Lucian stood behind Roxanne and stared at her silhouette for a long time.What is she thinking about? She didn’t even notice I was here. She didn’t even move an inch the entire time I was here.After a long while, Lucian raised his feet at walked toward her with a frown on his face.Only when a shadow cast on her did Roxanne realize that she was not alone. Snapping out of her daze, Roxanne lifted her head to look at the person standing in front of her.As their gazes met, Roxanne immediately knitted her brows and stood up with solemn guardedness. She took a few steps back, increasing the distance between them.“What are you thinking about, Ms. Jarvis? Why did you leave Archie and Benny behind and come out here alone?” Lucian asked in concern as though nothing had happened.Roxanne looked at the man standing before her and retorted, “Didn’t you leave Essie behind and come out here as well, Mr. Farwell?”Lucian’s expression sank momentarily, but quickly, he flashed a smile at Roxanne. “
“Put your hands together as we invite the champion to receive the prize on stage!” The host smiled and looked toward Roxanne and the others. Roxanne glanced at Lucian, hoping he would go up.However, Lucian remained seated calmly and showed no intention of standing up.Roxanne had no choice but to get up on stage to receive the vouchers for a hot spring vacation from Jeffrey.As she walked up the stage, everyone shot her envious looks.Thinking that the people might have seen their kiss, Roxanne couldn’t wait to get off the stage. She hurriedly took the vouchers, thanked the presenter, and turned to step down from the stage.The three children looked at the vouchers in her hand with faces full of excitement.Roxanne, however, was distracted.The long wait for the event to end was exhausting. And as soon as it ended, Roxanne immediately got up, wanting to leave with the children.As they walked out of the hall, Estella said gingerly, “Ms. Jarvis, let’s go together!”Roxanne was shocke
Early in the morning that weekend, Roxanne had just woken up when she heard a knock at the door. She didn’t think much about it and thought it was Archie and Benny who had come to wake her up. She rubbed her eyes and let them in.Unexpectedly, when the door opened, she saw the three of them, Estella and the boys, standing at the door. Estella was wearing a pink skirt and carrying a small bag, looking particularly adorable.Roxanne was caught off guard when she saw her. She thought she was hallucinating because she didn’t sleep well the night before.The night before this, Roxanne had been brooding over the fact that she was about to go on the hot spring vacation with Lucian. She didn’t even know when she finally fell asleep.Although she had fallen asleep, she didn’t sleep well and felt as if she was constantly in a dream.Her mind was still a little hazy at that moment.“Ms. Jarvis!” Estella greeted her from the door in her piping voice.Roxanne finally returned to her senses and co
On the way, the three cheerful children were constantly chatting in the backseat. At first, Roxanne was a little restrained. However, after listening to the joyful voices of the children, she slowly put on a smile on her face.Once they arrived at the hotel, Roxanne got out of the car first and carried the children out of the backseat one by one.The children held each other’s hands and obediently followed the two adults into the hotel.The hotel lobby was decorated magnificently. A fish tank in the corner caught their attention as soon as they walked into the hotel.“It’s beautiful!” Estella’s eyes sparkled.Roxanne followed her gaze, only to see a few tropical fish swimming in a colorful and eye-catching fish tank.“Let’s go and have a look!” Archie and Benny wanted to satisfy Estella’s wish, so they led her to the fish tank.Looking at the children running around happily, Roxanne lifted her head to look at the man at the side.Lucian frowned and said in a deep voice, “You go with
Lucian knew Roxanne was uneasy about his presence, so he went straight to the couch and quietly read his emails right after he entered the room. Roxanne was playing with the children when a few knocks on the door grabbed her attention. She got up and went to get the door.When she pulled the door open, she saw two waiters pushing a cart, and beside them stood a man who seemed to be the manager. The man was looking at her respectfully.Roxanne was puzzled about the crowd outside her door since they did not order any room service. She instinctively turned to glance at the man sitting quietly on the couch.“Good afternoon. I’m the manager of the hotel, and this is the lunch included in your vouchers. Enjoy your meal,” the manager said with a courteous smile.Comprehension dawned on Roxanne. She immediately thanked the manager and stood aside to let the waiters push the cart into the room.Roxanne called the children over to have lunch after the waiters had set up the table.Lucian, howe
At the side, Roxanne had also heard Benny’s screams, but by the time she turned, it was too late. The boy had already sought refuge behind Lucian. The sight of the smile on that man’s face while the two of them were together left Roxanne with mixed feelings.As much as she had done for the children, certain forms of security were something only a father could provide.Oblivious to her sentiments, the boy excitedly tugged at her as he wanted her to admire the fish alongside him.Out of nowhere, a mermaid dove from above and waved at them through the gla*s.Wide-eyed, the boys asked Roxanne, “Is this real, Mommy?”Amused by their innocence, Roxanne patted them on the head. “Of course not, but she does look pretty, though.”“Could you dress up like a mermaid too, Mommy?” Benny looked at Roxanne in anticipation.Taken by surprise at first, Roxanne then went on to explain smilingly, “Well, I could, but I think that’d be a paid program.”When the children heard her saying that she could, t
After dinner, the lot of them headed directly to the beach to await the commencement of the fireworks display. Illuminated by the light of the moon, the ripples upon the surface of the sea sparkled like glitter—a picture of perfect tranquility.Although the beach was quite packed, there was not much noise.Immersed in such a setting, the ma*ses sat around and indulged themselves in infrequent bits of quiet conversations.With one hand holding Estella and the other on Benny, Roxanne weaved her way through the crowd while Lucian followed behind them.Being surrounded by so many bodies, Roxanne could not help but worry about the little ones and was hoping to find a more secluded spot where they could stay.As the beach grew increasingly populated, it drew a frown from Lucian who called out to the quartet ahead of him. “Come to Daddy, Essie.”He was wary of Roxanne’s way of herding the children and was afraid that Benny, who was occupying the fringes, would get lost in the crowd.Estella
Meanwhile, Roxanne was getting impatient after waiting for a long time with Archie and Estella. However, she had no choice but to wait in distress because she was worried about Archie and Estella whenever she recalled Lucian’s words.Suddenly, her phone vibrated.Roxanne frowned and instantly picked up the call without hesitation.“We found Benny. He’s watching the band’s performance. I’ve already instructed someone to keep an eye on him. Come over.” Lucian’s deep voice sounded.Roxanne felt relieved after hearing that. She immediately expressed her gratitude. “Thank you. I’ll be there immediately.”On the other end of the line, Lucian grunted in response before hanging up the call and hurrying to Benny’s location first.“Have they found Benny?” Archie asked carefully after taking in his mother’s expression.Roxanne nodded slightly and flashed a rea*suring smile at him.Archie appeared more agitated than his mother. “Let’s hurry up and find Benny! He’s alone. He must be scared out of
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
Due to Benny’s injury, the three kids didn’t attend their cla*ses at the kindergarten for the time being. As a result, Ophelia didn’t have the chance to make her move.Aubree repeatedly received disappointing updates from Ophelia when she contacted the latter on multiple occasions.Exasperated, Aubree invited Ophelia out once more.“Aubree, there’s nothing I can do either. Who would’ve expected that b*tch to stop the other two kids from attending school after that little b*stard got hurt!” Ophelia uttered helplessly.She thought she could still target Archie and Estella while Benny recuperated at home due to his injury.To her surprise, she received news that all three children had applied for leave the following day.Aubree clenched her fists. Hatred filled her eyes as she spoke. “That b*tch!”The two women grimaced, stumped at the development.While vexed, Ophelia carefully observed the changes in Aubree’s countenance, fearing the latter might get sick and tired of her.After a lon
Because of Benny’s injury, Roxanne took a leave of absence for all three of her children and stayed at home to take care of Benny for the time being. Fortunately, the ointment she had developed was very effective, and when she applied it to Benny, his wound healed up rather quickly.In the past two days, Lucian would often come to visit the kids.While Roxanne was busy taking care of Benny, she was also worrying about the projects at the research institute.In the end, she found out that, except for the project with the Damaris family, all the other projects were progressing smoothly.Due to the previous incident, the project with the Damaris family had to be handled by Roxanne and Roxanne only. As such, the project was stalled the moment she left.Since she was preoccupied with taking care of Benny, it took Roxanne a few days to realize that she had forgotten to give Jack a heads-up on the situation.Just when she was about to make a call to Jack to apologize, the man himself called
Meanwhile, Ophelia stepped out of the kindergarten with a grim expression. Thank goodness I handled the matter fast enough! Who’d have thought Mr. Bauer would launch an investigation as soon as he returned? Gosh. I almost blew my cover! Then again, this must mean that little b*stard’s injury was pretty bad…With that thought in mind, Ophelia curled her lips into a smirk.That b*tch Roxanne has ruined my chances of a happy and comfortable life! She deserves this little payback from me. Ha!Naturally, Ophelia needed to inform Aubree about the incident, so she quickly got into her car and dialed the latter’s number.Fortunately, the call got through after just a few rings.“How did it go? Did you succeed?” Aubree asked urgently.Argh. Life has been incredibly tough on me lately. I need some good news to cheer me up!“I greased the shoes of that Benny boy, and he fell really hard!” Ophelia said with a smug chortle. “Mr. Bauer even made a big fuss out of it when he returned, so I’m sure t
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