A ruthless look crossed Aubree’s face after she ended the call. She then made another call and said a few words to the person on the other end of the line.That day was a weekend, and Aubree drove to the Farwell residence early in the morning.Sonya was in the middle of her breakfast when Aubree came in. Almost immediately, Sonya smiled at her. “You’re early. Have you had your breakfast? Do you want to sit down and eat something?”Aubree shook her head. “No, thank you. I’ve come to pick you up.”Sonya did not insist. As she ate her breakfast, she chatted away with Aubree.After Sonya finished her breakfast, Aubree brought her to the shopping district.“Mrs. Farwell, how has Essie been?” Aubree asked nonchalantly when they were on their way to their destination. “I’m worried about her. But after that day, I haven’t been able to meet her.”Sonya’s expression turned solemn at the mention of Estella. “That incident has frightened Essie. Moreover, her condition has been unstable recently.
When they were on the way to the hospital, Sonya quickly called Lucian.Soon, Lucian answered the phone and asked, “Mom, did something come up?”“Please contact the hospital for me. We almost got into a serious car accident just now. Aubree’s arm got injured when she saved me.”Lucian agreed to it right away.After that, Sonya called Gina and Samuel to inform them about what happened to Aubree.They nervously asked her for the hospital’s name before ending the call.Lucian was always efficient. A doctor was already waiting at the entrance when Sonya and Aubree arrived at the hospital.“Mrs. Farwell, Ms. Pearson, please come with me.” After briefly checking up on Aubree’s injury, the doctor led them to his department upstairs.With a pale face, Aubree supported her arm for the doctor to examine.Despite the pain, she thought it was worth it because she did it for Sonya.After all, Sonya’s feelings of guilt and gratitude were written all over her face.After the incident that day, Aubre
Sonya’s response unequivocally took Aubree by surprise. The latter quickly turned her head, only to realize that Lucian was standing by the door.Instantly, she reviewed her speech in her head and was relieved that she did not say anything that could have exposed her scheme. Her gaze then fell on Sonya. “There’s no need for you to be so formal, Mrs. Farwell. It was something I should have done. Please, don’t even mention it,” she said in a gentle voice.Sonya furrowed her brows and replied, “You’re such a sweet girl. Are you trying to make me feel more terrible than I already am?”Obediently, Aubree said nothing else.Sonya shot Lucian a glance. “If it weren’t for Aubree, you wouldn’t be able to see me standing here anymore. No matter what, the Farwell family owes Aubree a favor. I’m still in shock, so I don’t think I’m the best person to take care of her right now. Therefore, it’s your duty to care for her in the meantime.”At that point, everyone in the room had their eyes on Lucian
Sonya and the others continued to keep Aubree company in the ward.Aubree was actually tired of her presence. She only used Sonya to get close to Lucian. Now that the man had agreed to stay back for her, she started getting impatient that the seniors kept lingering around in the room, having no intention to leave. Despite so, she still put on a pleasant expression, pretending to be a goody two shoes.“Aubree, you’re the patient. Therefore, you should just stay in bed these two days and get Lucian to run errands for you.”Sonya stroked the cast on Aubree’s arm.She had enough of Sonya’s never-ending words of concern. With a fake smile, she replied, “Thanks for the thoughts, Mrs. Farwell. I’ll take note of it, but…”Aubree unintentionally swept her glance across the man at the door. Then, she bit her lip and muttered pitifully, “I’m already very thankful that Lucian is here with me. I can’t trouble him any more than this.”Sonya scanned the room for his son, only to realize that he was
As though she was fulfilling what she said before, after Sonya ate lunch, she left.“I’m feeling a little tired, so I’ll return to rest now. Lucian will stay and take care of you.” Then she turned to her son. “The company shouldn’t have any important matters during this period.”Lucian nodded indifferently.“I’ll leave Aubree in your care. Take good care of her.” She further reminded him of Aubree’s condition again before leaving.Seeing Sonya leaving, Gina and her husband left as well.The only people left in the ward were Aubree and Lucian.The atmosphere was awkward.Aubree dug her nails into her palm as displeasure filled her heart.It was because Lucian treated her more coldly than he did in the past. He didn’t even want to look at her.It’s all because of that b*tch! She disrupted my years’ worth of work and caused Lucian and me to grow apart!Then, as she tried to find things to talk about, his voice entered her ears.“If you need anything, just call me. I’ll stay outside.” He
Roxanne didn’t know her falling ill affected Archie and Benny that much. For a few moments, she was at a loss for words. Thinking back, these two have been with me ever since they were born. In their eyes, I’m probably a superhero who always takes care of them and protects them. They had never seen me being that sick twice before. I suppose it’s only natural that they are spooked.The silence lasted for a while before she patted their heads with a complicated feeling. “I’m glad you two are concerned about me. Since both of you are afraid I’ll catch a cold, I can just stay on land and watch you swim.”The boys glanced at each other, hesitated for a few seconds, and nodded obediently.Roxanne smiled with relief. After she packed things up with the children, they went to the swimming pool by car.Thinking that they might visit often, she registered to be a member there.It was a swimming pool in the mansion district, so the environment inside was serene. The area was pretty big, too.Bec
The boys swam for nearly two hours. When they were done, Roxanne brought them to lunch.On the way there, she couldn’t stop thinking about what Archie had said to the man.She glanced at the children for a long time through the rearview mirror. Eventually, she couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you say that earlier, Archie? Why did you say Mr. Farwell is your daddy?”The reason she didn’t ask about it earlier was that she didn’t want to ruin their moods to play. However, she could no longer hold herself back.Upon hearing that, the boy glanced at her innocently. “Because he’s awesome and powerful!”Roxanne was stunned. For a moment, she couldn’t tell if he was lying or not.“Besides, I think if we call Mr. Farwell, he’ll probably rush over to our location.” Archie felt a bit odd when he said that.He didn’t like his father because his father wanted to marry another woman. However, he was confident that if anything happened to his mother, his father would arrive shortly after.If not for
Concurrently, at the hospital, Aubree received a call from her subordinate.“Ms. Pearson, we saw Roxanne driving toward a hospital.”She glanced at Lucian, who was sitting outside, and asked in a low voice, “Which one?”The subordinate replied, “I think it’s Primo Hospital.”Primo Hospital was the best private hospital in Horington. It was also where Aubree was currently staying.When she heard Roxanne was heading to her location, a glimmer of light flashed across Aubree’s eyes. “How long before they arrive?”“About five minutes.”“Got it. Continue to follow her. When she arrives at the entrance, give me a call.”“Roger.”Upon hanging up the call, Aubree put the phone aside and carefully glanced at Lucian. Seeing how he wasn’t paying attention to her, she shifted her gaze to the cup on the table and reached for it.Lucian was focusing on checking his company mailbox and didn’t notice what she was doing.Suddenly, a crashing sound was heard.It was soon followed by Aubree’s suppressed
At the side, Estella had her head lifted and gazed at Roxanne, looking hopeful.Roxanne’s gaze flickered. Only after obtaining Lucian’s promise did she forcibly suppress the worry within her.“Got it. I’ll take good care of Essie for the next few days.”Lucian indifferently inclined his head a fraction in acknowledgment. Shortly after, he took his leave and left.Roxanne watched as his car disappeared into the distance before bringing Archie, Benny, and Estella into the mansion.All three children were already starving to the point that their stomachs growled incessantly.Without tarrying, Roxanne prepared some quick and easy breakfast to fill their stomachs first.After having breakfast, she had the children play by themselves while she stood up and went into the study.She simply couldn’t sit back and do nothing about the person who used the bacteria on the children.Worse still, Lucian left Estella at her place. Hence, she wanted to catch the culprit as soon as possible to eliminat
“Have you and the kids been here?”Lucian came to a stop under a gigantic tree.Stopping with him, Roxanne looked around before shaking her head. “No.”That tree was located at the edge of the woods.Yesterday, she had been with Archie, Benny, and Estella in the woods or by the waterfall.As such, they indeed hadn’t been to that particular spot.Nodding in understanding, Lucian motioned for her to take a look at the bottom of the tree.Roxanne followed his gaze and took a closer look, upon which she made out a vague footprint.From the looks of it, it obviously belonged to an adult.As the footprints moved toward the edge of the gra*sy area, they grew increasingly faint.Therefore, she had no way of knowing whether the owner of those footprints had gone anywhere near the tent.However, it was certain that someone else was there yesterday other than her and the children.In fact, that person had been watching from the side while she was playing with the children.That realization had a
After Archie, Benny, and Estella had dozed off, Roxanne turned off the small night light in the tent.Consequently, the tent was pitch-dark right then, and she had no idea whether Lucian was asleep on the other side.Well, I didn’t hear any movement in a long time, so he has probably gone to sleep.At that thought, Roxanne quietly got up and left the tent. She sat outside under the moonlight alone and stared blankly into space.The weather had been great for the past two days. The moon shone brightly, but there weren’t many stars in the sky.For safety reasons, Lucian had the headlights turned on, illuminating the tent’s surroundings and rendering it like daylight.As Roxanne looked at the scenery around her, her mind gradually began drifting.Too many things had happened that day.At first, the children suddenly contracted a bacterial infection. Then, she inexplicably ended up in the same space as Lucian.Both of the incidents had her emotions turn into a jumbled mess.While she was
After hearing Lucian’s explanation, Estella finally understood the situation and responded with an obedient nod.“Did you have fun today?” Lucian stopped asking about her sickness and began talking about the camping trip in an attempt to divert her attention.As expected, the mention of the camping trip diverted Estella’s attention instantly. “I had tons of fun!”Then, she curled up her fingers one by one, counting the events that happened that day, as if she was worried that her father wouldn’t believe her simple remark. “Ms. Jarvis gifted me a lovely flower wreath, and we had a delicious barbecue. Also, Benny and Archie gifted me some beautiful pebbles!”It seemed like Estella had encountered endless joyful events that day. After recalling all the happy occasions she had experienced that day, her stomachache didn’t seem to be so serious anymore.Lucian’s expression softened as he listened to Estella recount her experiences throughout the day.Roxanne did a body check-up on the child
Archie also grew nervous upon hearing his brother’s voice.If Mommy finds out that we knew about our father a long time ago and were just hiding it from her, would she be upset?In reality, Roxanne had not even considered this possibility.Even though she was still considering whether to reveal the truth about their background to her children a moment ago, she regained her senses right after she heard Benny’s voice.She was not ready yet.At that thought, Roxanne pinched herself to snap out of it as she looked calmly at Lucian.“You can pa*s Benny to me. He must be frightened.”Roxanne moved closer to Lucian and pa*sed Estella to him. “Estella must miss her father too.”Lucian furrowed his brows at Roxanne. She seems to be acting strangely today.However, he did not think much of it as he pa*sed Benny to her.Estella seemed to realize she had left Roxanne’s embrace and murmured in dissatisfaction.Benny also frowned in disappointment upon leaving Lucian’s embrace.Roxanne glanced at L
Jealousy surged within Colby’s heart.He had a*sumed Roxanne’s call was a result of her realizing something unusual about the fire.He did not expect it to be for this reason.I have done so much, but still, Roxanne refuses to spare me even a glance! If that is the case, I don’t mind teaching her a lesson!With that thought in mind, Colby purposely slowed down and made slight mistakes along the way.Since Roxanne was so anxious about the infected people, he wanted to make sure they suffered longer.That way, Roxanne would learn to find professionals to handle professional matters the next time.For instance, he knew more about medicinal herbs than Lucian!“Is it not done yet?” Lucian asked as he looked at the time, furrowing his brows.Colby raised his head indifferently. “The quantity of medicinal herbs used has to be very precise. I have to be careful when measuring them.”Hearing that, Lucian suppressed the worry in his heart and fell silent. His brows drew together as he watched C
Hearing his suggestion, Roxanne was almost convinced but remained hesitant.After all, Lucian wasn’t in the medical industry. He couldn’t recognize many medicinal herbs.Besides, she also needed the exact dosage.She couldn’t afford the consequences of getting an incorrect dosage.Lucian had already gotten into his car to start the engine. “I’m going to the research institute now. I’ll call you when I arrive, so you need to think about what medicinal herbs you need now.”Without waiting for a response, he cut the line and called Cayden.“Mr. Farwell, where are you? The meeting…”Cayden felt an incoming headache when Lucian left without looking back, leaving the higher-ups waiting inside the conference room.Lucian ordered, “Something else cropped up, so the meeting is adjourned. They can leave now.”Cayden agreed hastily and entered the conference room to relay his orders.After giving that order, Lucian hung up and sped toward the research institute.Roxanne stared at the smartwatch
Roxanne shut the door and gave Madilyn a call.It took a while before Madilyn answered.“Roxanne? Didn’t you go camping? Is there something you need?”It seemed pretty noisy on the other end of the line, so Roxanne asked, “What are you doing?”Madilyn sounded pained. “Don’t mention it. I was forced to work overtime again.”As soon as she said that, the noise increased.Before Roxanne could say anything, Marilyn hurriedly added, “I need to get back to work. I’ll call you later.”She then hung up right away.Roxanne’s gaze turned dark as her phone screen dimmed. She didn’t call Marilyn back.After a brief hesitation, she tried calling Larry.Larry picked up pretty quickly, but he was in another state and couldn’t be of help in time.Roxanne didn’t tell him anything despite his concern. She dismissed him with a few cursory words and hung up.There was no time to explain things. Besides, she didn’t want to trouble them further.As her friends couldn’t be of help, Roxanne couldn’t stop pan
“Ms. Jarvis…” Estella, who was in Roxanne’s embrace, called out weakly. Roxanne stroked her cheek and a*sured her, “Come on. You’ll not be in as much pain anymore after drinking the medicine.”Naturally, Estella trusted her and leaned over to have her medicine.A frown instantly formed on her face after she took a sip.Roxanne placed the cup near Estella’s lips. However, the latter refused to open her mouth again.Ever since Estella was young, she had always taken pills or been on an IV drip when she was sick. She had rarely had any traditional medicine.Hence, Estella could not stand the bitterness of it.Just as Roxanne was worrying about how she could get Estella to finish her medicine, Archie walked in.“Hurry up and drink your medicine, Essie. I’ll give you a piece of candy once you finish it!”He squatted down in front of Estella and waved his fist.Hesitating, Estella looked at Archie for a moment before opening her mouth and chugging the medicine. She then turned her head and