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
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
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
“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
“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
“Lucian, how’s Dr. Jarvis?” Jonathan gingerly asked after they had driven for some distance. It was bad enough that one could cut the tension in the car with a knife, but it was even worse to see a grim-faced Lucian in the rearview mirror. Naturally, Jonathan couldn’t help but wonder if he had imagined the earlier interaction.I remember Lucian being perfectly normal with Roxanne and the kids just now. Why has he done a one-eighty since getting into the car?Alas, Lucian merely shot Jonathan a cold stare and asked, “Where are Aubree and your sister?”“I sent them to the hospital,” Jonathan replied, sheepishly touching his nose as he did.“Take me there.”Left with no other choice, Jonathan sighed inwardly and nodded.D*mn it. I wonder if he’ll take his anger out on our family when he sees Frieda later…After a few seconds of silence, Jonathan composed himself and brought the focus back to Roxanne and Lucian. “By the way, Dr. Jarvis wasn’t hurt, was she?”Lucian shook his head, his ex
“Lucian, what are you talking about—” Of course, Aubree would never admit to what she did, so she had no choice but to continue playing coy. However, Lucian did not let her finish her sentence. “We’re both at fault for letting our joke of an engagement drag on for six years. Now, it’s time to end it! After you get discharged, I’ll announce the end of the relationship between our families. I’m only doing this for Old Mr. Pearson’s sake, so play along if you know what’s good for you!”We’re calling it off? Aubree widened her eyes in shock and took quite a while before regaining her senses. It took me six years to finally get Lucian to give me another chance. I can’t believe my dream shattered when I’m this close to realizing it! How can he be so cruel to me? No! I won’t allow this to happen! I’ve worked so hard for six years, so there’s no way I’m going to let him get his way!Ignoring the injury on her arm, Aubree gritted her teeth and reached out to grab the hem of Lucian’s shirt. He
Frieda stood rooted to her spot as she looked at Jonathan and Lucian leave. She was stunned for a while before regaining her senses and hastening toward Aubree’s ward. She had to hear Aubree’s answer in person.Frieda was halted by Jonathan’s subordinate, who was stationed outside the ward’s entrance. “Ms. Queen, Mr. Queen forbade you from coming close.”She glared at him angrily. “Get lost! I’m just going in to say a few things. I’ll come out the moment I’m done talking.”With that, she made to stride into the room.Jonathan’s subordinate was caught in a difficult position, standing before Frieda and blocking her way forward. Still, he didn’t dare to lay a finger on her and could only watch as she pushed the door open and walked into the room.“Aubree!”Frieda impatiently wanted confirmation from Aubree right after she opened the door.The next second, she caught herself when she witnessed Aubree crying hysterically. Then, she quietly left the ward.There wasn’t any need for her to
Lucian didn’t expect his father to be in such a hurry to go and pick Estella up. After hanging up the phone, he glanced at the time. Seeing that it was still relatively early, he wanted to phone Roxanne to inform her about the situation. But on second thought, he snagged his jacket and went downstairs.Downstairs, Catalina had just prepared dinner. When she saw her employer coming down, she hollered, “The food is ready, Mr. Farwell.”Lucian halted in his steps for a fleeting second. “Go on and eat. I’m not having dinner at home.”Having said that, he left in huge strides without waiting for a response from her.Catalina stared at the man’s back, bewildered for a moment. In the next heartbeat, understanding dawned upon her.Aha! Who else could induce such an expression on Mr. Farwell’s face? He must be on his way out to visit Ms. Jarvis once more. Thus, he’s also likely having dinner there!Roxanne had just finished cooking dinner and led the three children to the dining table. They h
Elias frowned, and when he spoke, his voice was tinged with a hint of exasperation. “I’ve long since told you to let Lucian make the decisions himself when it comes to his marriage. Everyone is free to live their own lives. Why must we meddle so much?”Disapproval was written all over Sonya’s face. “How could I possibly allow that? Is Lucian’s marriage his business alone? Never mind if he wants to marry some other woman, but why must it be that woman?”Why must it be Roxanne? Worse still, she comes with two little bastards!Seeing that she was still dissatisfied with Roxanne, Elias patiently cajoled, “No matter who he wants to be with, that’s his business. He matured into an adult ages ago. We can’t interfere in everything.”But still, Sonya remained obstinate and griped, “If he had finalized his marriage with Aubree earlier, all this wouldn’t have happened.”After saying that, she shot the man beside her a chagrined look. “You’re no better. It’s because you allowed him free rein in
Roxanne’s life was soon back on the right track while Lucian’s was still in chaos. Lucian considered going to Roxanne’s place in the evening after handling all the accumulated work in Farwell Group. However, he received a phone call from his mother, who asked him to return home as soon as possible.Lucian furrowed his brows at his mother’s annoyed tone. Nevertheless, he still drove back to the manor.As soon as he stepped into the house, he was greeted by the sight of Sonya sitting on the couch.“Why are you here?” he questioned with a frown.Sonya turned to look at him and said unhappily, “If I hadn’t come here, I wouldn’t even know you were back!”He had not mentioned to anyone about him going overseas with Roxanne.Sonya had come over every day to ask her son for an explanation but always ended up empty-handed.When she called him and mentioned Roxanne and the kids, he would always give a half-hearted response before hanging up.Hence, Sonya had nowhere to vent her anger.Since th
Roxanne was moved by his words but remained hesitant. “Perhaps, but I lack enough knowledge of cancer to support the research on an anti-cancer medicine.” Over the past few years, she had been more focused on researching how to treat patients through acupuncture. She simply didn’t know enough about medicinal herbs to be confident in developing an anti-cancer medicine.Sensing her worries, Jack said, “I won’t lie. Only a few medical books kept in the Damaris residence touch on this research. However, the reason the research in those books was halted was due to technical issues at the time. It was also these books that inspired me.”Roxanne’s eyes glinted upon hearing that. If I can take a look at those books, perhaps I’ll get some inspiration, too. Then again, those books are properties of the Damaris family. I don’t know if he’s willing to lend them to an outsider.“The books about traditional medicine I lent you in the past were a part of that collection. If you’re interested, I can
While the reporters’ photos depicted a woman standing at the helicopter door, Jack knew Lucian was behind it. He thought the matter had ended when the celebrity scandals dominated the public consciousness that afternoon. Thus, the next day, he planned to meet up with Roxanne by using the project as an excuse.To his surprise, her a*sistant told him she wasn’t in the research institute.In fact, he received the same answer over the next few days.By then, no matter how stupid Jack was, he could still realize what was happening.He knew Roxanne had left with Lucian, so he wondered how long it would take them to return.To his surprise, it was a whole week, and that enraged him.Jack was still upset as he spoke. “Even though the development of our project was about to begin, the person in charge of the research institute was nowhere to be found. What do you think I should say about that, Ms. Jarvis?”When he brought up the project, Roxanne felt guilty and apologized further. “I’m really
In the end, Lucian called Jeffrey and requested a week’s leave for the children.With that out of the way, the three adults took the three children on a trip to Miralaea.Just as Jeffrey hung up the phone, a gentle-looking teacher entered the room.“You’re here, Ms. Smith,” he greeted. “You understand the situation about the cla*s, yes? Mr. Farwell’s children are in it, and the a*sistant teacher is on leave. I’m worried Ms. Ward won’t be able to manage the cla*s alone, so you’ll be helping her out for now.”Smiling, Ophelia Smith nodded. “I understand, Mr. Bauer. You don’t need to worry a thing.”Jeffrey scrutinized her and thought she looked pretty gentle. “I’m leaving them in your hands, so don’t mess things up.”“Should I greet them now?”“They’ve just started their one-week leave. Once they’ve returned, Ms. Ward will introduce them to you.”When Ophelia heard that, the look in her eyes imperceptibly darkened for just a moment. “I see. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave no
We didn’t see anything!” Madilyn smiled mischievously as she feigned ignorance.The children nodded along. “We didn’t either!”Then, Madilyn attempted to sneak away with the kids as though nothing had happened.Just as she turned around, Roxanne said, “Come over here. Let’s talk.”Thus, Madilyn twirled around again and saw a resigned expression on her best friend’s face.Roxanne and Lucian, who was slightly displeased, proceeded to sit next to each other on the couch.Upon hearing their mother’s summon, the children rushed over to sit around her.Only Madilyn was left standing at the entrance of the room.Glancing at the family of five, she cleared her throat, stepped toward the single-seat couch, and plopped down.Frowning, Roxanne questioned, “You said you’ve devised a way to handle the fallout. What do you suggest we do?”In response, Lucian shifted his line of sight to Madilyn, too.Madilyn could still sense the cold look in his eyes, so she did her best to ignore him and focus on
Meanwhile, Roxanne was still lost in a daze. “Madilyn, what…”Cocking a brow, Madilyn stepped aside to usher them in. “Come onboard. I’m here to pick you up.”Roxanne was blown away by the words.Is she asking us to get in the helicopter and leave just like that? We might be able to escape this time, but what about when the reporters come for us again?When she saw Roxanne remaining motionless, the puzzled Madilyn urged her, “Hurry up! What are you still hesitating for? Whatever concerns you have, we’ll discuss it on board.”She extended her hand while speaking.With the helicopter hovering right before her eyes, Roxanne realized that Madilyn’s effort would go to waste if she didn’t get on.Holding that thought, Roxanne took the latter’s hand. Given how close the helicopter was, all she needed to do was take a step forward to board it.After carrying Estella over, Roxanne turned around to do the same with the boys. Little did she expect them to be raring to go.Reciprocating their ent
It wasn’t until Lucian heard Madilyn’s words that he realized her point and stopped in his tracks.“This whole incident might just blow over if you don’t show up, but it will definitely worsen if you make an appearance. If that happens, they might even swarm Farwell Group along with Roxanne’s house!” Madilyn reminded him.She knew the mentality of those journalists all too well.Lucian clenched his fists so tightly that his veins were bulging from underneath his skin. “What should I do, then?” he asked while trying to suppress his anger.I wouldn’t have acted so impulsively if I knew this would happen!Madilyn rolled her eyes at him in response. Why is he asking us for a solution when he’s the one who caused all this?“Mr. Farwell, how about we send someone over to get Mrs. Farwell out of there?” Cayden suggested cautiously.“How are you going to do that? There are so many journalists around!” Madilyn snapped at him.Cayden fell silent and flashed her an awkward look in response.“If