Cognizant that Madilyn had helped her pick up the boys two days in a row, Roxanne planned to pick them up herself that day. Thus, she headed to the Queen residence in the afternoon after finishing her work in the morning.After she arrived, she examined Alfred to make sure there weren’t any complications before continuing his treatment by inserting needles.While waiting for the time to remove the needles, Jonathan approached with a document in hand. “Dr. Jarvis, here’s the contract I’ve prepared. If you’re fine with the terms, you can just sign on it.”Roxanne wasn’t surprised, as that was what they discussed the night before. After going through the document in detail, she placed her signature at the bottom.With the contract signed, Jonathan’s attitude toward her grew warmer. “From now on, we have become partners. Nevertheless, we’ll still need your help with regards to Grandpa’s condition.”Roxanne nodded in acknowledgment. “That’s the least I can do.”After a brief chat, Roxanne
At the same time, Estella, too, threw her a hopeful gaze.Faced with the look in Estella’s eyes. Roxanne, who was about to decline, couldn’t bring herself to say it. In the end, she swallowed her words and nodded at the teacher.In response, Estella’s eyes glistened as she discreetly leaned into Roxanne while holding the latter’s sleeveFrom afar, it looked as if she was leaning in Roxanne’s arms.Sensing the slight movement, Roxanne didn’t stop her nor show her any attention. Instead, she discussed the boys’ affairs with the teacher as if she didn’t realize anything.“I remember that you came back from overseas together with Archie and Benny. Considering that they grew up overseas, I’m surprised at how well they speak Chanaean.”Since the chat was just an excuse, the teacher talked about trivial matters, as Archie and Benny’s performances in class were so impressive that there was nothing to complain about.Roxanne nodded with a smile. “That’s because there were still many Chanaeans
Meanwhile. Lucian didn’t notice the boys in the car as he strode into the kindergarten, well aware that he was late.The moment he stepped in, he saw two figures by the slide together with Estella, who had squeezed herself into Roxanne’s arms by then.“Mr. Farwell, you’re here!” the teacher greeted respectfully when she saw Lucian.Lucian nodded in acknowledgment as he walked up to them. After throwing his daughter a glance, he stared coldly at Roxanne. “Why are you here?”Sensing his hostility, Roxanne knitted her brows in confusion.The teacher then looked at them in surprise, “Do you know each other?”Just a while ago, she had assumed that Roxanne didn’t know Estella.However, considering how dependent Estella was on Roxanne, she figured that it wasn’t such a surprise at all.After nodding at the teacher without answering the question, Roxanne shifted her attention toward Lucian. “I came here to pick my boys up. It was your daughter who refused to let go of my clothes, forcing me t
Lucian arched his brow at her body language. “You getting mad isn’t going to change my mind.”Estella furiously snapped her head to him and shot him a death glare.Daddy is the worst! I hate Daddy the most! I like the beautiful Ms. Jarvis and Archie and Benny. Why did Daddy have to fight with her and even forbade Archie and Benny to attend kindergarten?Estella was crestfallen at the thought of never being able to see Archie and Benny at the kindergarten anymore.Daddy is too unreasonable! I don’t want to like him anymore!Estella sulked the whole way back.She ignored Lucian who was trailing after her and dashed up the stairs to her room without one glance back at him. After slamming the door, she even locked the door angrily.Catalina was standing at the door when the father and daughter arrived, so she noticed Estella’s angry mood. When she shifted her gaze to the expressionless Lucian walking behind Estella, she knew they were once again at outs with each other.“Mr. Farwell, what
Roxanne didn’t know how to answer her at that moment.Yesterday, the boys’ teacher did tell me Estella liked following the boys around. However, I neverthought she’ll be bold enough to take a cab to my house alone just so she can play with them. Moreover, she can’t speak. If she met some bad people on the way here…Roxanne didn’t dare to think about what would happen.“Mommy?” Archie and Benny had been waiting inside for a while and didn’t see Roxanne come back in, so they came out to have a look.When they saw the little girl at their front door, they had the same reaction as Roxanne. “What … are you doing here?”Estella was about to scribble in her notebook when Roxanne explained on her behalf, “Essie just wanted to play with you guys.”Archie looked around at Roxanne’s explanation, thinking he would see his dad, but there wasn’t an adult man anywhere.“How did she get here?” Archie flitted his gaze to Roxanne.Roxanne replied resignedly, “She took a cab here alone.”Even I have a
Lucian scoffed internally at the thought of how she had escaped his previous antics. “What do you want?” he asked in the same frigid tone the woman used.Roxanne glanced at the little girl beside her. What’s with that tone? I would’ve hung up right away if it weren’t for the child!“Essie came looking for me first thing in the morning. Come and get her if you’re free. Or you can tell me your address, and I’ll take her there.”Upon hearing that, Lucian furrowed his brows slightly. “Give me your address.”“32, Durwest Garden.”The man hung up right after that.Roxanne breathed an internal sigh of relief as she watched her screen turn black. She turned toward the little girl standing beside her, saying, “Your daddy’s coming over to pick you up. Be a good girl and go home with him, okay?”Estella nodded but secretly began pondering over her next move.She had finally gotten the chance to be with this pretty lady and didn’t want to have to leave so soon.But Daddy’s on his way here. What s
After Roxanne was done tending to Estella, Archie and Benny returned downstairs while carrying Estella’s gifts.They each had a strange-looking stuffed toy in their hands and walked up to the little girl. “We bought these with our pocket money. You can have them.”The dolls looked adorable yet hideous at the same time and didn’t seem to suit Estella at all.However, this was the girl’s first time receiving gifts from peers her age whom she liked very much. Thus, she joyously accepted the stuffed toys and hugged them more tightly than she did her previous doll.After a long while, Estella finally put the toys down and scribbled a massive word of thanks on her notebook, showing her writing to Archie and Benny.This was the boys’ first time seeing her beam like that.They used to avoid her because she was a child their father had with another woman.But after they saw how adorable she looked, their hearts skipped a beat as they exchanged glances and scratched their heads sheepishly.She’
Benny turned to the other boy in a daze, but he immediately came to a realization upon meeting the latter’s warning glance.Right! We can’t show this guy how much we like Essie!Remembering that, Benny hastily shut his mouth, using only his eyes to express his discontent.Lucian took notice of everything the boys had just done.Still, he didn’t know what they were thinking. Assuming he had frightened them, he fell silent for a moment before softening his expression.They might be another guy’s kids, but they’re still young. Lucian knew he shouldn’t take his annoyance out on the children.“In any case, the fact that Essie showed up at your door early in the morning must’ve caused you some trouble. Thank you for playing with her,” he tried his best to state calmly.The boys nodded icily in response.Then, the living room fell into silence.“Where’s your mommy?” Lucian asked in frustration a while later, rubbing his temples.Despite having a daughter, he wasn’t particularly good at inter
Roxanne was dog-tired. She would doze off almost immediately after getting into her bed for the past couple of nights. That night, however, she couldn’t fall asleep even after being in bed for quite a long while.Instead of feeling sleepy, all she could think about was Lucian’s desire-filled gaze.Roxanne couldn’t help but feel nervous when she knew that Lucian was still downstairs.She only heaved a sigh of relief inwardly when she heard the sound of the door closing coming from downstairs.After that, she went to the window and saw Lucian getting into his car. The car stayed motionless for a while before leaving the compound slowly.Roxanne watched Lucian’s car disappear from her sight before returning to bed and dozing off within seconds.She didn’t know whether Lucian’s ma*sage was the reason or not, but she felt more energized when she woke up in the morning.Since it was a Sunday, Roxanne stayed home with the kids instead of going to the research institute. At the same time, sh
The two of them didn’t continue talking after that, and Lucian had moved from ma*saging her temples to ma*saging her shoulders. When he was moving his hands, he either intentionally or accidentally brushed his thumbs across her neck.Roxanne was caught off guard, and her body froze when she suddenly felt as though an electric current had coursed through her.In the next second, Lucian was already ma*saging her shoulders. “How are you feeling? Am I pressing too hard?” he asked softly.Roxanne turned around to meet Lucian’s gentle gaze. She was startled, so she immediately retracted her eyes and nodded. “It’s fine.”Little did she know Lucian wasn’t planning to let go of her just yet. “I don’t know which acupuncture point can help you relax. How about you teach me?”As he was talking, he loosened his grips.In a flash, the atmosphere became ambiguous.Roxanne feigned calmness and cleared her throat. “Why would you want to know that? It’s not like you can ma*sage yourself.”In a natural
When the four of them arrived home, Roxanne was already done preparing dinner, and she was resting on the couch. Upon hearing noises at the door, she woke up immediately and went to open the door.“Mommy!”The kids rushed toward her and hugged her legs.Roxanne lowered her gaze and patted their heads with a smile on her face. “Did you guys have fun today?”Benny nodded fervently before turning back to look at Lucian with his pair of bright eyes. “Yes! Daddy brought us to the amusement park, and we watched a movie!”Roxanne smiled when she heard the joy in Benny’s voice.She only realized how Benny had addressed Lucian a few seconds later. When she did, the smile on her face froze.Instead of asking Benny what was going on, she gave Lucian an inquisitive glance.Noticing that, Lucian explained matter-of-factly, “I told them to address me so when we’re in the public. After all, I’ve already made it known to the public. If others were to hear them addressing me another way, it would be
Benny opened the door, and Lucian immediately saw the three children waiting to greet him at the door. “Daddy!”“Mr. Farwell!”They sounded aggrieved and gazed at him as though he was their savior.Lucian could not resist ruffling their hair affectionately at the sight of their adorable pouting faces. Then he looked up and cast his gaze around the living room. “Where’s your mommy?”It’s the weekend, so she should be home.“Mommy’s working overtime. She has already been working late the past few days. We’ve had to stay home alone, and it’s so boring!” Benny whined, and Archie and Estella nodded in agreement.Lucian’s brows drew together slightly when he heard their complaints. No wonder she sounded so tired whenever I called her the last two days. I thought she was exhausted from looking after these three little tykes and purposely came over to take them out for a treat. However, it turns out it’s because she has been working.Seeing how dispirited the children looked, he suggested, “
Meanwhile, in the Farwell residence, Sonya felt nauseous upon seeing the photo being shared all over the internet. In the past, Aubree had told Sonya time and time again that she was in love with Lucian.It had only been a few days since the two families had called off the engagement. Sonya was surprised and disgusted when she saw that Aubree had already checked into a room with another man.Aubree even went as far as making love with him as if nothing has happened! She must have done so willingly! This time, someone took a photo and made it viral. Who knows whether or not she had been unfaithful during all those years of her engagement with Lucian? Her so-called “love” for Lucian was nothing but a lie!At the thought of herself being tricked by Aubree, Sonya could not help but feel humiliated.All of a sudden, the support Sonya had shown Aubree all those years seemed like a waste of time.If she had allowed someone like Aubree to be married into the Farwell family, people would have
“B*tch!” Meanwhile, in the mansion in the suburb, Aubree was reading the comments all over the internet. A crazed look was on her face as she shrieked, “B*stards! I will never, ever, let you guys get away with this!”I was wrong about that man! He said he knew me, so I thought he had nothing to do with Roxanne.But in hindsight, who else besides Roxanne would do something so wretched? Besides that b*tch, who else would benefit from me becoming a joke? Roxanne must be taking her revenge on me! It has to be her!Aubree wanted to kill Roxanne. Her gaze hardened with unparalleled hatred.Anger clouded Aubree’s mind as she grabbed her handbag and stormed toward the door. The only thing on her mind was take revenge against Roxanne.Just as she flung the door open, she was halted by her father.Samuel’s venomous glare burned into her skin. “Have you no shame? How dare you still think about going out at a time like this? Do you think it’s not embarra*sing enough?”With each word he spoke, Sa
“Fiancée?” Kai shot back a question with a meaningful look. “Which fiancée are you talking about? During your absence, a lot of things have happened in Mr. Farwell’s life!” Shawn’s heart sank slightly when he heard that. “What do you mean? Isn’t Aubree Pearson his fiancée?”Kai laughed out loud when he heard that. “That was eight hundred years ago! Back then, I noticed that Lucian had been treating Aubree with indifference. I found it strange that the Farwell and Pearson families have managed to hold on to the engagement for many years.”Shawn did not respond. Instead, he continued to listen to his friend’s rambling.“The Farwell family called off the engagement two years ago. Lucian even implied that Aubree has a poor character. It turns out that his ex-wife is back in the country with two children. Right now, the Pearson family is being made bankrupt by the Farwell family, and Lucian is getting it on with his ex-wife again!”Kai was very animated when he was gossiping. It was as if
“I would say I’m pretty easy on the eyes. Getting to sleep with me isn’t that much of a loss for you.” He tucked a finger under her chin and lifted it so that she was looking right at him. “You truly are a delicacy. I hope you won’t forget me anytime soon.” As he spoke, his hand began to slide down Aubree’s neck, and he started to bend down until he was hovering right over her.She snapped back to her senses and pushed his hand away with a scowl on her face. “Get out! Don’t make me repeat myself!”The man chuckled amusedly at her angry look and actually began to walk out.Soon enough, Aubree was left alone in the hotel roomShe began to look around her, trying to recall what had happened last night.No matter how much she tried to make sense of her surroundings, she just couldn’t remember what happened.She had a*sumed that someone had been hired to a*sault her.However, that man didn’t look like someone who could be hired. In fact, he looked more like the one who would be doing the
Cory’s face was clouded over with disdain. “Obviously, I’m taking a picture of my lovely ex-boss. Aubree was the one who made me who I am today. How can I possibly forgive her so easily?” As he spoke, an ominous aura radiated from him as if he were a devil from hell. There was an imminent chill in the air that seemed to come from his sheer hatred toward Aubree.Frieda couldn’t help but shudder at his demeanor.“Have you gone insane? The Pearson family is already in ruins. How are you still not satisfied yet?”Cory snickered. “I won’t be satisfied until she truly gets what she deserves. Besides, she did this to herself!”He narrowed his eyes and began scrutinizing the people in front of him.“You don’t have to play pretend around me, Ms. Queen. Don’t you want to shut her up for good too? In fact, you’re probably still getting threatened by her, right?”Frieda’s eyelids quivered as she forced herself to look away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”She might have done her best t