Aubree was already waiting at the dining table downstairs. When she saw Lucian and Estella coming downstairs, she faced the girl apologetically. “I’m sorry, Essie. I think I said the wrong thing again earlier.”Estella grabbed her father’s hand tightly as she glanced at him, nonverbally asking him if she really could ignore the woman.He patted her head in consolation and pulled her to his side.Both of them ignored Aubree.The atmosphere at the dining table was incredibly awkward.Aubree was enraged when she saw the father-and-daughter duo sit down to eat without paying even a bit of attention to her as though she wasn’t there. However, she couldn’t vent her anger and even had to try and please the little girl.“You’re still growing, Essie. You need to eat more so you’ll grow taller.” Wearing a fake smile, she put a piece of pork on the girl’s plate.Estella paused in her tracks as she stared at the pork on her plate.Lucian scrunched his brows as he removed the pork from his daught
The next morning, Lucian heard a series of careful knocks on his door when he woke up. The only person who would do that was Estella.As expected, he saw the girl standing in front of his bedroom with puppy dog eyes when he went to open the door.Upon seeing him, she greeted sweetly, “Good morning, Daddy!”Nodding slightly, he patted her head. “What’s the matter? Why did you wake up so early today?”After glancing at Aubree’s room, she lifted her head and stared at her father. “I want to meet Ms. Jarvis! Take me to see her!”The last thing she wanted was to spend time with Aubree, and even the mere thought of having breakfast with the woman filled her heart with disgust.A frown marred Lucian’s face as he knew what the girl was thinking and understood her feelings.However, he needed to attend an important meeting that morning. He would be late if he sent his daughter to Roxanne’s place before going to the company.Thus, his initial plan was to let the girl stay in the house, but whe
Not long after, Lucian brought Estella downstairs. Aubree was already sitting at the dining table.When she saw them, she stifled the displeasure in her heart and smiled at them before pointing to the spot next to her. “Come over here, Essie. Let’s eat breakfast together.”She thought her threat from earlier would make the girl listen to her.To her surprise, the little girl blatantly ignored her. Grabbing onto the hem of her father’s shirt, Estella followed him to the dining table and allowed him to lift her and plop her down on the seat next to him.Aubree’s expression froze when she saw neither of them had any intention of paying attention to her.“You’re heading to work in a while, right, Lucian?” she asked a few seconds later, refusing to give up.He nodded indifferently.Aubree’s rage dissipated slightly when she at least got some response out of him. With a smile, she suggested, “Then let me take care of you today, Essie! I’ll make sure you’ll have tons of fun!”The instant sh
In truth, Lucian was stifling a hint of a laugh as he noticed that Roxanne’s lipstick was drawn out of line. It seems like she was still in a daze when she was doing her makeup. She doesn’t have a clue that her lipstick is out of line.He felt the urge to tease the woman when he saw the blank expression on her face.Lucian let his mischievous side get the better of him and reached out his hand.Upon noticing that Lucian’s hand was mere inches away from her face, Roxanne flinched and hurriedly took a step back to keep some distance between them.His hand was left hanging mid-air, and he titled a brow in displeasure.“Do you have anything else, Mr. Farwell?” Roxanne asked warily.A ghost of a smile fleeted across his eyes as he noticed Roxanne getting all flustered. “Your lipstick is out of line,” he said impa*sively.Roxanne’s face was tinged pink as she instinctively lowered her head to avoid meeting Lucian’s gaze. “Thank you for reminding me, Mr. Farwell. I’ll deal with it myself.”
At the same time, Roxanne was spending time with the three children in her house. Since Estella headed inside, she had been unhappy. No matter what Roxanne and the other two little ones said to her, the girl still seemed to be low-spirited.“Essie, can you tell me what’s bothering you?” Roxanne stopped playing games with the children and brought Estella over to sit on the carpet.Trailing behind them, Archie and Benny were worried as well.After hearing their mother’s question, the little boys stared at Estella expectantly as they waited for her answer.Estella pursed her lips and thought of Aubree, who was currently staying at her home, before looking at the beautiful Roxanne in front of her.If Ms. Jarvis knows that Ms. Pearson lives in my house, Ms. Jarvis will definitely be upset. Daddy is still pursuing Ms. Jarvis. It’d be bad if she misunderstands…Estella’s expression was filled with hesitation as she considered the consequences.Noticing that Estella seemed to have some conce
Lucian hurried to Roxanne’s house to pick up Estella after work that evening. On his way there, Cayden’s words reverberated in Lucian’s mind.Thanks to Cayden, Lucian was reminded that Roxanne had not explained her relationship with Jack yet.Even after he had arrived at Roxanne’s house, Lucian still could not stop thinking about the matter. Thus, displeasure filled his heart.Roxanne was greeted by the man’s cold visage as soon as she opened the door, which got her frozen in place like a statue.I haven’t even given him a piece of my mind about Estella’s matter! What’s with his attitude? He actually has the audacity to show me that gloomy face?“What’s wrong? Is something up at work?” questioned Roxanne, trying to be patient.However, Lucian simply looked past the woman with a deadpan expression before asking, “Where’s Essie? I’m here to take her home.”Roxanne furrowed her eyebrows slightly when she sensed the gloomy aura around Lucian.The three children hurried over the second th
Lucian hurried to Roxanne’s house to pick up Estella after work that evening. On his way there, Cayden’s words reverberated in Lucian’s mind.Thanks to Cayden, Lucian was reminded that Roxanne had not explained her relationship with Jack yet.Even after he had arrived at Roxanne’s house, Lucian still could not stop thinking about the matter. Thus, displeasure filled his heart.Roxanne was greeted by the man’s cold visage as soon as she opened the door, which got her frozen in place like a statue.I haven’t even given him a piece of my mind about Estella’s matter! What’s with his attitude? He actually has the audacity to show me that gloomy face?“What’s wrong? Is something up at work?” questioned Roxanne, trying to be patient.However, Lucian simply looked past the woman with a deadpan expression before asking, “Where’s Essie? I’m here to take her home.”Roxanne furrowed her eyebrows slightly when she sensed the gloomy aura around Lucian.The three children hurried over the second th
Noticing that the two did not enter the room even after some time, the three children couldn’t resist coming outside to check. As soon as they reached the door, they felt the tension between the two adults.“Mommy?” Benny tugged at Roxanne’s clothes cautiously and asked with concern, “Did you get into a fight with Mr. Farwell?”His voice brought Roxanne back to her senses. She composed herself and gave him a faint smile. “No. We just have a disagreement on some things.”After saying that, she threw Lucian a look in hopes that he would keep his composure in front of the children.Fortunately, Lucian cared about the kids enough to soften his expression.He looked down at Estella and said, “Essie, it’s late. It’s time to go home.”Sensing the chilling aura around her father, Estella pouted and shook her head. “No.”Lucian knitted his brows.Before he could say anything, Estella announced, “I want to be with Ms. Jarvis! I don’t want to go home!”She had already made up her mind while she
“Trust me.” Following Lucian’s gentle murmur, a soft kiss fell on Roxanne’s lips.Roxanne instinctively held her breath and gazed at the man before her dazedly.Her eyes flickered when she thought of his words earlier, and she finally let down her guard.Although Lucian wanted to deepen the kiss, he could only test the waters carefully as he wasn’t sure about Roxanne’s feelings. Sensing that, Roxanne slowly closed her eyes.The next second, Lucian pulled her into his arms and engulfed her in a heated kiss.After a long time, Roxanne began to run out of breath. She pushed at Lucian’s chest, and only then did he let go of her reluctantly.Lucian panted heavily with furrowed brows, his eyes as deep as the ocean. As he stared at Roxanne, it seemed as if he was going to devour her.Upon meeting his eyes, Roxanne felt her heart skip a beat. She averted her gaze in a panic and forced herself to stay calm. “Let’s eat. The kids must be starving.”Then, she dished up the food nonchalantly to b
“Let me help you.” Lucian picked up the kitchen knife as he returned to his senses.Seeing Lucian holding a kitchen knife in his hand felt weird as he looked like a nobleman in his expensive tailored shirt and trousers.Err… he looks out of place.Roxanne was at a loss for words as she watched on.She had wanted to treat Lucian coldly when he told her to make way but was too stunned to do so.Lucian clumsily sliced through the vegetables as he wasn’t used to doing all this.He managed to double the amount of time Roxanne would have normally spent on cutting the vegetables.Roxanne quickly returned to her senses just as Lucian was about to carry on with preparing dinner. “Please leave the rest to me.”Lucian stepped aside and watched Roxanne as he knew he wasn’t good at cooking.Roxanne felt awkward being watched, so her actions were rather stiff.“Are you regretting your actions just now?” Lucian suddenly spoke up.Roxanne paused as his question completely caught her off guard. The s
Benny could not help but chuckle after complaining. His laughter influenced the other two children to chuckle uncontrollably as well.The children came upstairs to take a look as they were worried about Roxanne.However, they did not expect to see the scene of Lucian hugging Roxanne when they went up.Hence, the children paused in their steps and hid in the corner to watch secretly.They were all a little taken aback to see that Roxanne was attempting to return Lucian’s hug. Their eyes were wide with expectation, and they did not notice when Roxanne was looking back at them.Although the children were caught peeking, they were much happier than any other day.Becoming a family shouldn’t be a far-fetched dream from how Mommy and Daddy have gone further than reconciling.”Let go of me now…” Roxanne’s face flushed, and her voice was brimming with guilt from being seen by her children.Lucian then let go of her slowly, but one of his arms was still on her waist. He looked solemnly at the
The child’s innocent question only made Lucian feel more horrible. The word “homewrecker” was a cruel term.However, Lucian was the reason behind Aubree’s guts to call Roxanne that.Realizing that, Lucian felt a suffocating pain in his heart, followed by an overwhelming guilt.When there was no answer from Lucian after some time, Benny started to panic. “Mommy’s not a homewrecker!”Lucian snapped back to reality and patted his head with a heavy feeling. “How could your mommy be a homewrecker? She’s—”Lucian stopped talking and said no more.Surprisingly, the children did not press on.The answer about Roxanne not being a homewrecker was enough to make them relieved.Lucian got up from among them, informing, “I’m going upstairs to have a look. Stay here and wait for me, okay?”The children nodded fervently and watched Lucian head upstairs.When he reached Roxanne’s room door, he knocked on it, but there was no response inside.“Roxanne, it’s me. Open up. I want to talk to you.”It was
Jonathan sent the two to the hospital, handled the ward admission procedure, and asked someone to take care of them before he left. He feared he would lose his temper if he stayed there with Frieda.Before leaving, he still felt worried, so he ordered his subordinates, “Keep a close eye on her during this period. Contact me first thing when you notice anything unusual about her.”Naturally, the subordinates promised without hesitation.Jonathan turned around and took one last glance at the ward before letting out a heavy sigh. With that, he strode out of the hospital.After getting into the car, Jonathan pondered whether he should pay Roxanne a visit.After all, judging by Aubree’s and his sister’s appearance, he figured the trio had gotten into a fight. Frieda and Aubree were already terribly injured. He could not help but wonder if Roxanne was injured as well.After mulling over it for some time, Jonathan dismissed the idea. Instead, he called Lucian.Rightfully, if Roxanne was rea
Before Frieda could react, Roxanne had already jabbed the needle into Aubree’s shoulder. Upon hearing Aubree’s agonized scream, Frieda returned to her senses and tried to stand between the two women despite her fear.Immediately after she took the first step forward, and before she was able to say anything, a needle was inserted into her wrist.An excruciating pain shot through her body at once, and Frieda’s mind went blank. Instinctively, she held her wrist and squatted down. She was in so much pain that tears streamed down her face continuously.“You shouldn’t interfere. This is between Ms. Pearson and me,” Roxanne said coldly before going around Frieda and squatting next to Aubree expressionlessly.Without Frieda’s support, Aubree was hardly able to stand up straight and was resisting the urge to roll on the ground as waves of pain washed over her.Seeing that Roxanne was not about to let her off, the woman bellowed anxiously, “B*tch! Kill me if you can! Otherwise, I will definite
Her provocation caused Roxanne to ball her hands into fists by her sides. The kids were right in front of them, so she didn’t want to cause a huge ruckus.However, Aubree paid no attention to the children as she continued, “Since they are here, they should also learn what a b*tch you are. Lucian is engaged to me, but you wouldn’t let go of him! Did you forget that you had the boys out of wedlock? You don’t have the right to be with Lucian!”Roxanne’s expression turned dark. “Are you done!”Aubree looked at her with a cold stare, ready to continue her tirade, but Roxanne stepped forward, her face emotionless.Fear crept up Aubree’s throat as she furrowed her brows.The realization that she was afraid of Roxanne made her furious. “Hit me if you dare!” she hollered.Right after she said that, a cushion was thrown in her face.Aubree stopped talking abruptly. Her face was grim as she faced the direction from which the cushion had been thrown.Even Roxanne was startled at the turn of even
“Aubree!” Frieda only came back to her senses after Aubree left in a huff.A loud slam sounded downstairs.Frieda hurried over to the balcony to see Aubree marching into her car and driving away swiftly.The sight caused Frieda to ball up her fists in frustration.I came here today to convince Aubree not to act recklessly! Instead of achieving that, I have actually given her the idea of settling scores with Roxanne. If she heads there alone, she’ll surely cause a commotion!Frieda quickly ran down the stairs and went after Aubree’s car, which was heading for Roxanne’s house.…On the other hand, Roxanne and the children had no idea about what happened back in Aubree’s house.Roxanne was preparing lunch for the children in the kitchen.“Mommy, will Mr. Farwell have lunch with us today?” Benny asked eagerly at the door of the kitchen.The children noticed Lucian’s dedication as he showed up every day, but they still felt uncertain.Hearing that, Roxanne paused in her tracks. She belate
No matter how she thought about it, Aubree just couldn’t calm down. It wasn’t until she gave Cory a call that she found out about Roxanne’s discharge from the hospital.Without a doubt, the news further unsettled her.After much contemplation, she steeled herself and gave Lucian a call.However, she had to wait for a long while before she heard an answer in a frosty voice. “What is it?”Despite gritting her teeth, she maintained a caring tone. “Lucian, I just received a call from Ms. Yaxley saying that Essie has missed school recently. Is she not feeling well?”The moment she finished, Aubree felt her heart tense up as if she was afraid of hearing Lucian say that Estella was at Roxanne’s.Furrowing his brows in brief silence, Lucian replied, “Essie is at my mom’s. You don’t have to bother. As for the teacher, just inform her that Essie is sick.”Due to the bad blood between Aubree and Roxanne, Lucian didn’t plan on letting the former know where Estella really was.In addition, Lucian