After ending the call and noticing that it was about time, Roxanne headed downstairs to prepare dinner for the children. Archie and Benny were sitting on the carpet, playing with Lego.When they saw their mother, they exchanged a brief glance, but they did not continue bombarding her with questions.“I have work to do tomorrow night. Aunt Madilyn will be keeping you company, okay?” Roxanne told Archie and Benny about the arrangements for the tomorrow night over dinner.Upon hearing that, they looked at her in puzzlement. “Why do you have to leave at night? Is it a business-related social event?”Roxanne had never hidden anything about work from Archie and Benny. She said patiently, “There are new developments for the project that I’m working on with Mr. Damaris. I need to attend a contract signing ceremony tomorrow.”Archie and Benny looked at each other as the same question surfaced in their minds. “Will Mr. Damaris be there too?”We still remember Mr. Damaris! He’s Daddy’s love riv
The following night, after getting ready, Roxanne headed downstairs and prepared to leave to meet Jack. The moment she descended the stairs, however, Archie and Benny stopped her. “Mommy, isn’t Mr. Damaris picking you up?” Despite waiting for a long while, they saw no signs of Lucian. They had no choice but to think of ways to stall for time. Roxanne was confused when she heard their question. “Mr. Damaris wants to meet our collaborators early, so I’m going there by myself. What’s wrong?” Unable to think of a response on the spot, Archie and Benny exchanged a look, then flashed a grin and shamelessly blocked Roxanne’s path. “What’s up with you two?” Roxanne bent down and stared into their eyes. Archie and Benny fell silent again. “But Mommy, Aunt Madilyn hasn’t arrived yet,” Archie said in piping voice. Roxanne glanced at the time. Madilyn should have left work by now. Although they had agreed in the morning that Madilyn would come right after work, she was still nowhere to b
A flash of self-mockery flitted across Roxanne’s eyes. She was worried that Lucian might find trouble with Jack because of her, but it turned out that she had gotten it all wrong.All the while, Lucian was finding trouble with her because of Jack.Seeing the change in the woman’s expression, Lucian realized that what he had just said might have been too suggestive.With his brows knitted together, Lucian was prepared to explain himself, but Roxanne beat him to the punch.“Since it’s business-related, you can reason with Mr. Damaris himself. I’m merely a researcher in this project. Both my words and my presence don’t carry much weight, so even if I’m not there at the ceremony, it can still proceed without a hitch.”Roxanne looked at the man in front of her with a tinge of mockery in her gaze as she continued, “I’m just an insignificant member of the project. If don’t attend the ceremony today, my colleagues will a*sume I’m unsociable and bring me trouble in the future. Mr. Farwell, pl
Roxanne felt conflicted as she realized she had inadvertently betrayed Lucian. I wonder what Lucian will say when he finds out…“Come on, Roxanne. We’re going to be working closely together from now on, so it’d do us good to spend more time with each other,” Larry chimed in as well.Left with no other choice, Roxanne recomposed herself and a*sented with a smile.The three of them left the private room and went straight to the banquet hall on the third floor.Roxanne was shocked when she stepped out of the elevator.Everyone involved in the project was already waiting for her in the banquet hall. It was as though they already knew the signing of the contract would be successful.They all flocked over to Roxanne with their gla*ses raised.“Mr. Damaris says you played a huge part in resolving the issue with our supply of medicinal herbs, Dr. Jarvis! Here’s a toast to you!”“It’s truly amazing how a young woman like you could make such great accomplishments in the medical field!”Just li
Without saying anything, Lucian reached out to grab Roxanne’s hand and pulled her into his embrace. Jack knew his boundaries. Although he was holding on to her, he didn’t use a lot of force, so Lucian was able to snatch her from him with ease.“What are you doing, Mr. Farwell? Dr. Jarvis gave me permission to send her home. How will I explain myself if she finds out I handed her over to you?” Jack asked with a frown.The elevator came to a halt on the first floor.“Roxanne is my ex-wife. Given our relationship, I don’t think I need your permission to send her home. You will stay away from my ex-wife in the future if you know what’s good for you, Mr. Damaris,” Lucian said menacingly without looking back as he helped Roxanne out of the elevator.Jack, who was still standing inside the elevator, had a nonchalant look on his face when he heard that. “Really? In that case, I suppose I’ll have to leave her in your care, Mr. Ex-husband!” he said in the most sarcastic way possible.Lucian pa
Madilyn fell speechless when she heard that. What? I have to go to work early tomorrow? It wasn’t until she noticed Archie and Benny winking at her that she understood what they were playing at. “As much as I would love to stay and look after Roxanne, the workload at the hospital has been pretty crazy lately. Would you be able to look after her for me, Mr. Farwell? If not, I’ll have no choice but to take a day off tomorrow,” she said with a sigh. Feeling satisfied that Madilyn was playing along, the kids shifted their gaze back to Lucian and waited for his reply. Since he had intended to stay and look after Roxanne all along, he simply met their expectant gazes and nodded in response. This is a little strange, though… I remember Archie and Benny being mad at me for a really long time when I casually mentioned their biological father. I thought they’d hate me very much, and yet, they’ve been helping me win Roxanne back lately. In fact, they’re putting in as much effort as Estella.
At the sight of Roxanne’s pale expression, Lucian leaned in to look into her eyes with a frown. “How is it? Do you feel any better?” In her condition, Roxanne couldn’t hear him at all. After vomiting, she collapsed onto her bed and mumbled, “Ugh, it feels terrible…”Lucian’s heart ached for her when he heard that. After getting up to take off the shirt that she had puked on, he went out to wash his hands and poured her a cup of water for her to gargle with.When he returned to the room, he saw Roxanne standing on her feet. She was taking off her clothes as if there was no one around. While doing so, she continued to mumble, “I… I want to shower.”The sight of her stripping jolted Lucian back to his senses. He hurried to her side to hold her back. “Stop taking off your clothes.”Annoyed, Roxanne threw him a look of displeasure and insisted, “I want to shower. Move aside!”While she was speaking, she began to unbuckle her bra.Lucian quickly looked away, stunned.By the time he turned
After watching the children enter the kindergarten, Roxanne turned to Lucian with mixed emotions and started, “The boys told me that it was you who sent me home last night.” Lucian nodded noncommittally. He averted his gaze from her and looked to the side as if nothing had happened.In truth, he couldn’t help recalling the scene from the night before at the sight of her face.Roxanne trailed his gaze, only to see his car that was parked by the roadside.Thinking that he was in a hurry to leave, she decided to get straight to the point. “Can you tell me how we ran into each other last night?”Lucian’s face turned cold when Roxanne mentioned their encounter. “We happened to run into each other in the hotel elevator.”Even though he didn’t describe how he had wrestled her away from Jack’s arms, Roxanne had no trouble imagining it.Given his temper, he must’ve been infuriated to see me together with Jack. It goes without saying that something unpleasant must have happened between them.N
Roxanne had long guessed Sonya would treat her with an unpleasant attitude. Although she was displeased, she didn’t show it on her face.“It’s Essie and Mr. Farwell’s wishes that Essie stays here. As you’re her grandma, I have nothing to say if you want to bring her back, but I hope you respect Essie’s opinions.”Sonya frowned in displeasure.I’ve already asked Essie just now. I wonder what sorcery Roxanne has cast on her to make her refuse to go home. That’s why I turned to ask Roxanne, but I didn’t expect this woman to be so tactless!Sonya was livid.Just then, Estella spoke. “Grandma, I don’t want to go home. I want to stay here and play with Archie and Benny.”Estella looked at Sonya pitifully.Usually, when Estella wore such an expression, Sonya would have gone along with her wishes. However, she was filled with rage right now, so Estella’s look only added fuel to the fire.“You have to go home even if you don’t want to. You belong to the Farwell family. How can you stay at some
Ten minutes ago, Catalina had been instructing the rest of the household staff on their chores when she heard the doorbell ring.The moment she opened the door, she saw that it was Sonya.Before Catalina could greet her, Sonya questioned her, “Where’s Essie? Tell Essie to come out. Tell her that her grandma is here.”Catalina was put in a difficult position.Estella had not been in the manor for the past few days.She had thought that the little girl was with Sonya.However, judging from Sonya’s reaction, Catalina knew there and then that Estella was with Roxanne.It was obvious that Sonya must have discovered that, and that explained her anger.As a servant, Catalina did not know how to answer her question. In the end, she replied, “I will inform Mr. Farwell right away.”She was about to go and seek help from Lucian when Sonya stopped her in her tracks.“I want to see Essie. If she doesn’t come down, I will go up myself.”With that, she began to walk upstairs.Catalina had no choice
“Please wait for a moment as Mrs. Farwell is taking a nap. I’ll tell her you’re here.” After inviting Aubree to sit on the couch in the living hall, the butler was ready to go up to call Sonya.Aubree knitted her brows and responded, “It’s okay. I can go up and check on her.”The butler knew Sonya doted on her. He hesitated but eventually agreed to allow her to go upstairs.Aubree responded with a nod. After plastering a smile on her face, she took the stairs and went up.Sonya had just woken up from her nap in the master bedroom upstairs. Upon hearing a knock on the door, she opened it right away.“Mrs. Farwell.” Aubree grinned politely. “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”Sonya, too, responded with a smile when she realized it was Aubree. “Not at all. I just woke up.”Aubree walked up to her and held her arm affectionately. “I brought you lots of gifts. Let’s go down and check them out.”“Aww, you’re too sweet.” Sonya glanced at her. “You didn’t have to do that. I’m happy that you’re h
The search lasted the entire morning.The grim-faced Cayden, who returned with his subordinates in the afternoon, said, “We found nothing, Mr. Farwell.”Admittedly, Cory was an excellent private investigator.Cayden could not help but wonder how he had managed to keep in touch with his employers.Not only did Cayden not find any evidence of how the mastermind instructed Cory to spy on Roxanne, but he also could not find proof that could expose Cory’s identity as a private investigator.Cory began playing the sympathy card. “Mr. Farwell, I told you no one instructed me to do anything.”Lucian waited for half a day but did not get the answer he was looking for. His eyes blazed with fury when he saw the pretentious innocent look on the culprit’s face.“If no one put you up to this, why did you stalk her?” he asked.Cory blinked innocently. “B-Because I find Ms. Jarvis attractive. I wished to snap photos of her since I was trying my hand at photography.”He had felt nervous before Cayden
Meanwhile, Lucian, too, ordered Cayden to investigate the issue.With Farwell Group’s financial capability, the investigation was carried out effortlessly.In less than an hour, Cayden had managed to bring the private investigator to Farwell Group.It was not until the private investigator was led to Farwell Group’s entrance that he realized something was off.“D-Did I do something wrong? Why did you bring me here?”Cayden cast him a cold glance. “Why are you asking me that? I’m not the one who calls the shots here. You’ll find out soon.”The private investigator’s legs trembled when he heard Cayden’s words.The only person who came to mind when he thought of the person who called the shots for Farwell Group was none other than Lucian Farwell.The private investigator had recently been following Roxanne around on Aubree’s orders. During those times, he had indeed seen Roxanne interacting with Lucian.Yet, he paid no mind to that.After all, he was merely doing as instructed. He did no
Upon hearing that, the doubtful Roxanne and Madilyn exchanged glances.They had spoken to nearly all the research institutes that could develop that specific bacterium in Horington, and only that research institute confirmed that their laboratory had previously lost the bacteria.Although it happened half a month ago, the bacteria could remain viable as long as they were appropriately preserved.Madilyn was aware of that and didn’t hesitate to ask, “How did you guys lose the bacteria back then? Do you guys have any findings now?”The person’s answer did not disappoint them. “One of the researchers should have taken it,” he said frankly.Madilyn was filled with confusion when she heard that.“Although we have no solid evidence, we were certain about that. Two days after the bacteria went missing, that researcher suddenly quit. We haven’t heard from her since then,” the person continued.Before Madilyn could speak, Roxanne asked, “What’s the name of that researcher?”The person on the o
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