Archie and Benny exchanged gazes when they saw Estella in such a state. They found her cute yet pitiful at the same time.“We weren’t feeling well this morning. We’re much better now. Don’t worry,” Archie reassured earnestly.Benny turned to Essie and made a face. “Look at you, all scared like that. We’re just taking a day off. Can’t you be away from us for just a day? You little minion.”A sense of relief washed over Estella when she heard their words, and she broke into a smile.Lucian, who was standing at the entrance of the dining room, looked conflicted when he saw Estella finally smiling,It took me so long to coax hcr, yet it was nothing compared to the trio’s words. Not only did she stop crying. she even smiled.After standing there for some time and watching the boys making Estella grin from ear to car, he stepped into the room, wanting to take her home.They had only come over because Estella wanted to confirm things with her own eyes. Now that it was done, it was time for t
Estella hesitated momentarily before nodding gently.Seeing her admitting to it, Lucian frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”Estella shuddered and inched closer to Roxanne, feeling frightened.Roxanne cast Lucian another displeased glance when she saw Estella’s reaction.The kid’s injured. How could he still speak to her in such a tone?“Does it hurt a lot?” Retracting her gaze, Roxanne held Estella’s hand and massaged it gently.Estella pursed her lips and nodded.“You’ll be fine. I’ll help you to apply medicine. It won’t hurt in a while.” Roxanne gently released Estella’s hand and instructed her boys, “Keep her company. I’ll get the medical kit.”The boys nodded immediately and started taking turns telling Estella some interesting things..Soon. Roxanne returned with the medical kit, and she carefully applied some medicinal creamonto Estella’s hand.Estella was well-behaved throughout the entire process. When it hurt, she would only shrink away a little and would quickly place her ha
Estella was working with the boys on the final stages of a Lego project they had been working on together.Having already assembled a section, the children were struggling with the height of where it was supposed to be attached. Roxanne was usually close by to lend a hand after the preliminary assembly was completed on the ground.As she was busy with the dishes at that moment, the children stood around, figuring out how to circumvent that obstacle.After a glance around, Archie decided to bring a chair from the dining table.“Here, let me.” Taking pity on the children, Lucian softened his expression to the best of his ability and offered Archie a hand.Archie hesitated for several seconds before handing the assembled part in his hands to the man. Following Archie’s instructions, Lucian took it and snapped it in place.“Thank you,” Archie said gruffly.Lucian nodded noncommittally. With one hand in his pocket, he mostly watched the three children amuse themselves with the toy bricks
Roxanne sighed in secret relief when he finally let go of her hand. She leaped up as soon as she could place some distance between them. “Thank you, and sorry again for troubling you.”The man frowned slightly at her words but did not respond.Roxanne glanced at the mess on the kitchen floor and made to get up.“What are you doing?” The sullen voice sounded again.Roxanne froze. “The floor needs cleaning up,” she said. “The children might step on the shards.”Lucian’s scowl deepened.Despite this woman’s stellar credentials, she can’t even take care of herself!Roxanne grew anxious at the man’s gloomy expression, not knowing what she had done wrong this time.Could it be because of the trouble she had caused him earlier?After careful consideration, Roxanne was about to apologize when he spoke again.“You can’t get your bandage wet. Let me find you a housekeeper.”Without giving her a chance to respond, Lucian gave his assistant a call.After his dinner, Cayden was about to wash up an
Aubree, seated on the couch, leaped to her feet when she saw them crossing the threshold. She bent down and tried to touch Estella’s head, which the latter did her best to avoid.Aubree’s eyes flashed with displeasure, which she quickly hid by straightening up with a smile.“What’s the matter?” Lucian studied her intently. His tone remained indifferent.Aubree gave him a casual smile. “I want to thank you again for lending us someone today. You helped us out of a jam there, and Dad had me come over to offer our gratitude personally.”She was going to add something else after a brief pause, but Lucian cut her off, “Is the matter resolved?”Aubree was momentarily dumbfounded by his bluntness. She nodded with a smile that now seemed rather forced. “Well, the little trouble we had kept us busy until the afternoon. I hope it didn’t interfere with your business.”Lucian nodded. “There are plenty of employees in Farwell Group, and the absence of one wouldn’t make a difference. There’s no nee
Thankfully, Lucian wasn’t insistent and put his daughter down on the ground as she wanted. However, just as he was about to reach for Estella’s hand, he realized she had already scampered away.For a moment, Lucian was stunned as he subconsciously turned to look behind him.To his surprise, he saw Roxanne and the rest smiling fondly at Estella, with the former even walking toward the little girl.It was a rare sight as Estella ran toward the school’s entrance while waving wordlessly at Roxanne and the boys.Seeing that the little girl was too caught up in the excitement to care about road safety, Roxanne quickly rushed over to hold her hand. When she saw Lucian walking calmly toward them, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of helplessness.Estella grinned from ear to ear as she held Roxanne’s hand. Once they stopped walking, she even hugged the latter’s leg affectionately.Archie and Benny weren’t jealous either and greeted Estella with big, friendly smiles.When Lucian finally came t
By the time the treatment was over, Frieda had also returned home.Upon finding out from the butler that Roxanne was treating Alfred, she made a beeline for the latter’s bedroom.“Grandpa, how are you feeling?” Frieda asked concernedly the moment she stepped into the room.Alfred nodded slightly. “Much better.”Having lived for so long, he had gained an understanding of how traditional medicine worked and had also consulted countless famous doctors.Roxanne, however, had come as a delightful surprise to him.After each course of her treatment, Alfred would always feel a significant improvement in his health, which was something that not even the best doctors in the world could achieve.Frieda looked her grandfather over and finally nodded with a smile. “That’s good to hear.”Then, she turned to Aubree and added, “Have you come to visit Grandpa too, Aubree? Since it’s getting late, why don’t you stay for dinner?”Naturally, Aubree had no objections to that and grinned broadly. “In that
Frieda glanced at Roxanne and was surprised to see her still so calm and composed. Hence, she turned to Aubree and said with a lilt to her voice, “Aubree, you and Lucian look so much in love! Have you picked a date for your wedding yet? I’m still waiting to be your bridesmaid!”As soon as those words were out, Roxanne froze in her tracks.Huh? What did she mean by that? Are Lucian and Aubree not married yet?Aubree, too, felt her smile freezing in place. After all, she hadn’t expected Frieda to bring up the wedding right there and then.Just as she began thinking about how best to change the topic, she felt Alfred’s concerned gaze on them. “That’s right. The two of you have been together for so many years. Even Estella has grown up too. Isn’t it time to settle down?”“Yes, you guys should’ve gotten married a long time ago. I don’t even know why you’ve dragged it on until now,” Jonathan teased.For a moment, everyone had their eyes on Lucian as they waited for his response.However, in
“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