After watching the children enter the kindergarten, Lucian drove to the florist from before. “Mr. Farwell…”The florist couldn’t help but greet him upon learning his identity from the previous day’s events.Lucian nodded with a frown, guessing that the florist knew who he was when the flowers were returned.In response to his acknowledgment, the florist grew visibly nervous. “Is there anything else you need? What do you think of the flowers yesterday?”No sooner had the words rolled off her tongue than she remembered that the flowers were returned.Quickly realizing her faux pas, the anxious florist zipped her lips and wondered if Lucian had come to hold them accountable.At the mention of the flowers, Lucian threw the florist a grim look.Lowering her head fearfully, she didn’t dare utter another word.“From today onward, send the freshest flowers you have to that address every day. As to what kind of flowers, you have the liberty to decide,” Lucian barked out his instructions.Sinc
Lysa came back after returning the flowers. She hesitated about saying something to Roxanne, who was studying some information on her laptop on the couch. Roxanne turned around when she heard some noises near the doorway. Seeing Lysa, she asked, “Have you returned the flowers?”The housekeeper nodded slightly and replied, “I’ve asked someone from the florist’s to send it back.”Satisfied, Roxanne wordlessly returned her attention to her work.Though Colby had been in charge of all matters pertaining to the research institute, he still needed Roxanne to discuss a potential collaboration with the Damaris family.Roxanne treated the matter seriously as well. In fact, during her recovery at home, she had spent most of her attention on the research institute project.Thankfully, Jack knew about her injury and did not hasten her progress. Instead, he allowed her to work at a comfortable pace.His consideration filled Roxanne with some measure of guilt. She was determined to develop an in-d
Roxanne sensed Archie and Benny’s suspicion. Concealing her unease, she calmly led the children to the couch. After Roxanne rested at home for a week, her leg injury had made a decent recovery, and she could already walk una*sisted.Nonetheless, Lysa and the children fussed over her condition and insisted she rest for a couple more days at home.As the three of them settled on the couch, the children’s attention remained on the rejected flowers, and they asked, “Mommy, why didn’t you accept the flowers?”Roxanne did not expect her children’s question and struggled to come up with a reply.Noticing her strange behavior, Archie asked, “The delivery man didn’t answer our question. What if he sent the flowers to the wrong house?”The words had barely left his mouth when Archie hopped off the couch, shooting his mother a final glance before declaring, “I’ll go check with the delivery man. What if he really sent the flowers to the wrong house?”With that said, he actually began walking tow
Lucian’s gaze darkened as he stared at his phone. An indeterminate amount of time pa*sed before he located the flower shop’s number and called them.“Don’t send any flowers tomorrow. Starting next week, please send them to VR Research Institute instead.”The flower shop staff agreed immediately.Meanwhile, though Roxanne had clearly expressed her rejection, she continued to worry that Lucian would ignore her pleas.The next day, Roxanne awoke bright and early and waited in the living room.Her children seemed to echo her thoughts as they came downstairs early to wait with her.The three of them waited with bated breath, especially Roxanne, who was fraught with nerves.Thankfully for her, no one came to ring her doorbell even after a long while.Roxanne was immensely relieved as she watched the suspicions clearing from her sons’ faces. She naively a*sumed that Lucian had finally given up.The next day, after resting at home for almost half a month, Roxanne was dying to return to work.
Before Roxanne could say anything, the man continued, “Besides, you did send the flowers back to my office, didn’t you? Do you want to know how my staff talked behind my back?” Lucian said it matter-of-factly.His reply rendered Roxanne speechless for a moment. After a short pause, she gritted her teeth and retorted, “That’s because your action has caused inconvenience to me, Mr. Farwell!”Lucian let out a baffling laugh. “Your action has caused me inconvenience too, Ms. Jarvis.”“Lucian Farwell!” Roxanne called out his name with a raised voice. “You knew what I meant!”Lucian’s expression turned grim as he responded in a solemn voice, “You knew my intention as well. Why wouldn’t you give me a chance?”Their conversation kept hitting a deadlock.Roxanne pressed her lips, remaining silent for a while. After regaining her composure, she said calmly, “Let’s meet and talk it out.”She had to think of a way to end this quickly as she did not want to play this game with him anymore.Upon h
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
“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
Sensing that she was out of sorts, Lucian felt like probing further. However, he swallowed his words at the last moment when he thought of their previous interaction. Even when the table had been set up, neither of them said a word.As for the three children, who were already seated at the table, the sight of their parents busying themselves brought glee to their faces.The delight they exuded gradually softened Roxanne’s heart.Even though Roxanne had calmed down after dinner, the results of the investigations from the afternoon were still on her mind. “Mr. Farwell, are you ready to talk about it?”Filled with curiosity, the children inquired with their childish voices, “Talk about what?”Roxanne flashed a smile at them. “It relates to the research institute and has nothing to do with you. Go out and play now.”In response, the children looked toward Lucian for verification.The latter affirmed in a serious tone, “Go on now.”Only then did they slowly make their way out of the mansi
Lucian remained at the research institute for the entire afternoon. After he left the building in the evening, he glanced at the time. A brief hesitation flashed past his eyes before he called Cayden and asked him to grab the medicine in his possession for examination. Then he drove to Roxanne’s place.Meanwhile, the children were playing with each other at home.Roxanne was preparing their dinner absentmindedly.It was because she felt a little regretful after Lucian left.After all, he was investigating a matter involving her, and she wanted to be a part of it.Furthermore, that was the main reason she left the hospital in the first place.However, she simply couldn’t leave the house because the children refused to let her go.To make matters worse, she still hadn’t gotten a single text or call from Lucian for the whole afternoon.Hence, she had no idea if he unearthed anything.Just as Roxanne was getting distracted, she heard the children’s voice in the living room.The children
After a while, Lucian shifted his icy look away from Colby, to which the latter responded with a calm sigh of relief. Then, Colby reflexively stepped away and allowed Lucian to take his seat while he stood at the side.Both of them then watched yesterday’s surveillance footage, starting with the experiment Roxanne was performing with Jack.In the footage, they saw Roxanne joking around with Jack.Colby was also in the footage, but he was a few steps behind Roxanne and Jack with an expression completely different from theirs.Overall, it seemed as though Colby was the only one focusing on the experiment while the other two were not involved in any work.Lucian always thought Roxanne was way too intimate with Jack.However, it was the first time he saw the two of them interacting with each other without his presence. They don’t look like business partners at all! It’s completely different from how Roxanne describes their relationship.The longer he watched the footage, the colder his e
A few moments later, Roxanne organized her thoughts and explained, “It’s just standard procedure for acupuncture. If he wants to perform it on me, he can’t do it with my clothes on.” Upon hearing that, Lucian furrowed his eyebrows slightly as a look of dissatisfaction flashed past his eyes. Now that I think about it, Jack did need to remove her clothes to perform acupuncture on her. Still, it was disturbing!His jealous expression amused her.“Setting that aside, Jack’s behavior is still very suspicious,” Lucian concluded stubbornly.That rendered Roxanne speechless.While she didn’t want to believe Jack was acting maliciously, she had to admit that, from an objective point of view, he was pretty suspicious.Lucian frowned at her and informed her coldly, “I plan to investigate this matter in the afternoon. Will you join me?”Nodding, Roxanne was about to accept his invitation when the children pounced into her embrace.Thus, instead of replying to him, she stared at the children, puz
Estella hugged her and refused to let go. Thus, Roxanne explained resignedly, “Your daddy and I haven’t eaten yet. We’ll keep you company after our meals, all right?”Upon hearing that, the girl finally released Roxanne and stared intently at her.Roxanne smiled, patted her head, and turned to Lucian. “Come on in, Mr. Farwell. I’ll prepare some food.”The look in Lucian’s eyes darkened before he ambled into the living room. It’s been a long time since I was invited by her. This feels pretty good.The children were relieved to see the relationship between the two adults improved after Roxanne left the hospital.As Lucian sat on the couch, he watched the children play with each other.Inside the kitchen, Roxanne was preparing the food nonchalantly.As a result of all that, the atmosphere in the mansion became surprisingly heartwarming.Not long after, Roxanne exited the kitchen with two sandwiches and a gla*s of hot milk before putting them in front of Lucian. “It’s nearly time for lun
The rain had stopped when the two reached the parking lot. The custom-made jacket Lucian used to shelter them from the rain was wet. Even his arms got soaked from the rain.Standing by the side of the car, Roxanne watched him open the door and put his jacket on the back seat with no change in expression. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to sit in the pa*senger seat.Soon, Lucian got into the car and drove toward her house.“I wonder what they are doing now.”Feeling uneasy by the silence inside the car, Roxanne quickly searched for a topic.Lucian raised his eyes and glanced at her face reflected in the rearview mirror. “Cayden will take good care of them. You can call him if you’re worried.”Roxanne grinned. “It’s okay. I believe Cayden will take good care of them.”As they spoke about the kids, Roxanne couldn’t help but think of how they left without hesitation this morning.She wondered what was on the kids’ minds when they did that and decided to find the answer when she
Hearing Roxanne’s apology, there was a flash of smugness in Colby’s eyes, but his tone was full of concern. “As long as you get better, it doesn’t matter how tired I get. I thought… Forget it. Let’s not talk about this. Why did you call?”Uneasy, Roxanne said, “I’m afraid I’ll have to continue to trouble you.”Colby was busy since yesterday after she fell unconscious.Recently, they needed to carry out an investigation. Due to that, they had to ask for Colby’s help to grant them free rein.For everything Colby had done, Roxanne felt nothing but sorry for him.Colby, on the other end of the phone, was working overtime at the research institute, handling the surveillance footage of the research facility.He froze momentarily when he heard what Roxanne said but soon returned to normal. “What is it? Go on. I’ll try my best to help.”Roxanne said with a grateful smile, “Mr. Farwell and I want to investigate yesterday’s incident. In the process, we will need permission to access the resear