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 shoulder.
His temper spiking, Harvey gave a bark of laughter and responded, “You’re too overprotective of her! Everyone in the research institute does the same!”
With that said, he shook his head and turned to Roxanne. “How did your research go?”
Roxanne shot him a grin. “It went smoothly. I’ll send the data to you later.”
She paused before asking, “Have you restored the data in your computer?”
Harvey ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “It has been an hour, but I still can’t restore anything.”
Amused, Roxanne patted Benny’s hand. “Benny, go restore Professor Lambert’s computer. Don’t be naughty. What if he loses some important data?”
Benny immediately replied, “That won’t happen. I prepare a backup and various security levels every time. He won’t lose a thing!’
As he said that, he trotted over to Harvey and restored the latter’s computer.
The little boy’s fingers typed on the keyboard furiously and produced lines of codes.
A few minutes later, the computer screen blinked and returned to normal.
Harvey took one look at his computer in admiration. He had to admit his mentee’s sons were geniuses.
At a young age, Archie was already a medical genius. He was capable of differentiating thousands of herbs and showcased his talent in medicine. He also had a sharp eye for investments.
Benny, on the other hand, was interested in programming. He was now a little hacker who was very sensitive to numbers. Like his brother, he also did great in investments.
Besides, both of them were adorable, mature, and cheeky.
Thus, he couldn’t bring himself to yell at them whenever they kicked up a fuss. Instead, he could only vent his frustrations on Roxanne.
Roxanne immediately offered an apology. “I’m sorry, Professor Lambert. Please don’t blame the kids for their naughty acts.”
Please don’t yell at me, too. I can’t always be their scapegoat, can I?
Harvey chuckled at her reaction. “Don’t worry. I didn’t summon you here to yell at you. I have a task for you. Listen, I’ve been planning on setting up a research institute back in the country. It will be focusing on traditional medicine. However, I’m still busy here and can’t leave for now. After careful consideration, I’ve decided to send you back!”
Roxanne had no idea he would say that. She froze and hesitated.
Go back home?
She never thought of going back to that place again after leaving six years ago.
After all, she didn’t have a family or someone she cared about back there.
Besides, she had grown to love Yartran.
Her first reaction was to reject the offer. “Professor Lambert, I—”
Harvey interjected, “Roxanne, I know you don’t want to head back, but I hope you’ll consider my suggestion. You’ve been my student for years, so I believe you know how wide and profound traditional medicine is. There aren’t enough herbs here for you to research. In Chanaea, you’ll have all the herbs you want. You can use and research them freely. Most importantly, many hidden and prestigious families are in possession of ancient medical skills in Chanaea. I remember you’re interested in that, right? That was why I made the suggestion for you to return to Chanaea. You have a bright future ahead of you. Besides, you’re different now. No matter what happens, or who you run into, I believe you can handle everything calmly, right?”
At his words, Roxanne fell silent.
He’s right. I’ve changed into a completely different person now. I can face all obstacles without fear. Besides, it has been six years. Perhaps that man is already married to his first crush. Why am I afraid?
With that thought in mind, Roxanne took a deep breath and nodded solemnly. “All right, then. Professor Lambert, I’ll listen to you and return to Chanaea.”
Harvey beamed. “I’m glad you made up your mind quickly. Don’t worry. I’ll ask Linda to come with you. I’ll also arrange a team to help you out there.”
“Great. Thank you, Professor Lambert!” Roxanne gave a curt nod.
As they were conversing, Archie and Benny shared a look. They could sense each other’s excitement.
Mommy’s finally returning to Chanaea!
In fact, the two of them had been dying to head back for ages. After all, their father was back there. They wanted to see him in person. Of course, they also wanted to teach him a lesson for deserting his wife and children.
Two days later, Roxanne and the boys landed at the international airport in Horington.
Roxanne was finally back in Chanaea after six years.
After disembarking the plane, they walked out of the hallway. Just then, Benny squeezed his legs together and tugged at the corner of Roxanne’s skirt. “Mommy, I need to pee now.”
Roxanne and Archie giggled at the sight of his urgent expression. “Okay. Let’s go, then.”
She reached out to ruffled Benny’s hair.
At once, Benny trembled violently. “Stop it, Mommy. I’m going to pee my pants!”
With a chuckle, Roxanne led him to the restroom.
Archie then brought him into the restroom while Roxanne waited outside with their luggage. She didn’t forget to send her professor a text to inform him about their arrival.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out.
“Idiots! How could so many of you fail to keep an eye on a little girl? What use are you if you can’t even complete such a simple task?”
There was a hint of fury in the man’s melodious, deep, and rich voice. It was pleasing to the ears.
Roxanne’s hands, which were initially typing out a message on her phone, froze instantly.
Six years had pa*sed since she last heard this voice, but she still found it eerily familiar.
Looking up, Roxanne spotted the tall figure some distance away.
Standing not far off was a tall man. His black suit accentuated his long legs and added a touch of elegance to his figure. Even in the crowd, he was eye-catching.
Roxanne could see his perfect side profile from her line of sight.
His tall nose and sculpted features were the envy of many. In fact, he looked so handsome that other men paled in comparison to him.
Lucian Farwell!
Roxanne’s heart clenched at the sight of him.
She had no idea she’d run into him on the day of her arrival.
The feelings she had buried deep in her heart emerged temporarily, but she quickly put a lid on them.
Her gaze turned frosty.
She could finally appear calm before him.
Right then, the boys emerged from the restroom. “Mommy, we’re done!” they declared cheerfully.
Roxanne snapped out of her reverie and nearly had a heart attack.
The first thought that popped up in her mind was that she needed to leave right away. I can’t let Archie and Benny see him. They bear a resemblance to him. If they bump into each other, he’ll definitely realize something’s wrong!
Roxanne refused to get involved with him yet again.
Flustered, she urged, “You’re done? Come, let’s go. You don’t want your godmother to wait, do you?”
Without waiting for a reply, she dragged her luggage away.
Halfway through his phone call, Lucian heard a familiar voice and turned at his shoulder.
From the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar female figure.
Roxanne Jarvis? Is that her? She’s back?
Lucian ran after her immediately, but her figure had already disappeared into the crowd.
As his gaze turned dark, Lucian was about to explode with rage.
She left the country so resolutely and even abandoned the kid. There’s no way she’s back!
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
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
Estella was confused, but she still smiled innocently, for she knew Roxanne was praising her. The former then retracted her hand obediently. Subsequently, Roxanne took out the tools she had prepared and carefully scooped out the yellow flower along with its roots.Estella cocked her head to one side, confused by what she saw.“For medicinal herbs like this, we need to preserve their roots as well,” Roxanne explained patiently.Hearing that, the girl nodded even though she did not understand Roxanne’s words completely.Now that Estella knew Roxanne was looking for that kind of flower, the former quickly got up and scoured the area.It did not take long for Estella to find a huge area of it, so Roxanne collected a few more to be preserved.Soon, noon arrived. The children were clearly hungry because their pace had slowed.Noting that, Roxanne brought them back to the tent to prepare food for them.She had woken up early that morning to prepare a various selection of food for the childr
“What is…” Estella carefully placed the wreath in her hand and shot Roxanne a delighted look. Smiling, Roxanne patted Estella’s head and said, “It looks a little funny because I haven’t made one in a long time.”In response, Estella shook her head fervently. “I love it!”As if to prove how much she loved it, Estella placed it gently in front of her and began drawing it.Seeing that, Roxanne and the boys scooted over curiously, only to be shocked by Estella’s drawing, which was slowly becoming complete.Her previous drawing of the plants was rather decent, though her brushstrokes were a little childish.However, her drawing of the wreath was unbelievable. In fact, it almost looked real.“Essie, you’re amazing!” Benny breathed.Roxanne, too, smiled and nodded in agreement.By the time Estella was done with the drawing, Benny could not help but ask, “Essie, have you taken art cla*ses before?”However, Estella shook her head in confusion.The look of surprise in Benny’s eyes only intensi
The camping location Roxanne had picked was in the suburbs near a mountain. It was a two-hour drive from the city, so they only arrived when it was close to noon. When Roxanne got out of the car, she could not help but sigh in awe while scanning the surroundings. The two-hour drive was worth it.Their camping location was on a lush field with tiny flowers growing all over the place.Roxanne had purposely chosen a wider area to set up their tent. There was also a little forest not far from their spot.The vegetation in the forest was denser, and rabbits would hop out and encircle their visitors from time to time.On the other side was a tiny waterfall, and thanks to the moving water, the surrounding air was quite refreshing and cool.The gurgling sound of water also created a serene vibe. It could not be a more suitable camping site.Happiness was written all over the children’s faces.“It’s so beautiful!” Estella gazed at the scenery, forgetting all the unhappy events that happened t
The next day, Estella got out of bed and waited outside Lucian’s room. She still wanted to convince him to go camping with them. When Lucian opened the door and was about to leave the room, he noticed the girl was standing right before him.Needless to say, Lucian knew her motive.Instead of giving her a chance to speak, he said, “Come. Let’s go and have breakfast. Ms. Jarvis should be arriving shortly.”The girl shook her head, but before she could say something, Lucian interrupted again. “I need to go to the office now. You must obey Ms. Jarvis, okay? Call me if you need anything.”Before Estella could open her mouth and speak, he immediately walked past her and went downstairs.Meanwhile, Catalina was preparing breakfast for them in the dining area.When she saw him walking to the door, she asked in concern, “Breakfast’s ready, Mr. Farwell. Would you like to eat some before leaving?”Lucian continued walking. “I have to leave now. Remember to open the door for Ms. Jarvis later. Sh
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