With that in mind, Roxanne greeted him and waited for Pippa to bring the kids out the door.It wasn’t long before class was over, and the kids walked through the door in a straight line.Archie and Benny could be seen escorting Estella on both sides as they came out.After the five of them got into Lucian’s car, Benny kept tugging at Roxanne’s sleeve with a huge smile on his face.Unsure of why he was grinning from ear to ear, Roxanne flashed him a confused look in response.“Essie seemed to have a bad dream after waking up from our afternoon nap today! She kept crying even though Ms. Ward and the other kids tried to comfort her. In the end, Archie and I were the ones who calmed her down! Do you think she knows us, Mommy?”Roxanne had felt the same way earlier that morning, so hearing about it filled her heart with a warm sensation. “Maybe. I’m really glad that you two are able to look after Essie.”Benny patted himself on the chest confidently as he said in his childish voice, “Don’t
Roxanne was taken aback by how the girl had launched herself into her arms, but after the shock came delight.It was the same action as before. In the past, Estella would jump into Roxanne’s arms whenever she saw the latter.Although the girl was crying, at the very least, she was reacting to her surroundings.At that thought, Roxanne lifted her uninjured arm and gently hugged the girl to her. At the same time, she tentatively asked, “Essie, have you recovered? Do you know who I am now?”The girl gave her a slight nod, but she continued to sniffle.At that, Archie’s and Benny’s eyes lit up. They then walked over to Estella and pointed at themselves. “Then do you know who we are?”However, Estella’s gaze was fixed on Roxanne’s injured arm; she did not look at them at all.The boys were disappointed.Sensing their emotions, Roxanne raised her hand to ruffle Estella’s hair and softly said, “The boys are here too. Do you see them? They’ve been taking care of you the past two days.”It was
Realizing what she was going to do, Lucian said, “I’ve asked Catalina to come. She’ll be taking care of you all for the next two days, so sit down and eat first.”Roxanne halted in her tracks before turning to thank the man, “Thank you.”She was not going to act like she was a stranger to Lucian because of Estella, so she was not going to turn him down on his offer.Lucian nodded.Roxanne turned to the boys. “Come on. You must be hungry too. Dig in while the food is still hot.”It was true that the boys were starving. Upon hearing her words, they jumped down from the couch and walked toward the dining table in a line.Roxanne was squeezed between them. Habitually, she tried to take care of them by taking food for them. However, she only recalled her injury right after she raised her hand. Thus, she had no choice but to use her left hand, but her movements were clumsy because of that.At the sight of the slowness of their mother’s actions, Archie and Benny said to Roxanne, “Mommy, you
It seemed like Estella could see that Roxanne had something on her mind, for the girl buried herself into Roxanne’s arms slowly before looking at the woman with big, concerned eyes.As Roxanne looked at the girl’s clear eyes, she recollected herself and hugged her.Her heart melted when her arms wrapped around the small and soft body. At the same time, she found herself letting go of the niggling question.The identity of Estella’s biological mother and the current relationship between Lucian and Aubree had nothing to do with her at all.She and Lucian should have been strangers. They were only interacting because of Estella. That was all.Overthinking things would only make her feel even more frustrated.In the meantime, at the Farwell residence, Sonya and Elias were about to rest. When they heard the sudden ringing of the doorbell, they hastily opened the door.Instantly, they were greeted by the apologetic faces of Samuel and Gina. Aubree was behind them, her eyes red.“What happen
Sonya could not sleep almost the entire night because of Aubree’s words.Consoling Aubree was not the only reason she had told Aubree that she was not going to let Roxanne into the family. It was also because she genuinely hated that ruthless woman.That ruthless woman was capable of abandoning Lucian and Estella once, so Sonya was sure that she would do it again.I have no idea what my son’s thinking about. I can’t believe he’s actually thinking of having her marry into the family again.The more Sonya thought about it, the angrier she became. That night, she sent men to find out where Roxanne was living, planning to visit her the next day.By the time Roxanne woke the next morning, Catalina had already made breakfast. Just as she was eating breakfast with the three children, someone rang the doorbell.Roxanne then asked Catalina to take care of the children as she went to open the door.Originally, she thought that Lucian had come to pick them up for kindergarten, but she was dumbfo
However, Sonya seemed unfazed by that. “Sonya has told me about this already. Essie was the one who had not been obedient, and Aubree only punished her in that way in her panic. She has already apologized to me. Essie is at fault too. Aubree will be her stepmother in the future, but she’s still kicking up fusses like these.”Hearing that, Catalina realized she could not say anything else. All she could do was cast a pitying look at Estella.The girl had just walked out of her own world recently. After this crying session, Catalina was afraid that she might revert to her state from the day before.After Archie and Benny heard their conversation, they guessed that the unfamiliar woman was Estella’s grandmother. Nevertheless, they did not hold themselves back as they refuted, “Essie didn’t kick up a fuss. That bad woman is in the wrong to have hurt a kid! Why would you listen to an outsider and scold Essie? She’s been badly hit, but you don’t feel upset for her at all? If not for my momm
Lucian was filled with hatred at the mention of Aubree. “Do you know why Essie resents her?”Stunned, Sonya explained at once, “Is it because of what Aubree did to Essie? Didn’t she explain it to us already? She didn’t do it on purpose and was only worried about Essie’s safety. It only happened under desperate circumstances. Moreover, she regrets her action and has apologized to us about it.”Just as she finished, she turned the tables on him. “As for you, you have gone overboard with your recent behavior toward her!”Sonya’s intentions were clear. She still hoped that Lucian would marry Aubree.Over the last six years, she had pestered him many times about it.Lucian cocked a brow in annoyance. “I know what I’m doing. There’s no need for you to interfere.”Sonya was upset. “You know what you’re doing? Are you really planning on canceling the engagement?”Before Lucian could reply, Sonya’s expression drastically changed while the resolve in her voice hardened. “No matter what, you per
The next morning, Roxanne sent the children to school alone as Lucian didn’t come.When Pippa saw Roxanne by herself, she was surprised. “Ms. Jarvis, where’s Mr. Farwell today?”Roxanne was briefly stunned by the comment.She wasn’t expecting Pippa to notice that Lucian had brought the children to school with her over the last two days, let alone inquire about his absence.As it gave the impression that she and Lucian were close, Roxanne was stumped for an answer.Nonetheless, Estella brought out her notebook and wrote: I’m living with Ms. Jarvis now!She then raised it up with a vibrant smile on her face.When Pippa saw how cheerful Estella was now in contrast to her listless expression from two days ago, she couldn’t help but beam and stroke Estella’s hair. “I see.”Subsequently, she returned her gaze to Roxanne and was bowled over by how much Estella liked Roxanne and her sons.Roxanne heaved a sigh of relief in her mind when she saw Estella answer on her behalf. After handing the
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