Late that night, Lucian came out of the study after finishing his work. All the lights on the first floor had been turned off, and only the lights along the second-floor corridor were still on.While walking past the door to Estella’s room, he vaguely heard some movement inside the room, and his heart sank.Recalling the aversion Estella had shown toward Aubree, he was worried Estella was secretly crying in her room because she was upset he did not tell Aubree to leave.Thinking of that, Lucian quietly opened the door to Estella’s room, padded over to her bedside, and peeped at her.Under the glow of the lights in the corridor, he saw that she seemed asleep. However, it did not look like she was getting a good night’s rest as she kept tossing and turning. She was also scratching at her body to the point that her pajamas had ridden up.Lucian’s brows drew together sharply as he took in the scene before him.I thought at first that she must be having a bad dream, but why is it that she
Meanwhile, although the light in Aubree’s room had been turned off, she had yet to go to sleep. Aubree waited until she saw Lucian carry Estella to the car and slowly drive out of the Farwell residence before tiptoeing around her room to gather some things. Then, she opened the door and crept to Estella’s room.Lucian had left in such a hurry that he did not even close the door to Estella’s room, which only made things easier for Aubree.Using the glow from her phone screen to see what she was doing, she switched out a few things inside Estella’s bathroom. After scanning the room carefully and ensuring nothing appeared out of the ordinary, she left quietly.Back in her room, the thought of the distressed look on Estella’s face filled her heart with glee.That little brat… Let’s see if she dares to go against me again!Meanwhile, Estella’s condition did not get any better as they made their way to Roxanne’s house. She could not refrain from occasionally reaching out to rake her nails
At the sight of Lucian’s condition, Roxanne couldn’t help frowning. Conversely, Estella merely heard that her condition was contagious but didn’t see the red spots on Lucian’s body. She shrunk to the side pitifully, refusing to allow the two adults to touch her further.Gathering her wits about her, Roxanne dipped her eyes. When she saw Estella curled up in a ball, her heart clenched painfully. “Come over here, Essie. Let me have a look at you.”Estella shook her head, replying timidly, “No, it’s okay. I’ll infect you, Ms. Jarvis.”Her words had Roxanne’s eyes stinging. Smiling, she coaxed, “I’m not afraid. I’ve treated patients with similar conditions in the past and have suffered from this condition previously. Therefore, I won’t be infected anymore.”Even Lucian was momentarily stupefied to hear that, mistakenly a*suming that she was speaking the truth.Estella scrutinized Roxanne suspiciously for a long time. Only when she had ascertained that the latter didn’t seem to be lying,
“What’s the matter, Dr. Jarvis?” Colby had just fallen asleep when he was jolted awake by Roxanne’s call. When he glimpsed the caller ID, he immediately answered the call.Hearing his voice, Roxanne furtively breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t the time to exchange pleasantries with him, so she cut to the chase. “If it isn’t too much trouble, can you make a trip to the research institute right now?”At that, Colby sat up from the bed. “Is there anything important?”While saying that, he had already started changing without waiting for her reply.He knew that there must be something crucial that she was calling at that hour, but he wanted to know the specifics.Roxanne glanced at the three children in the room, her voice grave. “I have kids here who developed an allergic reaction due to bacterial infection. The spray we formulated back then might be effective, but I’m really needed here. As such, I can only seek your help.”Having said that, she added, “Forget it if it’s too much tr
Fortunately, the spray they formulated worked in no time. Mere seconds after Roxanne sprayed the children all over, they stopped itching, simply in a daze from the high fever.After spraying them all over, she turned and looked at the man behind her. She handed the spray in her hand to him. “Go and deal with it in the bathroom, Mr. Farwell.”Dipping his head slightly, Lucian took the spray and went into the bathroom.Roxanne, on the other hand, opened another bottle of spray and sprayed herself in the bedroom.Having done that, she sprayed the room. Then, she took some disinfectant upstairs and sanitized the room.When she had finished sanitizing the place, Lucian so happened to step out of the bathroom.At the sight of her bustling around in the bedroom, he strode forward with a frown, planning to help.“Carry the kids out. This room has to be left unoccupied for two days,” Roxanne instructed, noticing his intention.Upon hearing that, Lucian swiftly changed directions. He carried t
“What exactly are your thoughts about me?” Lucian’s voice was a touch hoarse.He started feigning sleep right when he heard Roxanne coming out of her room. In his hurry, he forgot all about the blanket he had flipped open halfway.Never had he expected her to actually come over and attempt to tuck the blanket around him.Just a while ago, he was feeling irritable thanks to her relationship with another man, but earlier, his heart melted because of the hint of tenderness she showed him.Roxanne was stunned for several seconds. Promptly snapping back to her senses, she automatically lifted her hands to shove at him. To her surprise, the man’s grip on her tightened, making it so that she couldn’t struggle at all.Lucian’s voice continued echoing beside her ear. “When are you planning to accept me?”At his question, Roxanne’s eyes constricted imperceptibly. Snapping her head to the side, she gaped at the man who was an inch away from her. Her brows furrowed slightly, and her voice turned
Frightened, Roxanne truly did as he said and remained still for a long while. After coming back to her senses, she began struggling again.In the next second, Lucian pinned her beneath him.“I’ve already warned you, but still, you couldn’t stay still. If you were to wriggle around again this time, I wouldn’t be able to make any promises about what would happen.” He leaned close to her, his eyes narrowing dangerously.Roxanne’s heart tightened as she stared at the man’s countenance that was mere inches away from her. She wanted to struggle, but she was worried about his words earlier.Just as she was at a loss, sudden movement sounded from the children’s room out of the blue.Both their breaths caught.As the sounds of the footsteps drew increasingly nearer to the door, Lucian’s brows scrunched together. Dropping his hold on the woman in his arms, he resumed a proper sitting position expressionlessly.Finally, Roxanne was free of the man’s restraint. Before she could breathe a sigh of
After the examination, Roxanne stood up and asked Lucian to leave, not giving him any more opportunity to speak to the kids. “Since it’s already morning, you should hurry up and bring Essie home, Mr. Farwell. You should thoroughly sanitize your house and do it as soon as possible.”There was no room left to object to her suggestion.Lucian raised his brows while wearing an indifferent expression. Then, he gazed downward at Estella.She pouted in reluctance. “You can go back on your own, Daddy.”Estella was still feeling a little insecure after having just recovered from the sudden and severe illness last night.She thought she could spend more time playing with Roxanne, Archie, and Benny that day, but unexpectedly, Roxanne appeared anxious to chase her away right after she woke up.Lucian and Roxanne frowned at the same time after hearing Estella’s words. However, the thoughts that flashed across their minds were entirely different.Before last night, she would have allowed Estella t
Roxanne had long guessed Sonya would treat her with an unpleasant attitude. Although she was displeased, she didn’t show it on her face.“It’s Essie and Mr. Farwell’s wishes that Essie stays here. As you’re her grandma, I have nothing to say if you want to bring her back, but I hope you respect Essie’s opinions.”Sonya frowned in displeasure.I’ve already asked Essie just now. I wonder what sorcery Roxanne has cast on her to make her refuse to go home. That’s why I turned to ask Roxanne, but I didn’t expect this woman to be so tactless!Sonya was livid.Just then, Estella spoke. “Grandma, I don’t want to go home. I want to stay here and play with Archie and Benny.”Estella looked at Sonya pitifully.Usually, when Estella wore such an expression, Sonya would have gone along with her wishes. However, she was filled with rage right now, so Estella’s look only added fuel to the fire.“You have to go home even if you don’t want to. You belong to the Farwell family. How can you stay at some
Ten minutes ago, Catalina had been instructing the rest of the household staff on their chores when she heard the doorbell ring.The moment she opened the door, she saw that it was Sonya.Before Catalina could greet her, Sonya questioned her, “Where’s Essie? Tell Essie to come out. Tell her that her grandma is here.”Catalina was put in a difficult position.Estella had not been in the manor for the past few days.She had thought that the little girl was with Sonya.However, judging from Sonya’s reaction, Catalina knew there and then that Estella was with Roxanne.It was obvious that Sonya must have discovered that, and that explained her anger.As a servant, Catalina did not know how to answer her question. In the end, she replied, “I will inform Mr. Farwell right away.”She was about to go and seek help from Lucian when Sonya stopped her in her tracks.“I want to see Essie. If she doesn’t come down, I will go up myself.”With that, she began to walk upstairs.Catalina had no choice
“Please wait for a moment as Mrs. Farwell is taking a nap. I’ll tell her you’re here.” After inviting Aubree to sit on the couch in the living hall, the butler was ready to go up to call Sonya.Aubree knitted her brows and responded, “It’s okay. I can go up and check on her.”The butler knew Sonya doted on her. He hesitated but eventually agreed to allow her to go upstairs.Aubree responded with a nod. After plastering a smile on her face, she took the stairs and went up.Sonya had just woken up from her nap in the master bedroom upstairs. Upon hearing a knock on the door, she opened it right away.“Mrs. Farwell.” Aubree grinned politely. “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”Sonya, too, responded with a smile when she realized it was Aubree. “Not at all. I just woke up.”Aubree walked up to her and held her arm affectionately. “I brought you lots of gifts. Let’s go down and check them out.”“Aww, you’re too sweet.” Sonya glanced at her. “You didn’t have to do that. I’m happy that you’re h
The search lasted the entire morning.The grim-faced Cayden, who returned with his subordinates in the afternoon, said, “We found nothing, Mr. Farwell.”Admittedly, Cory was an excellent private investigator.Cayden could not help but wonder how he had managed to keep in touch with his employers.Not only did Cayden not find any evidence of how the mastermind instructed Cory to spy on Roxanne, but he also could not find proof that could expose Cory’s identity as a private investigator.Cory began playing the sympathy card. “Mr. Farwell, I told you no one instructed me to do anything.”Lucian waited for half a day but did not get the answer he was looking for. His eyes blazed with fury when he saw the pretentious innocent look on the culprit’s face.“If no one put you up to this, why did you stalk her?” he asked.Cory blinked innocently. “B-Because I find Ms. Jarvis attractive. I wished to snap photos of her since I was trying my hand at photography.”He had felt nervous before Cayden
Meanwhile, Lucian, too, ordered Cayden to investigate the issue.With Farwell Group’s financial capability, the investigation was carried out effortlessly.In less than an hour, Cayden had managed to bring the private investigator to Farwell Group.It was not until the private investigator was led to Farwell Group’s entrance that he realized something was off.“D-Did I do something wrong? Why did you bring me here?”Cayden cast him a cold glance. “Why are you asking me that? I’m not the one who calls the shots here. You’ll find out soon.”The private investigator’s legs trembled when he heard Cayden’s words.The only person who came to mind when he thought of the person who called the shots for Farwell Group was none other than Lucian Farwell.The private investigator had recently been following Roxanne around on Aubree’s orders. During those times, he had indeed seen Roxanne interacting with Lucian.Yet, he paid no mind to that.After all, he was merely doing as instructed. He did no
Upon hearing that, the doubtful Roxanne and Madilyn exchanged glances.They had spoken to nearly all the research institutes that could develop that specific bacterium in Horington, and only that research institute confirmed that their laboratory had previously lost the bacteria.Although it happened half a month ago, the bacteria could remain viable as long as they were appropriately preserved.Madilyn was aware of that and didn’t hesitate to ask, “How did you guys lose the bacteria back then? Do you guys have any findings now?”The person’s answer did not disappoint them. “One of the researchers should have taken it,” he said frankly.Madilyn was filled with confusion when she heard that.“Although we have no solid evidence, we were certain about that. Two days after the bacteria went missing, that researcher suddenly quit. We haven’t heard from her since then,” the person continued.Before Madilyn could speak, Roxanne asked, “What’s the name of that researcher?”The person on the o
At the side, Estella had her head lifted and gazed at Roxanne, looking hopeful.Roxanne’s gaze flickered. Only after obtaining Lucian’s promise did she forcibly suppress the worry within her.“Got it. I’ll take good care of Essie for the next few days.”Lucian indifferently inclined his head a fraction in acknowledgment. Shortly after, he took his leave and left.Roxanne watched as his car disappeared into the distance before bringing Archie, Benny, and Estella into the mansion.All three children were already starving to the point that their stomachs growled incessantly.Without tarrying, Roxanne prepared some quick and easy breakfast to fill their stomachs first.After having breakfast, she had the children play by themselves while she stood up and went into the study.She simply couldn’t sit back and do nothing about the person who used the bacteria on the children.Worse still, Lucian left Estella at her place. Hence, she wanted to catch the culprit as soon as possible to eliminat
“Have you and the kids been here?”Lucian came to a stop under a gigantic tree.Stopping with him, Roxanne looked around before shaking her head. “No.”That tree was located at the edge of the woods.Yesterday, she had been with Archie, Benny, and Estella in the woods or by the waterfall.As such, they indeed hadn’t been to that particular spot.Nodding in understanding, Lucian motioned for her to take a look at the bottom of the tree.Roxanne followed his gaze and took a closer look, upon which she made out a vague footprint.From the looks of it, it obviously belonged to an adult.As the footprints moved toward the edge of the gra*sy area, they grew increasingly faint.Therefore, she had no way of knowing whether the owner of those footprints had gone anywhere near the tent.However, it was certain that someone else was there yesterday other than her and the children.In fact, that person had been watching from the side while she was playing with the children.That realization had a
After Archie, Benny, and Estella had dozed off, Roxanne turned off the small night light in the tent.Consequently, the tent was pitch-dark right then, and she had no idea whether Lucian was asleep on the other side.Well, I didn’t hear any movement in a long time, so he has probably gone to sleep.At that thought, Roxanne quietly got up and left the tent. She sat outside under the moonlight alone and stared blankly into space.The weather had been great for the past two days. The moon shone brightly, but there weren’t many stars in the sky.For safety reasons, Lucian had the headlights turned on, illuminating the tent’s surroundings and rendering it like daylight.As Roxanne looked at the scenery around her, her mind gradually began drifting.Too many things had happened that day.At first, the children suddenly contracted a bacterial infection. Then, she inexplicably ended up in the same space as Lucian.Both of the incidents had her emotions turn into a jumbled mess.While she was