Given Lucian’s background and stature, he never had the need to put up a front with anybody. Still, he had learned how to control his emotions and facial expressions, having been in the corporate world for so long.Roxanne thought he was really feeling unwell when she saw him frowning.Lucian raised his brows slightly and casually placed one of his hands on his stomach.Roxanne continued sizing him up for a long while. I stayed with him six years ago, and I never knew he had gastritis. That being said, I don’t think he’s just acting. Is he acting weird because he’s experiencing discomfort in his stomach? Otherwise, why would he suddenly change the venue and decide to have a meal instead? Yes, that might be it.Roxanne dispelled her suspicions and agreed to the suggestion through gritted teeth. “I’ve failed to consider your situation, Mr. Farwell. Since you’re not feeling well, you should decide what to eat.”Lucian relaxed the hand he had on his stomach and flashed a subtle grin.“I’
“Yes. I like Essie a lot, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to marry you.” Without giving Lucian a chance to answer her, she added, “What happened six years ago is still fresh in my mind. I don’t wish to make the same mistakes. You shouldn’t trouble yourself anymore, Mr. Farwell.” Roxanne sounded anxious as she spoke. She could sense Lucian’s intense gaze on her.Fortunately for her, she managed to say whatever she wanted to say.Lucian stared at her for a long time, and he thought of explaining himself. However, he changed his mind when he heard Roxanne’s last sentence. I did her wrong six years ago, and I’ve hurt her. I can’t blame her for not trusting me. No matter what I say, I doubt she’ll listen to me now. In fact, she might even think I’m making excuses for myself.At that thought, Lucian said, “I was wrong for using Essie as an excuse. Regarding my feelings for you, I think you’ll see my sincerity in due time.”Roxanne had never seen this side of Lucian, so she didn’t know ho
Meanwhile, Lucian had wanted to go and fetch Estella after he got off work. However, Jonathan had called him and asked him out for a meal. Lucian had wanted to turn him down, but Jonathan had been talking to him about Roxanne for the past couple of days. He might talk to me about her again tonight.With that in mind, Lucian said yes to him.After Lucian hung up the phone, he told Cayden to fetch Estella, while he went to meet Jonathan.When he arrived, Jonathan was already waiting for him.Jonathan waved at him when he saw Lucian walking in.Lucian saw him and walked toward him.The moment Lucian sat down, Jonathan asked, “How was it? You didn’t fight with Dr. Jarvis at noon, did you?”Upon hearing that, Lucian couldn’t help but recall how Roxanne had rejected him at noon that day, and his expression turned solemn.Jonathan noticed the look on his face, so he asked, “Did it not go well?”If Roxanne doesn’t fancy me at all, she wouldn’t have reacted that way when she heard what the se
When Lucian heard Estella mention Aubree, his gaze darkened. No wonder Roxanne still wouldn’t accept me! Even Essie knows about the entanglement I have with Aubree. Surely, Roxanne is still bothered by it. No matter what, I must pick up my pace and get Mom to forget about Aubree. Lucian pulled himself out of his reverie and asked in a deep voice, “Do you like Ms. Pearson?”Estella shook her head vigorously. Why on earth would I like that evil woman? She’s only nice to me when Daddy is present. Whenever he wasn’t around, she would pinch my arms and spank me!Lucian nodded and made a promise to Estella. “I won’t marry someone you don’t like.”Estella’s eyes lit up once again.“But if you want Ms. Jarvis to be your mommy, I’m going to need your help, Essie.” Lucian shot Estella a meaningful look.Perplexed, Estella tilted her head. Daddy is already so capable. Why does he need my help?Seeing that Estella was confused, Lucian helplessly patted her head and explained, “There’s some misun
At that moment, Lucian approached the group and looked at them quietly. When Archie and Benny saw his arrival, they shared a look and greeted him after some hesitation. “Good morning, Mr. Farwell.”Lucian cocked his brows and reached out to pat the boys’ heads.Roxanne had wanted to ignore Lucian’s presence. But hearing Archie and Benny greet him, she figured it would be an unsightly behavior to continue to pretend not to see him when Pippa was around.With that in mind, Roxanne looked at the man and uttered placidly, “Mr. Farwell.”Lucian turned his head and made eye contact with her. “What a surprise to see you sending Archie and Benny today when you’ve just recovered, Ms. Jarvis.”I thought she’d hide from me again after the incident yesterday. That’s why I got Essie to hand the tickets to Archie and Benny and, in turn, help pa*s them to her afterward. What a surprise to meet her again that soon, huh?An odd look crept up Roxanne’s face when she sensed the underlying meaning in th
Roxanne stood outside the kindergarten for some time before she could recover from her trance. Putting away the tickets, she got into her car and headed back to the research institute. Just as she arrived at the office, Jack gave her a call.“The date has been decided; it’s tonight. Is that fine with you?”Hearing those words, Roxanne, whose mind was still in a mess, was slightly taken aback. It took her some time before she recalled what Jack had said when he had come over yesterday.We’re probably going to meet those doctors we’re collaborating with tonight.On the other end, after not getting an answer from her, Jack urged, “Ms. Jarvis? Is anything the matter? Is that not an appropriate timing?”Only then did Roxanne snap out of her thoughts. “It’s nothing. I’m free. I’ll arrive on time tonight.”Though Jack found her reaction a little strange, he did not probe further since they were holding the conversation over the phone. He merely left her some reminders before concluding the
Of course, Roxanne had clearly heard Daniel’s question too, and she couldn’t help but freeze momentarily before glancing at the other doctors seated around her. As expected, everyone was staring at her in shock and bewilderment.The woman then turned back to Daniel and smiled modestly. “You’re being so courteous, Dr. Hopp. I just so happen to know some unorthodox treatment methods out of pure coincidence. It’s an absolute honor that you’re interested.”“I’ve seen what you’re capable of with my own eyes, Dr. Jarvis,” Daniel said. “It’s definitely got nothing to do with coincidences or luck. You don’t have to be so modest.”Roxanne wanted to respond politely, but Jack cut them off with a smile, “Let’s save that for after the banquet, shall we, Dr. Jarvis and Dr. Hopp? It’s time to get down to business.”Roxanne could only hold her tongue and nod at Daniel in appreciation.She and Daniel initially didn’t get along at the start of the last medical consultation, but the man eventually exh
More people began to express their amity toward Roxanne and Larry. It wasn’t long before the ambiance of the room grew harmonious and relaxed.Jack waited a while longer, and after seeing Roxanne and Larry return to their seats, he began to introduce the other doctors.Every figure here had some achievements in the medical field, so a mere mention of his or her was more than sufficient.Soon, everyone felt nothing but respect for one another, not to mention the anticipation of their upcoming collaboration.Now that official talks were out of the way, the audience moved to light-hearted topics, striking up conversations with those they were well-acquainted with.Despite not being a fan of socializing, Jack took the lead and headed to the middle of the crowd with a wine gla*s in hand.Roxanne and Larry clinked gla*ses with all the elders there before returning to their seats.“It looks like the collaboration will go well,” Larry commented, grinning.Roxanne nodded in response and shot
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