Archie and Benny watched silently and enviously from behind. They also wanted to wear matching outfits with their parents. However, they weren’t as bold as their younger sister. Knowing that Lucian was their father, they tended to act more reserved in front of him.Roxanne looked at the happy smile on Estella’s face, and her concern reduced greatly. She patted the girl’s head and said, “The dress really suits you, Essie. Let’s take it off now so the employee can bag them.”Estella shook her head without hesitation and grabbed Roxanne’s hand tightly.She did not want to take off the dress that quickly when it was rare for her to wear the same clothes as Roxanne.Roxanne could guess what the girl was thinking. Well, since we’re already wearing these matching outfits, I don’t think there is any difference if we wear them for a little longer. She went along with Estella’s idea and asked the employee to bag the clothes they were originally wearing.After following the employee to the cash
When she turned back, Roxanne saw Lucian pouring two cups of water and putting one each in front of Archie and Benny. She was puzzled. Is he doing that because they asked for it, or is it because he wants to relieve the awkwardness from earlier?Just as her mind was still in a chaotic mess, a cup of water suddenly appeared in front of her.Roxanne came back to her senses and glanced at the person next to her.Lucian smiled at her mysteriously, then retracted his hand from the cup and turned his attention back to the stage.After staring at the cup with mixed emotions for a long while, Roxanne thanked him in a small voice. She felt apologetic because she believed she had misunderstood him earlier.In order to show him that she didn’t hold a grudge, she took a sip of water from the cup he had given her.The children’s lips quirked up when they saw how the adults interacted. They thought Roxanne had lowered her guard.When the concert ended, Lucian and Roxanne left the auditorium with t
Roxanne instinctively glanced at the man walking in front of her before lowering her gaze to look at the flowers in her arms. She hesitated about giving the flowers back to him. However, before she could say anything, the three children came up to her. When they saw the flowers, they were elated.“Mommy, where did you get the flowers? They look pretty, and they match you so well!” Benny praised despite knowing who had given his mother the flowers.A wave of embarra*sment washed over Roxanne at the boy’s question. Right as she was about to lean over to hand the flowers to Estella, she recalled that the man was still holding her wrist.Evidently, that was something the children noticed as well.Upon her realization, Roxanne began to turn red in her face. Nevertheless, she forced herself to smile calmly at the children as she discreetly flung her wrist to break free of the man’s grasp.Yet, the man only tightened his grip.Roxanne frowned and turned to protest.When Lucian met her eyes,
Her words made Lucian frown as he grimly gazed at her to study her. If he did not mishear what she said, that meant that Roxanne was starting to waver in her stance.Roxanne blinked when her eyes met Lucian’s. Then, she averted her gaze with false calmness.A moment later, Lucian’s deep voice sounded out beside her ear. “I’ve never liked her romantically, and I’ll never marry her. That’s why there’s nothing for me to explain to you.”At that, shock flashed past Roxanne’s eyes.If this were to happen six years ago, she would never expect to hear this from Lucian.He never liked Aubree romantically? How can that be?She could still remember how Lucian had announced that he would only marry Aubree and no one else six years ago. In fact, he did not even mind resorting to emotional abuse to make her leave.If he’s saying this now, then what about what happened six years ago?Lucian’s eyes were on her, so he saw all of the emotions that appeared on her face.When he noticed her shock, he f
Estella pouted and was visibly upset. “I can play with the boys. I don’t need you taking care of me, Ms. Jarvis.” Roxanne felt a pounding headache when the little girl insisted on staying. She decided to try a different approach and said softly, “Why don’t you come another day, Essie? I will surely accompany you by then. I really don’t have the time today.”When the little girl was about to say something, Lucian suddenly voiced, “Essie, Ms. Jarvis told you she’s busy. Don’t disturb her further.”As Roxanne had mentioned the Damaris family just now, his tone was rather clipped.Estella was shocked by her father’s icy tone. She widened her eyes innocently and dared not say anything else as she gave Roxanne puppy dog eyes.The cold wind roused Archie and Benny from their grogginess. Likewise, they were taken aback by their father’s tone.The two boys exchanged glances with each other. We’d better not piss Daddy off in the future. He’s so fierce!Roxanne disapproved of Lucian’s stern man
At the Pearson residence, a sulking Aubree locked herself in her room. She was so pissed off about the photos Frieda had sent her in the afternoon that she had no appetite for dinner.She did not expect to receive more photos from Frieda when she was about to sleep.In the photos, the man, whom Aubree could not get to meet no matter what she did, was doing all sorts of service for Roxanne—putting his jacket on her, buying her flowers, and holding her wrist.The two looked just like a couple in love.Rage burned in Aubree as she looked at the photos.They were practically disregarding her position as Lucian’s fiancée.If word got out, not only would she be utterly humiliated, but her dream to become Mrs. Farwell would also be shattered.A vicious look crept over Aubree’s face when she thought of that.“That b*tch! Why did she even come back?”She shot up from her bed and flung the things on the table to the ground.Downstairs, Gina was just worrying about her daughter. Earlier, when s
That same night, Sonya was preparing to go to bed when Gina called her. Right after she picked up the call, she heard Gina sniffling from the other end of the line and Samuel’s shouts in the background.“Gina, what’s wrong? Did you argue with Samuel?” Sonya asked out of concern.Gina looked at the father-daughter duo, who was acting at the side. Then, she took a deep breath and choked out, “Samuel is angry at Aubree. I think you should hurry and come over. Aubree won’t listen to any of us right now, but maybe you can get through to her.”Sonya frowned and listened carefully. Indeed, she could hear Aubree’s sobs in the background.Because of the car accident before, Sonya was very considerate toward Aubree. Upon hearing the latter crying, she felt her heart clench. “Calm down and talk to me properly. What happened? What made them so worked up?”“It’s all because of…” Gina stopped her sentence midway as if she was reluctant to speak. She then sighed loudly and continued, “You should ju
“No! I waited for Lucian for six years. Why should I cancel our engagement?” Aubree protested with teary eyes, making sure to look at Lucian pitifully after speaking. Lucian frowned again when he met her eyes.If this were a typical day, he would surely make things clear with the Pearson family.However, he couldn’t do so now since they got into such a big argument because of the matter.Meanwhile, Samuel’s anger barely dissipated when he heard Aubree’s words. He slammed the table furiously and yelled, “If you don’t cancel it, get out of this house! Don’t come back until you come back to your senses. Get out!”Following that, Samuel strode out of the study with a steely face. As he pa*sed by Lucian, he gave the latter a nod.With knitted brows, Lucian watched Samuel leave. In the study, Aubree continued to sob.Gina looked at her husband and then at her daughter. Feeling lost about who she should persuade first, she turned to Lucian in the end. “Lucian, uh… I don’t think Samuel will
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