The game began with Roxanne and Lucian in the middle and the boys on either side. “Green light… Red light!”Estella waited for them to take a few steps before suddenly spinning around.Although the others stopped in their tracks at once, the two little ones lost their balance and swayed about for a little bit before steadying themselves.Fortunately, all Estella wanted was for them to all play together. Hence, she did not take issue with it and quickly turned back.When the game resumed, Roxanne could not help wondering whether the boys’ excitement was causing them to veer toward the center.She glanced at Archie, who was next to her, helplessly.However, all his attention was on Estella standing right in the center.It seemed as though he was straying in that direction solely because he was eager to tag Estella.Seeing that, Roxanne sighed inwardly and moved toward the center to make room for him.Meanwhile, Lucian, too, noticed the same thing with Benny. He seems to be behaving odd
The children were no longer in the mood to continue playing. Roxanne had left anyway, so there was no need for them to carry on with the game. At the side, Lucian watched as they dragged their feet over to the carpet and plopped down listlessly. Twitching his lips in amusement, he lifted his eyes and glanced upstairs. Then, he headed up the stairs.After all, he had to talk to Roxanne about the misunderstanding earlier and clarify things.The children initially thought their battle plan this time was a total flop, but they spotted Lucian voluntarily going upstairs when they looked over their shoulders.Without a shadow of a doubt, he was going to look for Roxanne.When they saw that, a spark of hope flared within them.Upstairs, Roxanne shut herself in the bedroom, feeling exceedingly conflicted.She didn’t know what was wrong with her earlier.Just a while ago, I was irritated by Lucian’s domineering attitude. Yet, I was still bewitched by the tenderness in his eyes during the game.
The children weren’t much help in the kitchen, but with them around, Roxanne’s turbulent emotions slowly subsided. When she came out after cooking dinner, she immediately spotted Lucian sitting on the couch.He seemed to be rather tired, for he had already dozed off while they were preparing dinner. His head tipped slightly to the side, and he half-leaned against the couch. Even while asleep, he was still as elegant as ever.Seeing that, Roxanne instinctively gentled her movements to not make too much noise and made a shushing gesture at the children.The children followed her gaze. The instant they laid eyes on the sleeping man, a glimmer of bemusement flashed across Archie and Benny’s faces.Daddy would usually settle work matters whenever he was free. But today, he actually fell asleep. Has he been too exhausted from work recently?The brothers looked at Estella in confusion.When Estella’s eyes fell on the man asleep on the couch, the smile on her face gradually faded. Her eyes b
Terrified by Lucian’s sudden movement to the point that she didn’t dare move, Roxanne reacted like a petrified cat when the man drew close to her. She desperately tried to break free, but he effortlessly seized her hands and locked them behind her back. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t break free. “Wake up, Lucian!” Her eyes brimmed with panic as the distance between their lips diminished. Even her voice had grown a touch tense.Unfortunately, Lucian remained unmoved and continued leaning closer to her.Only when the distance between them was so negligible that they could sense each other’s breathing and Roxanne was so nervous that her heart almost stopped pounding did she sense the man finally drawing to a stop.Heaving a sigh of relief, she cautiously turned her face and studied his expression to ascertain whether he had awakened.The moment she did so, she met the man’s clear gaze.“Sorry. I was still half-awake earlier.”Masking the mirth in his eyes, Lucian put on
Despite her reluctance, Estella knew that they would definitely be frequent visitors henceforth since her father was pursuing Roxanne. Thus, she obediently slid off the couch and sweetly bid Roxanne farewell before leaving with Lucian. Only when Lucian’s car had driven into the distance did Roxanne turn back around and return to the mansion with Archie and Benny.The two boys spent the whole day playing and worrying about the adults’ matters, so they started yawning incessantly now that things had settled down.It was already pretty late, so Roxanne had them go in and rest while she went to the study.As the top prestigious family in the medical field in the country, the Damaris family attracted much attention despite having gone into seclusion for many years.Consequently, the research institute established this time promptly came to light as soon as it was completed.When it came to the collaboration this time, the Damaris family didn’t plan on keeping a low profile. Instead, they
Roxanne a*sumed that the list of partners would only be announced by the Damaris family in a few days. Little did she expect to receive Larry’s call the next morning, right after she woke up.Hence, she answered the phone groggily.“Have you seen it? The Damaris family has released the list of partners.” Larry’s voice rang out the moment the call connected.His words jolted Roxanne awake. “Why so sudden?”I’m not ready yet.Larry chuckled. “I’m as clueless as you are. However, I heard that there’ll be a commencement event in two days in the form of a press conference. Therefore, we had better be prepared, as reporters nowadays can be very demanding. Who knows what sort of questions will be thrown out by them, especially toward someone new like you who doesn’t have any background.”The grateful Roxanne replied, “Thanks for giving me the heads-up, Larry. I’ll make the necessary preparations.”Nonetheless, Larry quickly followed up. “Anyway, congratulations, Dr. Jarvis. Your reputation
Meanwhile, Roxanne had delegated Madilyn to pick the children up to Madilyn as she promptly headed to the meeting. No sooner had she stepped out the door than she saw Jack’s car at the entrance.At the sight of her, he alighted from the car and took a look behind her. Feeling slightly disappointed, he inquired, “Are the children still at school?”Roxanne nodded. “I got a friend of mine to pick them up. Is there a reason why you want to see them, Mr. Damaris?”Jack casually nodded. “I’ve brought them some gifts. But since they’re not around, let’s just forget it. I’ll personally hand them over the next time I see the boys.”The fact that he had prepared presents for them surprised Roxanne, for she didn’t expect him to be so attentive.“Since you have gotten them the presents, it’s only right you hand them to the boys yourself.” Roxanne pursed her lips into a smile upon regaining her senses.With that, she turned around and headed toward her car.She had barely taken a step when Jack’s
Subsequently, she got to her feet and regained her composure before heading to the restaurant next door. “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”Upon entering the restaurant, Jessica gave her two guests an apologetic look.Her arrival brought a sense of relief to Roxanne and Jack who responded with a faint smile. “It’s all right. Please take a seat.”Nodding in acknowledgment, Jessica sat down beside them. However, at the sight of the untouched food on the table, she looked at them in surprise. “Didn’t I ask you to start first? Why did you wait for me? I’m really sorry that the food is now cold.”Since Roxanne didn’t know Jessica that well, she simply broke into a cordial smile.As for Jack, he gave her a perfunctory reply. “Since you’re the host, it’s right that we wait for you.”He had barely spoken when silence descended upon the table.At a loss as to what to do, Roxanne gave Jack an awkward look, for she intended to leave early if possible.When Jessica wasn’t around, she and Jack
Elias knitted his brows when he saw his wife acting in that way. “I don’t remember any conflicts between the two of you six years ago. Why are you so biased against her?” “Are you saying that I’m unreasonable?” Sonya snapped, turning around to glare at him.The resignation on Elias’ face deepened. “I’m only stating facts. Why are you taking this so personally?”“Then we’ll go to her place to check it out right now! We’ll see if the kid really is hurt! Didn’t she ask us to pick Essie up from her house? We’ll go right now!”Elias knew that she was only saying that because she was furious, so he just drove them back to the Farwell main residence.Sonya was even more irked when she realized where they were heading, and she kept grumbling on their way back.Elias pretended not to hear anything she said.He was already relenting much by accompanying her to pick Estella up from the kindergarten.As Farwell Group’s chairman, he simply could not do something ludicrous like kicking up a fuss i
Roxanne’s heart was lodged in her throat as she made her way to the hospital. She floored the accelerator, on the verge of breaking the speed limit. Archie and Benny might be independent since young, but it was the first time one of them had gotten hurt.Roxanne felt a surge of anxiety wash over her.Upon arrival, Roxanne parked her car hastily and strode into the hospital.Pippa was considerate enough to text her the ward number after Benny was admitted to the hospital.Thus, Roxanne found them without any difficulty.“Mommy!”Archie firmly grasped her hand, squeezing it with such force that it caused her pain.Estella also clutched at the corner of her shirt.Roxanne patted their heads comfortingly before turning to Pippa. “Ms. Ward, what happened?”Pippa answered apologetically, “We’re not sure yet. The doctor at the infirmary said it might be a bruised cartilage. Benny is taking an X-ray inside.”Roxanne felt a stab of pain in her heart after she heard the news.“Ms. Jarvis, we’r
The next game was hopping on one foot. The kids filed to the equipment room to change into their sneakers. After changing into his shoes, Benny felt slightly uncomfortable. He a*sumed that it was probably because he had not worn these types of shoes in quite some time and wasn’t used to the fit. Nonetheless, he didn’t give it too much thought and kept going.Archie and Estella were urging him to hurry up, so he pushed aside the thought of his uncomfortable shoes and hurried over to them, beaming happily.This was an individual game, and Benny’s turn wasn’t until later.After Archie and Estella finished their turns, they stood aside to watch Benny play.“Remember to be careful. Safety comes first,” Pippa told them repeatedly.Ophelia stood aside and acted like she was ready to spring into action and protect the children at any moment.The three children had done a good job in the previous games, so when it was Benny’s turn, their friends cheered him on and watched him expectantly.Ben
Upon seeing that Roxanne was still in a daze, Lucian couldn’t resist lifting his hand and caressing her face. “You…”Roxanne was stupefied for several seconds before she belatedly snapped back to her senses. Mild embarra*sment showed in her eyes.While the man had sneaked up on her countless times when they were in Miralaea, she could more or less postulate the reason after the fact.But this time, I didn’t do anything. Why did he simply kiss me?Innocence was written all over Lucian’s face. “Sorry, I lost control.”At that answer, Roxanne’s eyes went wide in fury. However, she couldn’t really censure him either. All she could do was turn around as though nothing had happened and put the washed tableware aside.The two of them spent some time doing the dishes. When they exited the kitchen, Archie, Benny, and Estella pestered Lucian to play with them for a while.Only when it was rather late did Lucian drive home.Needless to say, Roxanne saw him off with the three children.When they
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