Estella hesitated momentarily before nodding gently.Seeing her admitting to it, Lucian frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”Estella shuddered and inched closer to Roxanne, feeling frightened.Roxanne cast Lucian another displeased glance when she saw Estella’s reaction.The kid’s injured. How could he still speak to her in such a tone?“Does it hurt a lot?” Retracting her gaze, Roxanne held Estella’s hand and massaged it gently.Estella pursed her lips and nodded.“You’ll be fine. I’ll help you to apply medicine. It won’t hurt in a while.” Roxanne gently released Estella’s hand and instructed her boys, “Keep her company. I’ll get the medical kit.”The boys nodded immediately and started taking turns telling Estella some interesting things..Soon. Roxanne returned with the medical kit, and she carefully applied some medicinal creamonto Estella’s hand.Estella was well-behaved throughout the entire process. When it hurt, she would only shrink away a little and would quickly place her ha
Estella was working with the boys on the final stages of a Lego project they had been working on together.Having already assembled a section, the children were struggling with the height of where it was supposed to be attached. Roxanne was usually close by to lend a hand after the preliminary assembly was completed on the ground.As she was busy with the dishes at that moment, the children stood around, figuring out how to circumvent that obstacle.After a glance around, Archie decided to bring a chair from the dining table.“Here, let me.” Taking pity on the children, Lucian softened his expression to the best of his ability and offered Archie a hand.Archie hesitated for several seconds before handing the assembled part in his hands to the man. Following Archie’s instructions, Lucian took it and snapped it in place.“Thank you,” Archie said gruffly.Lucian nodded noncommittally. With one hand in his pocket, he mostly watched the three children amuse themselves with the toy bricks
Roxanne sighed in secret relief when he finally let go of her hand. She leaped up as soon as she could place some distance between them. “Thank you, and sorry again for troubling you.”The man frowned slightly at her words but did not respond.Roxanne glanced at the mess on the kitchen floor and made to get up.“What are you doing?” The sullen voice sounded again.Roxanne froze. “The floor needs cleaning up,” she said. “The children might step on the shards.”Lucian’s scowl deepened.Despite this woman’s stellar credentials, she can’t even take care of herself!Roxanne grew anxious at the man’s gloomy expression, not knowing what she had done wrong this time.Could it be because of the trouble she had caused him earlier?After careful consideration, Roxanne was about to apologize when he spoke again.“You can’t get your bandage wet. Let me find you a housekeeper.”Without giving her a chance to respond, Lucian gave his assistant a call.After his dinner, Cayden was about to wash up an
Aubree, seated on the couch, leaped to her feet when she saw them crossing the threshold. She bent down and tried to touch Estella’s head, which the latter did her best to avoid.Aubree’s eyes flashed with displeasure, which she quickly hid by straightening up with a smile.“What’s the matter?” Lucian studied her intently. His tone remained indifferent.Aubree gave him a casual smile. “I want to thank you again for lending us someone today. You helped us out of a jam there, and Dad had me come over to offer our gratitude personally.”She was going to add something else after a brief pause, but Lucian cut her off, “Is the matter resolved?”Aubree was momentarily dumbfounded by his bluntness. She nodded with a smile that now seemed rather forced. “Well, the little trouble we had kept us busy until the afternoon. I hope it didn’t interfere with your business.”Lucian nodded. “There are plenty of employees in Farwell Group, and the absence of one wouldn’t make a difference. There’s no nee
Thankfully, Lucian wasn’t insistent and put his daughter down on the ground as she wanted. However, just as he was about to reach for Estella’s hand, he realized she had already scampered away.For a moment, Lucian was stunned as he subconsciously turned to look behind him.To his surprise, he saw Roxanne and the rest smiling fondly at Estella, with the former even walking toward the little girl.It was a rare sight as Estella ran toward the school’s entrance while waving wordlessly at Roxanne and the boys.Seeing that the little girl was too caught up in the excitement to care about road safety, Roxanne quickly rushed over to hold her hand. When she saw Lucian walking calmly toward them, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of helplessness.Estella grinned from ear to ear as she held Roxanne’s hand. Once they stopped walking, she even hugged the latter’s leg affectionately.Archie and Benny weren’t jealous either and greeted Estella with big, friendly smiles.When Lucian finally came t
By the time the treatment was over, Frieda had also returned home.Upon finding out from the butler that Roxanne was treating Alfred, she made a beeline for the latter’s bedroom.“Grandpa, how are you feeling?” Frieda asked concernedly the moment she stepped into the room.Alfred nodded slightly. “Much better.”Having lived for so long, he had gained an understanding of how traditional medicine worked and had also consulted countless famous doctors.Roxanne, however, had come as a delightful surprise to him.After each course of her treatment, Alfred would always feel a significant improvement in his health, which was something that not even the best doctors in the world could achieve.Frieda looked her grandfather over and finally nodded with a smile. “That’s good to hear.”Then, she turned to Aubree and added, “Have you come to visit Grandpa too, Aubree? Since it’s getting late, why don’t you stay for dinner?”Naturally, Aubree had no objections to that and grinned broadly. “In that
Frieda glanced at Roxanne and was surprised to see her still so calm and composed. Hence, she turned to Aubree and said with a lilt to her voice, “Aubree, you and Lucian look so much in love! Have you picked a date for your wedding yet? I’m still waiting to be your bridesmaid!”As soon as those words were out, Roxanne froze in her tracks.Huh? What did she mean by that? Are Lucian and Aubree not married yet?Aubree, too, felt her smile freezing in place. After all, she hadn’t expected Frieda to bring up the wedding right there and then.Just as she began thinking about how best to change the topic, she felt Alfred’s concerned gaze on them. “That’s right. The two of you have been together for so many years. Even Estella has grown up too. Isn’t it time to settle down?”“Yes, you guys should’ve gotten married a long time ago. I don’t even know why you’ve dragged it on until now,” Jonathan teased.For a moment, everyone had their eyes on Lucian as they waited for his response.However, in
Jonathan, too, couldn’t help but furrow his brows.Since dinner started, he could already feel something was wrong between Lucian and the two women, but unfortunately, he couldn’t put his finger on it.“Aubree?” Frieda mumbled, baffled at how stunned her friend was.Thankfully, Aubree was brought back to her senses and quickly forced out a smile. “Well, I still have work to do, so I shan’t disturb you guys any longer.”Even though Jonathan and Frieda could tell that something was amiss with Aubree, they refrained from asking any more questions. After exchanging a few more words, they eventually saw her off.Once they were back in the mansion, Jonathan immediately turned to his sister. “Hey, how did you know that Dr. Jarvis has kids?”Frieda pursed her lips. “I saw them when I was out for lunch with Aubree. Oh, I also know that she’s Lucian’s ex-wife! I can’t believe she had the gall to come back!”Upon hearing that, Jonathan was momentarily shocked before realization dawned on him.No
Cayden had always been highly efficient at work. Besides, he only had to investigate the research institute’s recent purchase orders. That evening itself, he entered Farwell Group’s CEO’s office with the latest purchase order in hand.“I’ve done as you asked, Mr. Farwell. Here, have a look.”Taking the order from Cayden, Lucian looked it over while listening to his report.“A bottle of medicine on this order doesn’t match the actual quantity purchased by the research institute. From my investigations, Colby was the one who privately arranged for the purchasing staff to buy it. He placed it with one of the other medicines and sneaked it into the research institute.”At that point, a conflicted expression showed on Cayden’s face as he admitted, “However, I couldn’t find out what medicine he smuggled in. He hid it so well that even the purchasing staff doesn’t know the answer.”In a flash, Lucian’s gaze darkened a shade.Although we don’t know the kind of medicine Colby privately bought
Frieda stood rooted to her spot as she looked at Jonathan and Lucian leave. She was stunned for a while before regaining her senses and hastening toward Aubree’s ward. She had to hear Aubree’s answer in person.Frieda was halted by Jonathan’s subordinate, who was stationed outside the ward’s entrance. “Ms. Queen, Mr. Queen forbade you from coming close.”She glared at him angrily. “Get lost! I’m just going in to say a few things. I’ll come out the moment I’m done talking.”With that, she made to stride into the room.Jonathan’s subordinate was caught in a difficult position, standing before Frieda and blocking her way forward. Still, he didn’t dare to lay a finger on her and could only watch as she pushed the door open and walked into the room.“Aubree!”Frieda impatiently wanted confirmation from Aubree right after she opened the door.The next second, she caught herself when she witnessed Aubree crying hysterically. Then, she quietly left the ward.There wasn’t any need for her to
“Lucian, what are you talking about—” Of course, Aubree would never admit to what she did, so she had no choice but to continue playing coy. However, Lucian did not let her finish her sentence. “We’re both at fault for letting our joke of an engagement drag on for six years. Now, it’s time to end it! After you get discharged, I’ll announce the end of the relationship between our families. I’m only doing this for Old Mr. Pearson’s sake, so play along if you know what’s good for you!”We’re calling it off? Aubree widened her eyes in shock and took quite a while before regaining her senses. It took me six years to finally get Lucian to give me another chance. I can’t believe my dream shattered when I’m this close to realizing it! How can he be so cruel to me? No! I won’t allow this to happen! I’ve worked so hard for six years, so there’s no way I’m going to let him get his way!Ignoring the injury on her arm, Aubree gritted her teeth and reached out to grab the hem of Lucian’s shirt. He
“Lucian, how’s Dr. Jarvis?” Jonathan gingerly asked after they had driven for some distance. It was bad enough that one could cut the tension in the car with a knife, but it was even worse to see a grim-faced Lucian in the rearview mirror. Naturally, Jonathan couldn’t help but wonder if he had imagined the earlier interaction.I remember Lucian being perfectly normal with Roxanne and the kids just now. Why has he done a one-eighty since getting into the car?Alas, Lucian merely shot Jonathan a cold stare and asked, “Where are Aubree and your sister?”“I sent them to the hospital,” Jonathan replied, sheepishly touching his nose as he did.“Take me there.”Left with no other choice, Jonathan sighed inwardly and nodded.D*mn it. I wonder if he’ll take his anger out on our family when he sees Frieda later…After a few seconds of silence, Jonathan composed himself and brought the focus back to Roxanne and Lucian. “By the way, Dr. Jarvis wasn’t hurt, was she?”Lucian shook his head, his ex
“Trust me.” Following Lucian’s gentle murmur, a soft kiss fell on Roxanne’s lips.Roxanne instinctively held her breath and gazed at the man before her dazedly.Her eyes flickered when she thought of his words earlier, and she finally let down her guard.Although Lucian wanted to deepen the kiss, he could only test the waters carefully as he wasn’t sure about Roxanne’s feelings. Sensing that, Roxanne slowly closed her eyes.The next second, Lucian pulled her into his arms and engulfed her in a heated kiss.After a long time, Roxanne began to run out of breath. She pushed at Lucian’s chest, and only then did he let go of her reluctantly.Lucian panted heavily with furrowed brows, his eyes as deep as the ocean. As he stared at Roxanne, it seemed as if he was going to devour her.Upon meeting his eyes, Roxanne felt her heart skip a beat. She averted her gaze in a panic and forced herself to stay calm. “Let’s eat. The kids must be starving.”Then, she dished up the food nonchalantly to b
“Let me help you.” Lucian picked up the kitchen knife as he returned to his senses.Seeing Lucian holding a kitchen knife in his hand felt weird as he looked like a nobleman in his expensive tailored shirt and trousers.Err… he looks out of place.Roxanne was at a loss for words as she watched on.She had wanted to treat Lucian coldly when he told her to make way but was too stunned to do so.Lucian clumsily sliced through the vegetables as he wasn’t used to doing all this.He managed to double the amount of time Roxanne would have normally spent on cutting the vegetables.Roxanne quickly returned to her senses just as Lucian was about to carry on with preparing dinner. “Please leave the rest to me.”Lucian stepped aside and watched Roxanne as he knew he wasn’t good at cooking.Roxanne felt awkward being watched, so her actions were rather stiff.“Are you regretting your actions just now?” Lucian suddenly spoke up.Roxanne paused as his question completely caught her off guard. The s
Benny could not help but chuckle after complaining. His laughter influenced the other two children to chuckle uncontrollably as well.The children came upstairs to take a look as they were worried about Roxanne.However, they did not expect to see the scene of Lucian hugging Roxanne when they went up.Hence, the children paused in their steps and hid in the corner to watch secretly.They were all a little taken aback to see that Roxanne was attempting to return Lucian’s hug. Their eyes were wide with expectation, and they did not notice when Roxanne was looking back at them.Although the children were caught peeking, they were much happier than any other day.Becoming a family shouldn’t be a far-fetched dream from how Mommy and Daddy have gone further than reconciling.”Let go of me now…” Roxanne’s face flushed, and her voice was brimming with guilt from being seen by her children.Lucian then let go of her slowly, but one of his arms was still on her waist. He looked solemnly at the
The child’s innocent question only made Lucian feel more horrible. The word “homewrecker” was a cruel term.However, Lucian was the reason behind Aubree’s guts to call Roxanne that.Realizing that, Lucian felt a suffocating pain in his heart, followed by an overwhelming guilt.When there was no answer from Lucian after some time, Benny started to panic. “Mommy’s not a homewrecker!”Lucian snapped back to reality and patted his head with a heavy feeling. “How could your mommy be a homewrecker? She’s—”Lucian stopped talking and said no more.Surprisingly, the children did not press on.The answer about Roxanne not being a homewrecker was enough to make them relieved.Lucian got up from among them, informing, “I’m going upstairs to have a look. Stay here and wait for me, okay?”The children nodded fervently and watched Lucian head upstairs.When he reached Roxanne’s room door, he knocked on it, but there was no response inside.“Roxanne, it’s me. Open up. I want to talk to you.”It was
Jonathan sent the two to the hospital, handled the ward admission procedure, and asked someone to take care of them before he left. He feared he would lose his temper if he stayed there with Frieda.Before leaving, he still felt worried, so he ordered his subordinates, “Keep a close eye on her during this period. Contact me first thing when you notice anything unusual about her.”Naturally, the subordinates promised without hesitation.Jonathan turned around and took one last glance at the ward before letting out a heavy sigh. With that, he strode out of the hospital.After getting into the car, Jonathan pondered whether he should pay Roxanne a visit.After all, judging by Aubree’s and his sister’s appearance, he figured the trio had gotten into a fight. Frieda and Aubree were already terribly injured. He could not help but wonder if Roxanne was injured as well.After mulling over it for some time, Jonathan dismissed the idea. Instead, he called Lucian.Rightfully, if Roxanne was rea