“Were they wearing their watches when they left?” Madilyn, who was calmer than Roxanne, asked with a frown. At once, a light bulb went off in Roxanne’s mind. At the same time, regret and frustration inundated her.Too many things had happened today that everything else fled my mind when I realized that Archie and Benny had gone missing, leaving panic all that remained. Luckily, I went over to look for Madilyn!Following Madilyn’s reminder, she called Archie and Benny without delay.Alas, Archie didn’t answer even after a long while had pa*sed.She then called Benny, but still, no one picked up.As Roxanne and Madilyn listened to the ringing tone drifting out of the phone, their hearts sank to the bottom.There were too many reasons that Archie and Benny weren’t answering the calls.The worst possibility flashed across their minds…Roxanne dug her nails into her palms to force herself to remain calm. Unlocking her phone, she checked the GPS location of Archie and Benny’s watches.Only
Slowly getting to his feet, Lucian pinned a dark look on Roxanne, who stood at the door. “I really don’t know when you learned to use your kids to set me up, Ms. Jarvis.”Roxanne’s eyes flickered, her gaze mystified.When had I ever done such a thing?Glimpsing the innocent expression on her face, Lucian frowned and started to head in her direction slowly.The instant Roxanne noticed his intentions, her heartstrings drew taut, and she backed away warily. Throughout it all, she kept a distance from him.“Why are you drawing away if you’re not feeling guilty, Ms. Jarvis?” Lucian sneered.Upon hearing that, Roxanne hesitantly stopped retreating, her brows furrowing imperceptibly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”His gaze gloomy, Lucian demanded lowly, “Don’t tell me it wasn’t because you were sure I wouldn’t ignore the kids’ calls that you had Archie phone me, Ms. Jarvis?”Again, Roxanne clenched her hands by her sides and remained silent.It’s true that I did such a thing, but
“As long as I find a method effective, it isn’t considered despicable,” Lucian riposted coldly after a while, putting away the scrutiny in his eyes. Her eyes flickering, Roxanne nodded self-deprecatingly. “Oh well, I’m not far-sighted enough.”Lucian stared at her thoughtfully.Out of the blue, he offered in a much gentler tone than earlier, “If it’s to your liking, I can retain you as the technical advisor of Herbscape Group.”Upon hearing that, Roxanne snapped her head around with a frown, meeting his gaze in puzzlement.He was absolutely livid just now, but he’s now extending me an olive branch in the blink of an eye. Is this considered… a chance for me to salvage things?At that thought, mirth bubbled within her.Meanwhile, Lucian’s hand tightened around her wrist when he received no answer from her even after a long time had pa*sed.“Farwell Group can likewise give you the same resources as Damaris Group.”Roxanne could sense that the surrounding temperature was gradually droppi
Lifting her eyes, Roxanne glanced at Archie and Benny. Sensing her stare, Archie and Benny raised their eyes guiltily and flashed her a smile before averting their gazes nonchalantly.A strange feeling welled within Roxanne. Gradually, realization dawned upon her.No wonder Lucian asked me such a question earlier. It turned out that they used my name to come and visit Essie.That understanding had a sense of exasperation inundating her. But ultimately, she didn’t say anything.Well, they only did so because they really wanted to come here and visit Essie. Besides, I’m pretty sure Essie’s mood only lifted because they came.“Are you still feeling unwell anywhere now?” Roxanne regarded Estella in concern.In response, Estella shook her head docilely and replied in a cute voice, “Archie and Benny played with me!”At that, Roxanne knew that her conjecture was right. Relief suffused her.“Why did you come so late, Ms. Jarvis? Have you just finished your work?” Estella inquired, concerned
Roxanne didn’t want to tarry after dinner, so she took her leave with Archie and Benny. “Can’t you play with me for a while longer, Ms. Jarvis?”Estella clutched at the hem of her shirt with all the reluctance in the world.Leaning down, Roxanne stroked her head and cajoled gently, “It’s late, so I’ve got to go home.”After saying that, she added in a moment of weakness at the sight of Estella’s reluctant expression, “I’ll come and keep you company another day.”She merely wanted to comfort the little girl, but the latter unexpectedly took it seriously.“When will that be?” Estella gazed at her pitifully with solemnity written all over her face.Upon hearing that, Roxanne was inexorably stunned for a while.When will that be?On instinct, she lifted her eyes and glanced at the man across from her, telling him with her eyes that she didn’t really mean it.In the past, Lucian would speak up and help her diffuse the situation. But this time, he acted as though he didn’t notice her predi
Roxanne could tell that the children were getting anxious, so she did her best to suppress her emotions. “I’m not mad. In fact, I want to thank you for comforting Essie.” Even though the kids’ actions did cause a misunderstanding with Lucian, Roxanne knew Estella’s mood would not have improved had it not been for them.The children breathed a sigh of relief after hearing their mother but remained somewhat cautious.“Sorry, Mommy. We won’t run off by ourselves again,” promised Archie after crawling into her embrace.Despite how dim the light in the car was, the exhaustion on Roxanne’s face was plain to see.The boy was convinced that he did not do anything wrong before, but at that moment, he was filled with guilt.Benny, too, crawled into his mother’s arms and apologized.Then, Roxanne gave her children a big hug before patting them on the head. “I know you were just worried about Essie.”In response, the kids nodded in agreement because they were indeed concerned about Estella.Howe
After confirming that the fire was put out and getting the green light from the firemen, Roxanne was finally able to get near the research institute that was engulfed in an inferno. Her heart sank the moment she managed to get a closer look.She had been worried sick all morning, overcome by the apprehension that the medicinal herbs that she had just retrieved the day before were all gone.Alas, her worst nightmare came true. The very store that caught on fire was the one where the medicinal herbs were stored.Not only were the medicinal herbs the batch that they had just retrieved the day before destroyed, but the other medicinal herbs they previously stocked up were also burned to ashes.Fortunately, Colby had managed to call for help in time and managed to stop the fire from spreading to other areas.“This…” Standing beside Roxanne, Colby found himself to be at a loss for words as he stared at the shambles before them.Roxanne let out a soft sigh. “Well, luckily no one was hurt, a
In the research area, the researchers had just regained their composure from the fire incident earlier and got back to work. When they saw two people walking in, they stopped what they were doing in unison.With a grim expression, Roxanne swept a glance at everyone and asked, “Did anyone come to the research institute yesterday afternoon?”Coincidentally, the surveillance cameras were down, so Roxanne could only a*sume that someone had gone over at that time.As soon as those words fell, everyone exchanged glances with each other silently. Yesterday was a Sunday. It was such a good opportunity to rest at home. So why would anyone come to the research institute without a reason? Besides, she’s asking questions that has something to do with the fire. Even if someone was here, why would they admit it?Suddenly, Roxanne was exuding a fearsome aura as she threw a cold glance at everyone. “I have no desire to suspect anyone here, nor can I think of a reason why an employee at the research
Meanwhile, Roxanne was still lost in a daze. “Madilyn, what…”Cocking a brow, Madilyn stepped aside to usher them in. “Come onboard. I’m here to pick you up.”Roxanne was blown away by the words.Is she asking us to get in the helicopter and leave just like that? We might be able to escape this time, but what about when the reporters come for us again?When she saw Roxanne remaining motionless, the puzzled Madilyn urged her, “Hurry up! What are you still hesitating for? Whatever concerns you have, we’ll discuss it on board.”She extended her hand while speaking.With the helicopter hovering right before her eyes, Roxanne realized that Madilyn’s effort would go to waste if she didn’t get on.Holding that thought, Roxanne took the latter’s hand. Given how close the helicopter was, all she needed to do was take a step forward to board it.After carrying Estella over, Roxanne turned around to do the same with the boys. Little did she expect them to be raring to go.Reciprocating their ent
It wasn’t until Lucian heard Madilyn’s words that he realized her point and stopped in his tracks.“This whole incident might just blow over if you don’t show up, but it will definitely worsen if you make an appearance. If that happens, they might even swarm Farwell Group along with Roxanne’s house!” Madilyn reminded him.She knew the mentality of those journalists all too well.Lucian clenched his fists so tightly that his veins were bulging from underneath his skin. “What should I do, then?” he asked while trying to suppress his anger.I wouldn’t have acted so impulsively if I knew this would happen!Madilyn rolled her eyes at him in response. Why is he asking us for a solution when he’s the one who caused all this?“Mr. Farwell, how about we send someone over to get Mrs. Farwell out of there?” Cayden suggested cautiously.“How are you going to do that? There are so many journalists around!” Madilyn snapped at him.Cayden fell silent and flashed her an awkward look in response.“If
News about the Farwell family’s two additional young heirs, who were given birth by Lucian’s ex-wife, caused an uproar in Horington.Of course, the journalists took action almost immediately. No one knew how they got the information, but they found and swarmed around Roxanne’s research institute and mansion.Roxanne was still asleep when she received a call from Linda telling her not to leave the house that day.When Roxanne received that call, she was still in a daze.However, the moment she got out of bed and saw the crowd outside, she panicked.The crowd was clearly there because of Farwell Group’s statement yesterday.Noticing her room’s curtains were pulled open, the crowd downstairs hurriedly focused their cameras in the direction of her room window and began snapping pictures.Shocked, Roxanne hastily drew her curtains.At the same time, her phone rang again.She grabbed it to take a glance, only to see it was from an unknown number.Suspicious, she answered it. The person on t
“It was Lucian who let Essie stay with me. So, if you want to take her away, you’ll have to get his consent first,” Roxanne emphasized without a change in her expression.The little girl in her embrace immediately chimed in, “I’ll do what Daddy says!”As Sonya watched the mother and daughter duo presenting a united front, she felt her temples throb.After all, her son had already made such a statement. The answer she would get could not be more obvious if she made the call.Roxanne’s saying that because she has no plans to let me take my granddaughter away! Most importantly, my son is siding with her. Ugh! I can’t do anything about it.After waiting for some time and seeing that Sonya didn’t take any action, Roxanne said, “If you don’t want to make the call, then please leave now. It’s getting late, and the children are hungry. I don’t have the energy to prepare another person’s portion.”With that, Roxanne put Estella down and gestured for the boys to take Estella upstairs.Once the
Originally, Sonya did not intend to cause trouble for Roxanne at such an hour.Yet she did not expect her son to release such a shocking announcement on the internet, and she only found out while she was having dinner.Sonya was so incensed that she didn’t even finish dinner. After throwing her cutleries in a rage, she set off and drove to Roxanne’s house.She was determined to make Lucian and Estella cut ties with Roxanne as soon as possible.Now that Sonya saw how dependent Estella was on Roxanne, her anger was further fueled.“Roxanne Jarvis, give me back my granddaughter,” she uttered frostily as if Roxanne had snatched Estella away from her.Sensing Estella’s nervousness, Roxanne gripped the former’s hand to soothe her anxiety. Next, Roxanne lifted her head to face the woman opposite her.If this had happened in the past, Roxanne might not know how to respond to a demand like this.However, things were different now. She was Estella’s mother, so she had the right to keep Estella
The boys were exhilarated for nearly the whole day after seeing the announcement in the morning.When night fell, Roxanne had just stepped into the house when Archie and Benny flung themselves at her in excitement. “Mommy!”She was slightly perplexed by their gleeful demeanor. “What’s going on? Did something nice happen in the kindergarten?”As soon as she ended her sentence, she glanced at Estella and was puzzled. If something did happen in the kindergarten, why isn’t Essie acting the same way as them?Upon detecting his mother’s confusion, Archie said, “Didn’t you see the news on the internet?”That confounded Roxanne even further. What news on the internet?Excitedly, Benny added, “Mr. Farwell claimed that we’re his children, just like Essie!”Did I hear that right? Lucian said Archie and Benny are his children? How’s that possible? Roxanne was stunned.He could tell his mother was befuddled, so he grabbed the laptop, clicked on a public forum, and showed it to her.Farwell Group’s
Jonathan’s jaw dropped open in disbelief. If they aren’t his, why does he look so calm in comparison to me, who is freaking out?“What are you thinking?” He shot Lucian an incredulous look. “If you want to help Roxanne by stopping the haters online, then you can just publicize your relationship with her and issue warning letters through your lawyer. Why would you do this?”If it was revealed that the CEO of Farwell Group had claimed to be the biological father of his ex-wife’s children even though they were not his, no one would believe it. It sounded pretty ridiculous, but that was exactly what Lucian did.“If I only did that, the netizens will still a*sume the worst about the boys’ father.” Displeasure flashed across Lucian’s eyes as he explained, “The kids are innocent. If she’s willing to marry me, it will only be a matter of time before the boys become mine, too.”Lucian knew very well that the last thing Roxanne wanted was to drag the kids into her mess, so he was more than wil
Soon, some recalled Roxanne’s previous scandal after reading the statement. One comment read: So what happened between Mr. Farwell and Aubree Pearson?Another read: Isn’t that obvious? Aubree is the homewrecker. She was the one who faked the rumors so Roxanne would give up on Mr. Farwell!One netizen replied: But what about Roxanne and Jack? They had been involved in two scandals. Besides, they seem to be on good terms.Another comment read: Isn’t that obvious? They are both capable doctors. Besides, the recent medical consultations were all initiated by the Damaris family. It’s normal for them to be on good terms!Many online users expressed their disapproval of Aubree, while the rest offered their support and blessing to Roxanne and Lucian.Now that Roxanne and Jack’s relationship was clarified, everyone thought Roxanne and Lucian were the perfect couple.One comment read: I heard that Roxanne had participated in various medical consultations recently. A while ago, someone ran into
The medicinal herb company owned by the Damaris family was mainly run by their own people, leaving outsiders nothing but envy. Lucian went silent after hearing that.However, that piqued Jonathan’s interest. “Why? Is Roxanne working with the Damaris family again? Do you need my help with anything?”Lucian managed to detect the hint of derision in his voice and snickered. “Go on and acquire the Damaris family’s medicinal herbs company if you’d really like to help.”Jonathan rubbed his nose sheepishly and said, “Well, anything but that.”“Then there’s nothing you can do. Bye.”Lucian hung up the call right after that.Jonathan’s face was full of reproach as he watched his phone screen go dark.That was the second time Lucian had woken him up in the middle of the night and hung up after dropping a bomb on him.It had taken him considerable effort to finally drift off to sleep.Great. It looks like I won’t be able to sleep at all tonight, either!Jonathan lay back down in bed, scrolling