Ultimately, they were children. Despite what happened earlier, Benny returned to his happy self after playing with the dolphins. Seeing it was almost time, the staff in front reminded, “Mr. Farwell, it’s time to return.”Lucian gave him a brief answer and turned to the children standing on the deck. “Come here. It’s time to go back.”However, the children still continued patting the dolphins’ heads, reluctant to leave.Seeing that, Lucian frowned. He had no idea how to get them to come back.Meanwhile, Roxanne was amused to see Lucian’s troubled looks. She stepped forward and said gently, “We’re going back now. Let’s say goodbye to the dolphins.”With that, she held the children’s wrist.Only then did the children return to reality and wave at the dolphins reluctantly. “We’re going back! Goodbye!”As if understanding their words, the dolphins leaped into the air one by one.When Archie and Benny were waving at the dolphins, they felt a wet and slippery feeling on their faces.The chi
The smile on Roxanne’s face deepened when she saw how much Estella liked the conch. Roxanne took the conch and placed it beside Estella’s ear.Estella tilted her head and shot her a puzzled look.“Listen. Legend says conches have the sound of the waves. Can you hear it?” Roxanne gazed at Estella with a smile.When Estella heard that, her eyes lit up, and she listened attentively.After some time, she nodded vehemently. “Yes! I hear it!”This time, it was Roxanne who was surprised.Roxanne was only playing with Estella. Never did she expect the kid to give her a definite answer.For a moment, Roxanne could not help but doubt herself.Archie and Benny came over when Estella said she heard the sound of waves in the conch. “We want to listen to it, too!”Still feeling dubious, Roxanne placed the conch at the boys’ ears.After some time, Archie and Benny nodded vigorously, their eyes sparkling.Their reactions filled Roxanne with greater suspicion. Unable to fight her curiosity, she placed
It was getting dark by the beach, yet the crowd was getting larger and larger. Roxanne’s anxiousness flared as she recalled the incident the night before. Even though a day had pa*sed, she was still worried when she saw the large crowd. She hurriedly rounded up the kids and left the beach.Coincidently, it was dinner time. Lucian took them straight to a nearby restaurant.The kids’ pockets were full of sea shells. They emptied their pockets and set all the shells on the table before launching into a debate over who owned the best-looking shell.Roxanne’s eyes softened and laced with amusement as she watched the kids hard selling the shells in their possession.After a moment, a waiter came to their table with their food. Seeing that, the kids unwillingly kept all their shells.Both kids and adults were starved after spending the entire afternoon at the beach, so they were silent as they dug into their meals.After dinner, Roxanne and Lucian took the kids to a craft workshop.The work
Seeing Roxanne accepting her present, a smile returned to her face.Roxanne carefully kept the keychain in her purse, then reached for the bracelet she made. When she held onto Estella’s wrist, Estella was confused but still lifted her wrist nonetheless.Soon after, she watched as Roxanne clasped an exquisite seashell bracelet over her wrist.Estella’s eyes sparkled seeing the accessory.Roxanne compared Estella’s wrist with the length of the bracelet and let out a breath of relief when they fit. “I have a present for you too. Do you like it?” she asked with a smile.Estella nodded her head with her gaze glued to the bracelet and applied the words she learned from Lucian. “I love everything Ms. Jarvis gives me!”Roxanne laughed at her words.She only learned how to speak recently, yet she already knew how to make me happy with sweet words.Estella was earnest, though. She looked down at the bracelet on her wrist, unwilling to tear her gaze away.Seeing how much Estella loved the brace
They wanted to give Lucian a present, but their expression seemed nervous.After a long while, Roxanne reminded, “Mr. Farwell, please accept it, seeing that it’s the boys’ sweet thought.”Roxanne cast a complex gaze at the boys.She was beginning to suspect if the boys had found out about their identities.Lucian finally snapped out of his thoughts and took the shell from the boy’s hand at Roxanne’s reminder.He opened the shell and saw a pair of exquisite-looking cuff links made of tiny shells sitting in the middle.So they worked so hard earlier to make this pair of cuff links for me?A pang hit Lucian’s heart, and he asked, “Why would you give me a present?”The boys exchanged a glance, and Benny dropped his head shyly while Archie answered, “This is our gratitude for your help in finding Benny yesterday and stopping him from doing something dangerous on the yacht today.”Understanding dawned on Lucian, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “I’ll accept this gift, then. Th
Benny joined in as well, “We love you the most, Mommy. We won’t like anyone you don’t!”Although those words were what they said, they still felt saddened.They had been happily spending time with Lucian during these few days. The latter had been taking good care of them as well.If it was possible, Archie and Benny wanted their parents to get back together.However, Roxanne obviously did not think the same way. Therefore, the twins could only respect her wishes.Roxanne was moved by their words, but she did not want them to know that she was afraid. She could not show that she was fearful.Upon listening to her children, she pursed her lips and smiled. “Mommy loves you two the most too.”Archie and Benny smiled sweetly at her.Benny, however, could not help but look back.Just as he did, his eyes met Estella’s aggrieved gaze.When their gazes met, Benny quickly tugged at Roxanne’s hand. “Mommy, Essie’s behind us! Should we wait for her?”Roxanne instinctively turned back to look as w
Hearing Archie’s words, Lucian’s face instantly darkened. “Where is she? Take us there!” Archie instantly ran toward the beach.With Estella in his arms, Lucian followed in long strides behind the boy.Roxanne was still worried about Archie, who had run off alone. After a while, she gently said to Benny, “Help me up, Benny. Let’s go look for Archie.”However, the latter shook his head without hesitation. “You’re hurt, Mommy. You can’t move. Archie will bring someone over soon.”Roxanne’s eyebrows furrowed slightly at Benny’s reaction. “I’m worried for Archie. Although I know that both of you are more than capable to take care of yourselves, I’ll still be worried,” she patiently tried to convince him.Listening to his mother’s words, Benny seemed to hesitate.He did not want Roxanne’s injury to worsen, but he also did not want her to worry for them.Just as Benny was contemplating listening to his mother and helping her up, Archie’s voice could be heard from afar.“Mommy! Mommy! I’ve
Upon hearing that, Roxanne’s lips quivered, but she could not say anything to turn him down.Lucian suddenly moved to shorten the distance between them.Roxanne could clearly feel his large hand pressing onto her waist. He then swiftly carried her up.She instinctively grabbed onto Lucian’s shirt in order to balance herself.“I can walk just fine. You just need to support me,” Roxanne said adamantly after recovering from her initial shock.Then, she struggled to get down.The children were all looking at them. She shouldn’t be so intimate with Lucian.However, Lucian refused to let that happen.All Roxanne felt was his hand tightening on her waist. “You’re a doctor, Ms. Jarvis. Aren’t you afraid that your wound would get infected if it comes into contact with dust and seawater?” His low voice rang next to her ears.Before Roxanne could even react, the children started to panic.“Mommy, your feet shouldn’t touch the ground!”“Ms. Jarvis…” Estella’s voice was full of concern.Roxanne he
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
When the two women arrived at the club, Jonathan had already sobered up a little. He tensed up when he saw Aubree entering the room with his sister.Jonathan vaguely recalled Lucian making a call in his drunken stupor earlier, but he thought Lucian had made a call of regret to Roxanne with the courage of his drunken state.Even if it was not a call to Roxanne, Lucian should have called Cayden instead.Alas, Lucian had called Aubree.So all that talk earlier was a waste of my breath! Lucian has really given up on Roxanne.“Lucian, how do you feel?”Aubree instantly went to Lucian’s side the moment she stepped into the room, and she began studying the man with concern.Lucian had drunk more than Jonathan, and by then, he was already out of his mind.His only reaction to Aubree’s voice was a small nod and a slight furrow of his brows.“Aubree, you should bring Lucian back first. Leave my brother to me,” Frieda suggested.Aubree agreed to it with no hesitance. Nonetheless, she had troubl
Just as those words went past Jonathan’s lips, Lucian tightened his grip on his gla*s. Six years ago…“You must have treated Dr. Jarvis far worse six years ago than how Dr. Jarvis is treating you now,” Jonathan went on. “Back then, I wondered about what she would feel about you focusing on work and Aubree only. I thought she would have left in no time, but to my surprise, she actually lived with you for so many years and even gave birth to your children.”At that moment, a thought seemed to have popped up in Jonathan’s head. “It looks like Dr. Jarvis was deeply in love with you back then. You say you’re a persevering man, but you’re giving up on her in mere months just because she’s a little more serious about her work. In contrast, Dr. Jarvis had stayed by your side for years.”Jonathan even felt bad for Roxanne when he thought about the things she had to go through during those years. Once he was done saying his piece, he clicked his tongue and shook his head.Lucian’s expression d