“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
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
“Lucian, I’ve been married to you for three years, but you’ve never once touched me. I’ll give my blessing to you and your first crush by giving up on our marriage. Tomorrow, you’re free to go after her. But for now, just make it up to me for my feelings for you all these years, please?”With that said, Roxanne Jarvis leaned down and pressed her lips to the man before her as though she was a moth drawn to fire. Her action was both frenzied and desperate.She knew this was a despicable move, but she had loved him for too long.All the while, she had suffered greatly, and now, all she wanted was a little consolation.“Roxanne, how dare you!”Lucian Farwell clenched his jaw as his fury sprang to life. His handsome face was as black as thunder.He wanted to push her away, but the mounting desire in his body was too overpowering. It threatened to burn away all his capacity for reason.How dare she scheme against me?“I’m afraid of nothing…”A lone drop of tear slipped out of the corner of
Roxanne hurried to Harvey’s office.After pushing the door open, she spotted the little rascals inside. They were sitting on the couch in the office and swinging their legs nonchalantly.The boys lit up at the sight of Roxanne. Scrambling off the couch, they ran toward her excitedly. “Mommy, you’re finally done! I thought you’d be staying in the laboratory forever!”“Mommy, you’ve worked hard! Are you tired? Sit down. I’ll give you a ma*sage.”They led Roxanne to the couch so she could take a seat.As Roxanne took in their concern, she suddenly felt it was worth it to get yelled at.“Look at how obedient you are. You weren’t like this when you hacked into my computer earlier!” Harvey huffed angrily behind his desk.Archie declared, “It was all your fault, Professor Lambert! You kept asking Mommy to work overtime. Look, she’s getting malnourished!”“That’s right! Mommy’s an ordinary human being. How could you ask her to work day and night?” Benny chimed in as he kneaded Roxanne’s shoul
Roxanne’s heart lurched to her throat and remained there as she hurried out of the airport. She kept turning at her shoulder to confirm he didn’t come after them.Fortunately, his figure remained nowhere to be seen even after they exited the airport.Roxanne could finally heave a sigh of relief.The kids found it strange that she kept turning her head to glance behind them.As Roxanne seemed anxious, they knew it wasn’t the time to ask questions. Without a word, they allowed her to drag them out obediently.“Roxanne! Archie! Benny!” A woman called from afar.The three of them lifted their heads and saw a lady dressed in a suit, waving at them happily as she made their way to them.Roxanne relaxed gradually at the sight of the woman. Flashing a smile, she said, “Madilyn, it’s been so long!”Madilyn Xander was her best friend back in university and was currently working as a doctor in her own family’s hospital.Shortly after, Madilyn came to a stop before them and flung her arms around
Lucian glared at her silently for a few seconds.Meanwhile, Aubree dug her nails into her palm to stop herself from revealing her real emotions.“You’d better not be lying.”Lucian averted his gaze a while later and turned to Cayden. “Did the police get back to you?”Cayden’s voice was grim. “Not yet.”He glanced at Lucian carefully and asked, “Could someone has kidnapped Ms. Estella?” Concern was evident in his voice.The girl was Lucian’s darling daughter. She was well-adorned in the Farwell family and thus became the target of many of Lucian’s rivals. Previously, she was nearly kidnapped.Now, she was nowhere to be found, and even the police couldn’t find her anywhere. Hence, Cayden couldn’t help but think of the worst—someone had kidnapped her.Lucian’s gaze turned as dark as thunder. “Increase the manpower and expand the search area. I want to see her by the end of today!”“Got it!” Cayden responded loudly.He felt a chill go down his spine when he realized his employer was about
There were now only two people inside the room.Lucian scanned his surroundings before his gaze fell on his daughter.The little girl was still upset by Roxanne’s sudden departure, so upon seeing her father, not only was she completely unafraid, but she even turned away with a huff.A faint scowl appeared on Lucian’s face.Well aware that Estella was just as enigmatic and difficult to handle as her father was, this was a job for Lucian’s assistant, Cayden.“Are you okay, Ms. Estella?”The little girl merely glanced at him before furiously turning away once more.Cayden observed her. Noticing that she was safe and sound, he sighed with relief and turned to report to his boss.With narrowed eyes, Lucian turned to the woman beside his daughter.Madilyn’s chest tightened as she met his gaze, and she secretly squeezed her own hands to compose herself.“Where’s Roxanne?”Lucian’s expression darkened as he took a good look at Madilyn’s face.He could actually tell it was her?Madilyn fretted
Twenty minutes later, the car slowly stopped at the Farwell residence.Estella did not want anyone to carry her. She quietly got down from the car by climbing down slowly.Lucian followed right behind and did not utter a word.The moment the father and daughter stepped into the house, they heard someone calling Estella.“Essie!” Aubree, who was playing on her phone in the living room, exclaimed when she lifted her head and saw them entering the house.The moment she saw the child from a distance, she ran toward her and gave her a hug. “Essie, you’re finally home! How could you run away and not tell us? I got the shock of my life when you went missing, do you know that? Are you okay? Are you injured?”She started inspecting Estella’s body to make sure the latter was all right.Estella froze for a bit, as she was taken aback by Aubree’s actions.But the cold look soon returned to the little one’s gaze when Aubree’s voice kept ringing in her ear, expressing her insincere concern.Does sh
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