When Roxanne met Lucian’s gaze, the confidence in her eyes gradually started wavering. A long moment pa*sed before she dipped her eyes and agreed softly, “Okay, I’ll do it. What do you need me to do?”During those few seconds when their eyes held, she searched the depths of her heart.Perhaps she didn’t believe that Colby would do such a thing, but given a choice between him and Lucian, her heart would still be biased toward the man before her.On top of that, the look in Lucian’s eyes was incredibly resolute.Following her agreement, Lucian’s expression eased. He told her about his plan in a deep voice.As Roxanne listened, she nodded thoughtfully.“Will this really work? We don’t have concrete evidence.”Truth be told, she was still a touch hesitant after listening to the man’s plan.Lucian’s expression turned chilly. “As long as he was the one behind it, he would definitely feel guilty in such a situation. Even if not, he’ll be afraid of dying!”Upon hearing that, Roxanne fell sil
Colby kept his head bowed, his pupils darting around incessantly. Now that things have come to this, I won’t be able to keep the truth under wraps no matter what I say. Besides, Lucian has already discovered there’s a problem with that bottle of distilled water. Does he have other evidence in hand?As his brain whirred, Lucian’s voice rang out once more. “Did you think you could get away with it by privately asking the purchasing staff to help you sneak the medicine in?”The instant those words fell, Colby snapped his eyes up and gaped at the man in shock.He knows! He really knows everything!Lucian held his gaze expressionlessly. “Are you still planning to deny it at this point? Or are you only going to confess to your crimes when the police have arrived?”Behind him, Roxanne had stepped out at some point in time and regarded Colby blankly.When Colby met her gaze, his lips twitched. An intense struggle transpired within him.A long time pa*sed before he ultimately admitted, “Indee
Soon, the police arrived. Colby was then escorted into the police car by the police.Before leaving, he glanced back over his shoulder and took a long look at Roxanne.Roxanne merely held his gaze for a second before she promptly averted her eyes.Truth be told, she didn’t quite know how to face the man.At the sight of her avoiding his gaze, Colby gave a bitter chuckle that dripped with self-deprecation. He cooperatively got into the police car.Thereafter, the police car sped away.Cayden also departed after taking his leave from Lucian.Following that, Roxanne and Lucian were the only ones left at the entrance of the research institute.Lucian regarded the woman beside him in concern.“What are you thinking? Are you still unwilling to believe that Colby would do such a thing?”Lifting her eyes, Roxanne met his gaze. She said nothing, but the look in her eyes spoke volumes.Indeed, overturning one’s long-time perception toward someone wasn’t something that could be accomplished ove
Following Jack’s words, even greater guilt swamped Roxanne. “I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy investigating the incident that day that I forgot to contact you.”Biting the bullet, she apologized to the man.Fortunately, Jack didn’t continue pursuing the matter. He merely looked her up and down with a smile, seemingly to ascertain that she had recovered.“I’ve recovered fully now. Sorry for worrying you these past few days, Mr. Damaris,” Roxanne murmured.“I’m glad to hear that. I went to the hospital to visit you the night you pa*sed out, but Mr. Farwell said I’d disrupt your rest and didn’t allow me in,” Jack commented in what appeared to be an offhanded manner.Hearing that, Roxanne turned to the man beside her.Lucian met her gaze calmly. “I told you about it. It was indeed late at that time. Mr. Damaris must have had the same concerns as me, for he didn’t insist on going in.”That was to say, he had already told Roxanne about the matter.Jack’s expression changed drastically.Conside
Meanwhile, Aubree recuperated at the hospital for two whole days before the condition of her arm finally took a turn for the better. Learning that her daughter had been injured, Gina rushed to the hospital early in the morning.“What’s going on here? How’s your injury? Are you feeling better? And why didn’t you tell me earlier?”At the sight of Aubree in a hospital gown, anguish marred Gina’s features.Aubree shook her head woodenly, her voice hoarse. “I’m fine. My injury has already healed, so it wouldn’t do me any good to tell you.”In the past two days, she had been helpless to do anything because of her injured arm. When she was awake, she spent most of the time in tears.It was precisely for that reason that she didn’t want her parents to come over.Only when Gina heard her voice did she notice that her daughter had seemingly been crying. On a closer look, she saw that Aubree’s face was horribly puffy.In a flash, her heart sank. “What happened? Why did you cry so much? And who
Immediately, Sonya whipped out her phone and gave Lucian a call. At that very moment, Lucian had just left Roxanne’s house after dinner.The instant he saw that it was a call from his mother, his heart sank. The tenderness on his face was all but gone, replaced by a layer of frost.“Where are you right now? Make a trip back to the Farwell main residence this instant! I have something to say to you!”As soon as the call was connected, Sonya’s voice blasted out before Lucian could even utter a single word.His brows knitted together, and he glanced back at Roxanne’s house, which was brightly lit. It was as though he could still hear the sounds of her playing with Archie and Benny.Snapping back to reality, he agreed somberly, “Got it. I’ll come over at once.”In truth, he could more or less guess the purpose of his mother’s call.Well, she must have learned about my decision to call off the engagement and wants to speak up for Aubree. This time, I’m not going to give in to her anymore.
Lucian found it downright ironic that Sonya and Aubree both trusted yet doubted each other. Since she wants a reason, I don’t mind giving her one.“Aubree isn’t suitable to be Essie’s mother. I’ve already given her six years and allowed her to take care of Essie recently. However, Essie is still unwilling to accept her. In fact, Essie’s condition is showing signs of recurrence under her care. I won’t risk Essie’s well-being.”Frowning deeply, Sonya dipped her head and directed her gaze at Aubree.Indeed, she knew nothing about Estella’s condition.Before that day, she thought that Aubree and Essie were already getting along smashingly well.She had never expected the reality to be such.Even then, she would never accept Roxanne, who had abandoned Estella back then.“Aubree merely needs some time. Give her more time. She’ll be able to resolve it!” Sonya insisted stubbornly.The impatience on Lucian’s face grew even more blatant. “If I were to allow her to continue interacting with Ess
Soon, the weekend arrived. Roxanne was woken up by the sound of the kids knocking at her door. The moment she opened the door, she saw the three little ones all dressed up and looking at her excitedly.As Roxanne was still half asleep, she could not remember their plan for the day and was puzzled as to what was going on.“Mommy, we are going to the amusement park today!” Benny reminded in his childish voice, noticing that his mother was in a daze.Only then did Roxanne finally snap out of her trance. Feeling slightly frustrated with herself, she asked, “What time is it now?”Benny looked at his smartwatch and answered, “It’s already seven in the morning. Mr. Farwell told us that he will be reaching soon!”When Roxanne heard that, she looked down at her nightgown, and with a look of exasperation on her face, she instructed Archie and Benny, “I’m going to wash up now. Can the two of you prepare breakfast?”The boys smiled at their mother and replied, “Mr. Farwell is taking us out for b
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