Roxanne patted Estella, trying her best to comfort the latter. Still, the sobs of the little girl in her arms sounded weaker and weaker.“Essie?” Roxanne gazed down concernedly.Estella had pa*sed out after crying for so long, but tears continued to roll down her cheeks from the corner of her eyes.Roxanne struggled to catch her breath, as she could hardly stand the pain in her chest when she took in Estella’s wretched state.The weather is so cold, and Essie’s wearing such thin clothes. She won’t last if this situation drags on. I need to think of a way to get out of here!At that thought, Roxanne took off her jacket and wrapped Estella with her outerwear before racking her brain to figure out a solution.However, no matter her methods, she could not climb out of the pit.Instead, she ended up exhausting all her energy.After several attempts, she stopped her futile struggles in slight desperation. She held Estella in her arms to provide the little girl with warmth.The night breeze
Roxanne was only able to heave a sigh of relief after the doctor confirmed that Estella was fine.However, as Lucian was still worried, he decided to admit the little girl to the hospital for one night just to be safe.As it was getting late, Roxanne said, “Since Essie is all right, I’ll take the kids back to rest first. Call me if you need me.”She turned to leave after she finished speaking.However, when she walked past Lucian, the man grabbed her wrist, causing her to draw a sharp breath.“Please examine her too,” Lucian said to the doctor.When Roxanne heard that, she rejected it at once. “There’s no need for that. I know my condition best. I’m not injured and I just want to go home and rest.”Lucian refused to let go of her.Having no choice, the woman walked toward the doctor and rolled up her sleeves, revealing an abrasion on her wrist which Lucian was grabbing a moment ago.She had sustained a scrape from pulling Estella back earlier on but did not want the little ones to wor
After the meal, Lucian told Cayden to send Archie and Benny back home to rest while he stayed in the ward with Roxanne so they could both keep Estella company.Roxanne couldn’t bear to leave the little girl alone in the ward. Estella was still afraid and refused to release her grip on the corner of Roxanne’s clothes.Roxanne felt guilty at the sight of Estella’s pale face. She caressed Estella’s cheek and apologized, “I shouldn’t have rejected you this afternoon. I’m really sorry.”Estella shook her head silently.The guilt in Roxanne’s heart remained, and she looked downcast.Regret had overwhelmed her when she learned of Estella’s disappearance.Now that she knew that Estella was emotionally affected by the incident, she got so heavy-hearted that she could barely breathe.“It has nothing to do with you.” Lucian’s brows knitted together when he heard her blaming herself.Roxanne forced out a smile and glanced at him without a word.She had experienced losing her child, so there was n
Lucian brought Estella back to the Farwell residence after Roxanne left.When they arrived, Sonya and Elias were already waiting in the living room. Aubree was sitting beside them with a woeful expression.Seeing them, Aubree immediately got to her feet to welcome them. “Lucian, is Essie all right?”She then got down on her knees to check on Estella’s condition.Estella retreated and hid behind Lucian. She grabbed the edge of Lucian’s shirt and refused to look at Aubree.Aubree remained patient and reached out to take Estella’s hand. “Essie, I’m really sorry for upsetting you. I was just—”Slap! Estella slapped her hand away abruptly.I hate this evil Ms. Pearson! She’s the reason Ms. Jarvis stays away from me!Aubree refused to give up yet. She came closer to Estella as Sonya and Elias were watching her actions.I can’t let Essie show them that we’re not close to each other!She stretched her hand out again. “Essie, don’t be afraid. I just want to check on your injury.”Without waiti
After learning that it was Roxanne who had found Estella, Sonya stopped reprimanding her. She focused on consoling Estella, who was still crying in her arms.A while later, Estella exhausted her energy and finally stopped crying.“Good girl, Essie.” Sonya patted her back. “Ms. Pearson adores you. She accidentally angered you, so can you forgive her?”Hearing Aubree’s name, Estella scrunched up her brow and turned around. She stretched her hands toward Lucian.Lucian picked her up and answered on her behalf, “Essie refuses to forgive her. Even if Essie does forgive her, I will never forgive her!”With that said, Lucian glared at Aubree. “This has dragged on for long enough. I shall make myself clear once again. I will never marry you. From today onward, we no longer have anything to do with each other. You have no reason to show up before Essie anymore!”His words stunned everyone else.It took Sonya a few seconds to regain her composure. She grabbed Lucian’s arm and demanded, “Lucian,
Archie and Benny had already gotten up when Roxanne arrived home. They promptly asked about Estella.The boys were delighted to learn that Estella could talk again.As Roxanne’s wrist was injured, the boys refused to let her do anything and stayed by her side the entire day.The following day, Roxanne wanted to head to work at the research institute, but the boys insisted that she stay at home.“Mommy, you’re hurt. You should rest at home.” Benny shot her an imploring look.Archie chimed in, “We’re afraid you’ll fall ill, just like last time.”They could still remember how they had freaked out when Roxanne got sick previously.Roxanne knew the kids were worried about her. As her wrist was hurt, it would be difficult for her to work. Hence, she bobbed her head in agreement.After breakfast, the doorbell rang.Roxanne got to her feet and answered the door.She was taken aback by the unexpected visitors. “Why are you here?”Clad in a casual coat, Lucian held Estella’s hand. Estella was h
“You guys are right. All right, then. I’ll get going first. See you all,” Lucian said after a pause, pursing his lips. Since he had unilaterally called off his engagement with Aubree, and the news was not made public yet, Lucian thought he should only let them know later.Archie and Benny were surprised and disappointed when Lucian actually agreed so readily.So, he’s really getting married to that woman. Does this mean he doesn’t want us anymore?The disgruntlement evoked by this thought was apparent on the children’s faces, and they replied curtly, “Goodbye, Mr. Farwell.”Lucian was puzzled by their sudden change of attitude. The man wondered if he had done anything wrong to upset them, aside from his engagement with Aubree.Earlier on, he had found Archie and Benny strangely distant, so he had decided to leave them alone. Yet when he actually did so, the two boys suddenly seemed disturbed by his departure.Seriously… What’s the matter? I can’t think of a reason for their behavior.
Estella’s gaze was glued to Roxanne’s back, tears rolling down her cheeks uncontrollably. Archie and Benny were equally miserable. They did not expect Roxanne to be so heartless. When they saw that the girl was crying, they went over and consoled her.“Don’t cry, Essie. Mommy is really busy these few days. You can always come over and play once Mommy is free again,” Benny cajoled with a smile, yet his attempt was futile.When Archie saw that Estella was still sobbing, he took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears as he comforted her, “We can still play together at the kindergarten, Essie. Mommy really likes you because you’re a good girl, so don’t cry. You’ll look ugly if you keep crying, and Mommy doesn’t like that.”Estella stopped and looked at the boy with doubt in her eyes.“Yeah! Archie’s right,” Benny quickly chimed in with a nod. “Mommy doesn’t like kids who cry.”It was not until then that Estella finally held back her tears with much effort.An inexplicable glint shone
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