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 to blow his top.
Lucian had just spun on his heels to leave when his phone rang.
Right now, he wasn’t in the mood to talk on the phone. Pulling out his phone, he was about to reject the call when he realized it was from an unknown number.
Recalling Cayden’s earlier words, Lucian scowled and answered the call.
A female voice rang out. “Hello.”
Hearing that, Lucian narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
Why does this sound just like her voice?
The figure he spotted that afternoon at the airport flashed across his mind.
“Hello? Is anyone there?” Roxanne repeated dubiously after a while.
Lucian came back to his senses and replied curtly, “Yeah.”
His answer was only one syllable, so it was too short for Roxanne to recognize his voice.
Roxanne heaved a sigh of relief after hearing his response. “Hello. I’ve run into a little girl who gave me your phone number. You must be her father, right? Are you free to pick her up now?”
Her voice rang in his ear clearly and resonated in his mind.
The more she spoke, the colder Lucian’s gaze became.
When she stopped talking, Lucian’s eyes were practically blocks of ice.
It’s her! It has been years since we last met, but there’s no way I’d have mistaken her for someone else! Roxanne Jarvis, you’re finally back!
Gritting his teeth forcefully, Lucian lowered his voice deliberately and asked, “Where are you?”
“We’re at Drunken Fairy. We’ll wait here with her. Will you come to the restaurant to pick her up?” Roxanne answered at once.
“Yes. I’ll head there right away.”
With that said, Lucian cut the line and ordered, “Get the car. We’re heading to Drunken Fairy.”
Not knowing why his employer grew furious all of a sudden, Cayden replied in the affirmative hastily.
Roxanne stared at her phone as the screen dimmed. Strangely, she felt nervous for no reason.
The man’s voice sounded hoarse. Why does it sound familiar?
As Roxanne couldn’t figure out an answer, she stopped deliberating over the matter.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Madilyn asked.
After all, they had been waiting outside for some time. She continued, “I’m starving. Let’s head in for dinner. We can bring her out when her father arrives later.”
Roxanne shot her a grin. “All right. Let’s go in.”
She squatted down again to the little girl’s height to meet her gaze. “Are you hungry? Do you want me to bring you in for dinner? Your daddy should be on the way here. When he arrives, I’ll bring you out. Will that do?” she asked.
The little girl stared at her for a few moments, seemingly reluctant.
“If you don’t want to come in, I’ll wait here with you,” Roxanne added patiently.
Hearing that, Archie and Benny chimed in, “We’ll wait with you too, Mommy!”
Madilyn slapped her forehead in exasperation. “Am I the only one starving here? Little girl, we’re not bad people. No bad person will treat you to a meal in an expensive restaurant! You must be hungry, too. Come on in with us. There’s no need to be stubborn.”
Everyone’s gazes fell on the young girl.
As Archie and Benny were also hungry, they stared at the little girl expectantly.
Biting her lip, the little girl came closer to Roxanne and reached out to tug at her sleeve. She then gave a careful nod.
“You don’t have to force yourself,” Roxanne told her gently, seeing through the girl’s thoughts.
The little girl shook her head yet again.
Seeing that, Roxanne patted her head affectionately. She took the little girl’s hand and led her into the restaurant.
Madilyn held the boys’ hands and watched as the little girl trotted beside Roxanne obediently. She teased, “She was wary of us just a while ago, but she’s gotten close to you now.”
With a sigh, she lamented, “Indeed, good-looking people are always favored.”
In response, Roxanne grinned and held the little girl’s hand tightly without responding to Madilyn’s teasing words.
The Drunken Fairy was one of the best private restaurants in Horington. Every dish served was exemplary, and the place only accepted the most high-profile clients. Reservations also had to be made at least one month in advance.
Madilyn had managed to book a table yesterday using her connections. The restaurant’s interior was exquisite; a screen separated every table, each room’s entrance was made of wood, and the building didn’t have a roof. When night fell, the chandelier above gave off a very antique and quintessential vibe, and one would feel as though they were dining under the moonlight. The small group made their way into the building and seated themselves at a corner table. It wasn’t long until the waitstaff arrived with their food. Worried that the little girl would feel uncomfortable, Roxanne gave her all her attention, feeding her and wiping her mouth at every opportunity. Archie and Benny sat next to them. Seeing Estella indulge in the food melted their hearts, and they tried their best to peel as much shrimp as they could for her. Estella never stopped chewing as she kept her focus on the growing pile of food before her. “Did you hear what happened? The Farwell family’s princess has gone missing! The family’s scoured the entire city for her, but they still can’t find her.” Suddenly, a voice could be heard coming from the table next to them. The next person to speak sounded warier. “She couldn’t have been kidnapped, could she? Whoever’s done it sure has nerves of steel. Who would ever dare lay their hands on her? She’s Lucian Farwell’s precious little girl! They must be tired of living.” Roxanne’s movements slowed down visibly at the mention of Lucian’s name, and she began to space out. The conversation resumed anyway. “Right? The little princess might be mute and has never said a single word, but she still gets to live the best life. How lucky of her!” Mute? A look of suspicion flashed in Roxanne’s eyes as she stopped moving. Lucian’s precious little girl is mute? This child I picked up hasn’t spoken a word. Judging from her behavior and clothes, she does look like someone from the Farwells. And that man over the phone! His voice… At the thought of this, Roxanne suppressed her astonishment as she turned to the child on her left. Seemingly having noticed her gaze, the girl glanced up at her with eyes full of puzzlement. As soon as their eyes met, Roxanne felt as though she had been struck by lightning. “This kid… She can’t be Lucian’s daughter, could she?” Madilyn put down her cutlery and stared at the child for a few seconds. “That’d be too much of a coincidence, wouldn’t it?” she asked hopefully. As Roxanne’s best friend, she knew everything the former had gone through for the past six years. This girl looks like she’s around five or six, which means she’s about Archie and Benny’s age. If she really were Lucian’s daughter, that means he would’ve had a child with that first crush of his right after Roxanne divorced him. That guy just couldn’t wait, huh? Roxanne really deserves someone better than him. Not knowing what her friend was thinking, Roxanne recalled all the events that had ensued after she met this child. The more she thought about it, the more certain she was that the little girl seated next to her was Lucian’s daughter. “I’d say we’ve hit the jackpot this time,” she remarked with a grimace. Seeing how sure the woman looked, Madilyn felt her heart sink as she gazed at the confused-looking child. “What should we do, then? Lucian’s probably on his way now!” she whispered. Roxanne began to panic. A brief moment later, she handed her phone to Madilyn. “Take my phone and act like it’s yours. I’ll get Archie and Benny out of here. We’ll be waiting for you at the parking lot.” Madilyn nodded in understanding. Still, seeing the little girl remain perplexed made Roxanne’s heart ache. “I’ll leave this little one to you.” She then turned to her own two children. “Let’s go.” The two boys followed her obediently without question. Upon walking past the little girl, Roxanne felt a soft tug on her sleeve. Looking conflicted, she turned to the child, only to see the latter gripping onto her sleeve tightly, looking extremely flustered. Seeing the girl’s distraught expression really tugged at Roxanne’s heartstrings. Regardless of whatever had happened between her and Lucian, she knew this child was never to be blamed. Eventually, she comforted the little one, “I have to go now. This lady here will take good care of you, so wait right here, okay? Your daddy will be here soon.” With that, she forced the child’s grip off of her and strode out of the private room, never looking back. At the same time, Madilyn hastily instructed the staff to take the three used sets of plates and cutlery away. Not long after the waitstaff had done as told, the wooden door was pushed open. A group of bodyguards dressed in black stood in two rows, making a path in between them. Seeing that, Madilyn instinctively straightened her back and gazed at the entrance, trying her best to appear calm. Then, she watched as a frosty-looking Lucian made his way into the room.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
In the middle of the night, Lucian tiptoed into Estella’s room in the Farwell residence and tucked her in.He watched the little girl sleeping soundly in bed for quite a while before he turned and stepped out of the room.The moment he came out of the room, Cayden stepped forward to update him, “Mr. Farwell, I’ve dropped by the restaurant to investigate the matter. However, I didn’t discover anything as the surveillance cameras there were broken.”“So coincidentally?” Hearing that, Lucian knitted his brows. The moment my suspicion was piqued, the surveillance cameras were broken as well?Looking troubled, Cayden replied hesitantly, “It could be mere coincidence. After all, we haven’t received any news about Mrs. Farwell- I mean, Ms. Jarvis, since she left years ago. I don’t think she’d appear out of the blue in this city.”Right after he said that, he noticed his boss’s expression darkening.Cayden’s heart skipped a beat. He cast his head down and dared not utter anything more.“I got
Roxanne was clueless about the incident at the kindergarten.After leaving the kindergarten, she headed straight to the research institute set up in the country by her professor.The moment she stepped into the building, she saw a charming man dressed in a suit approaching her.“Welcome back, Roxanne. I’m excited to be your colleague again.”Colby Galloway stood before her and extended his hand.Roxanne nodded and shook his hand, quickly retracting it.Previously, Colby was abroad. He was also in Harvey’s team and was involved in many types of research and development.During that time, Colby had been her a*sistant. After all, he was a graduate of a famous school, and his capabilities were acknowledged by Roxanne and Harvey.Though Roxanne’s attitude was impa*sive, Colby did not mind it. He smiled and offered, “Come on. I’ll bring you to the office.”With that, he turned around and led the way, introducing the structure of the research institute and the key personnel along the way.Up
Lucian furrowed his brows, and a look of annoyance flashed through his eyes.Am I seeing things again? I wouldn’t bother about it if it’s just once or twice, but this has been going on for two days straight. I’ve been seeing her figure in different places. But the silhouette only flashes past my eyes without leaving any traces behind.He could not help but snort coldly before retracting his gaze.I must be going mad. That’s why I’m thinking of her again.Meanwhile, Cayden had been waiting by the side for some time. Seeing Lucian not moving his feet, he asked carefully, “Mr. Farwell, our client has been waiting for a long time. Aren’t we going in?”Lucian shut his eyes for a while and recollected himself before replying calmly, “Let’s go.”With that, he strode into the building with his long legs.Cayden followed closely behind him.When Roxanne and Colby arrived in the private room, all the employees of the research institute were already there.Colby let her sit in the main seat, whi
The private room was empty.Once Lucian entered the room, he shut the door right away.At that moment, the room fell into pin-drop silence. Only the sound of their breathing could be heard.Roxanne scanned the area. For some reason, she felt a sense of danger, and she started struggling fiercely.“What are you trying to do? Let me go!”In the next second, Lucian pinned her against the wall effortlessly.Both their bodies were pressed so tightly together that Lucian’s warm breath landed on her ears.Roxanne suddenly stopped struggling and leaned against the wall, straightening her body stiffly. Without realizing it, she even slowed down her breathing.They were so close that her chest would touch the person before her if she breathed slightly harder.The room fell into dead silence.Roxanne gritted her teeth as her mind raced.No matter how much time had pa*sed, the oppressive feeling he gave her was still as strong as before.However, their relationship had changed long ago.Roxanne c
Roxanne had nowhere to go after fleeing the room, so she hid in the stairwell.As she leaned against the wall and panted, she reached up to touch her aching lips. It felt as if the man’s warmth was still lingering on them.A moment later, Roxanne lowered her eyes self-deprecatingly.It had been many years, and she thought she had no feelings for Lucian anymore. Yet, after just one meeting with him, the man was wreaking havoc in her mind again.After a while of recomposing herself later, Roxanne returned to the room.The workers inside were still partying away, and they only became a little quieter when she entered.Noticing that her mood seemed to have changed since she left the room, Colby furrowed his brows. “Why did you leave for so long? Did something happen? It’s… like something’s off with you.”Roxanne gave him a nonchalant smile and shook her head. “It’s nothing. I gave my son a call.”With that, she took a seat, not letting Colby ask her anything else.Roxanne had left for qui
Once the two boys were upstairs, the smile on Roxanne’s face slowly faded.Madilyn turned off the television and inched over to ask in concern, “What’s the matter? Something on your mind?”After a moment of hesitation, Roxanne told Madilyn a lighthearted version of what happened earlier. “I met Lucian when I was having dinner just now.”There was no one but Madilyn who Roxanne could talk to about what happened six years ago.Upon hearing that, Madilyn froze. Then, she whispered, “What kind of fate is tying you both together? Horington is such a big city, and I thought the chances of the two of you meeting would be close to zero if you’re not actively seeking each other out.”Roxanne lowered her eyes, seemingly deep in her thoughts.“So, what are you thinking about after meeting him?” Madilyn continued querying.The corners of Roxanne’s lip turned down. “What can possibly be on my mind? My relationship with him has ended six years ago. We’re nothing but strangers now. I won’t be affect
On the way to the Farwell residence, Estella puffed up her cheeks as she sat in the backseat. She stared at her father through the rearview mirror. “Daddy, did you make Ms. Jarvis angry again?”Lucian frowned slightly when he heard Estella’s soft and adorable voice.Estella caught on to the change in Lucian’s expression and knew that she had guessed correctly. She snorted angrily.She had thought that Lucian wanted to bring her to meet Roxanne.However, it turned out he had gone to create trouble for Roxanne instead.“I won’t listen to you anymore, Daddy!” Estella said gloomily.Lucian’s frown deepened. He patiently explained, “It’s because of work.”It’s this excuse again!Estella looked at the rearview mirror unhappily and said, “You only know how to lie to little kids, Daddy.”Lucian’s eye twitched in anger when he heard that.Estella continued listing out her grievances. “You also said that to me the previous time! Earlier tonight, you tricked me into bringing you to Ms. Jarvis t
Lucian stared at Roxanne with a grim expression. Even if she did not say it out explicitly, he could tell that she was still being suspicious of him.Realizing that, Lucian’s expression darkened terribly, while the tone of his voice became colder.“Since you are refusing my offer, Ms. Jarvis, I won’t insist upon it anymore.”With that, he turned around and left the study.As she watched his retreating figure, Roxanne’s eyes glinted with an unfathomable emotion. Confusion filled her heart at that moment.Lucian’s words still left her wondering why he had decided to come all the way to see her in the first place.She wouldn’t believe his claim that he was merely here to provide the medicinal herbs.However, Lucian did not mention anything else besides that.Roxanne mulled over it in the study alone, but she could not find an answer to her doubts.After quite some time, she finally decided to leave the room.Meanwhile, the children had finished their dinner and were playing in the livin
Roxanne could feel Lucian’s heavy gaze on her back. Although her back was facing him, she still could not ignore the fact he was staring at her.Due to Lucian’s presence, she was no longer in the mood to eat anything.“You kids go ahead. I have something to discuss with Mr. Farwell,” said Roxanne softly after taking several quick bites and placing away her cutleries.She could not stand having Lucian staring at her all the time, and she wanted to know why he came to her place.The kids did not think too much about that and nodded obediently in response.Seeing that the kids had agreed to let her go, Roxanne stood up and walked over to Lucian. “Let’s talk in the study.”Lucian nodded casually and stood up, following her to the study.“Mr. Farwell, to what do I owe this pleasure of having you over at my place? Do you have something important to tell me?” Roxanne stood in the center of the study, looking at him warily. “If you’re here to offer me the technical advisor’s position for Her
That night, Lucian went to the kindergarten to pick Estella up. It was already late by the time he arrived, so Estella was the only kid left at the kindergarten.“Daddy,” Estella greeted him aggrievedly after noticing his arrival.He patted her head apologetically. “I’m sorry that I’m late.”Then, he looked up and nodded at Pippa.Pippa had waited with Estella the whole night. Now that Lucian had finally shown up, she could rest a*sured and let him take the little girl home.After bringing Estella into the car, Lucian sat idly for some time instead of starting the vehicle.Estella urged him in puzzlement, “Daddy?” Her voice pulled him back to reality.He glanced at the little girl through the rearview mirror and saw a bewildered expression spread across her face.“Have you seen Ms. Jarvis in the past few days?” he asked.Estella became crestfallen upon listening to his question and shook her head dejectedly.However, she quickly turned delighted. “Archie and Benny said I’ll be able t
Jonathan cleared his throat at Lucian’s lack of response.“I heard a fire broke out in Dr. Jarvis’ research institute two days ago.”Hearing that, Lucian snapped his brows together.Jonathan was satisfied to see his response. “What’s the matter? Did you not know about this?”Lucian nodded, his expression somber.He had not seen Roxanne since the kiss the other night.Therefore, he knew nothing of what happened to her.Although Estella would try to get news about Roxanne from Archie and Benny before telling her father what she learned, Lucian knew that Roxanne would not let the boys know that she had been in danger.Jonathan fell silent when he saw his friend’s grim expression, and he waited for Lucian to speak instead.“Was the fire a bad one? Was she hurt?” Lucian could not help but ask.Jonathan lifted a brow. “Won’t you know if you go and take a look at her?”At that, Lucian’s expression turned dark again.Jonathan was bewildered by that.What does this mean? Did they have a fight
When the a*sistant thought about how Jack had invested twelve billion in Herbscape Group, he found himself unable to continue speaking. Despite everything, twelve billion was a hefty sum.Even if Herbscape Group was a hot potato, keeping it around meant that they would be able to see where the twelve billion was going.If they threw the hot potato away, it would mean throwing the twelve billion into the gutters.“Do tell me how you’re planning to deal with this,” Jack urged with a frown.Jack’s voice snapped the a*sistant back to his senses, and he had no choice but to steel himself and continue.“If we keep Herbscape Group around, I’m afraid it’ll affect Damaris Group’s reputation, so…”Jack arched a brow.The a*sistant squeezed out, “So, the best way to deal with this is to cut ties with Herbscape Group as quickly as we can.”It’s even better if we do it before the news of Herbscape Group’s executives landing in jail spreads.That was what Jack thought as well, though his heart ach
Only after hearing Colby’s response did Roxanne relax slightly. “I see. I’ll leave it to you, then. Feel free to come to me if you need anything,” she said.Colby agreed.Roxanne couldn’t help adding emotionally, “If you can find those medicinal herbs again, you’ll solve a huge problem for me.”Finally, Colby felt chirpy upon hearing Roxanne’s tone.Ever since Roxanne went to the research institute, she had been solving all kinds of problems on her own.She would only let him, the person in charge of the research institute, help her with trivial matters.Therefore, Colby knew that despite her praises, she had always only regarded him as an ordinary researcher at the research institute.After all, he was nothing compared to the men she had by her side.This time around, he was rather surprised at the fact that it didn’t take much to trick Roxanne into holding him in high regard.No one would’ve expected him to do so much just to create a distance between Roxanne and other men. It’ll b
Jason was regretting what he did dearly. In fact, he regretted it the moment he did it the day before. However, Colby had already locked the research institute up, so he couldn’t salvage the situation, even if he wanted to.That morning, he made the effort to arrive at the research institute to see if there was anything he could do to fix it.However, he was wrong when he thought he had arrived early enough. By the time he arrived at the entrance, the firefighters were already at the scene.Jason couldn’t help but slap himself twice across the face when he recalled the burnt storage and what Roxanne had said.“This is my fault, Dr. Jarvis. I’m so stupid!” Utterly embarra*sed, he asked, “Since I’ve come forward on my own, c-could you please let the matter slide? My son is still in the hospital…”Roxanne dug her fingers into her palms to force herself to stay calm. “That’s not up to me, Dr. Coleman.”“This matter is being investigated by the police. Jason, how could you be so foolish?”
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