.She never expected to wait until the sun was high in the sky, and he still had not come over.The memory of Cayden’s attitude toward her the night before made Aubree grit her teeth. She go