With that in mind, Roxanne greeted him and waited for Pippa to bring the kids out the door.It wasn’t long before class was over, and the kids walked through the door in a straight line.Archie and Benny could be seen escorting Estella on both sides as they came out.After the five of them got into Lucian’s car, Benny kept tugging at Roxanne’s sleeve with a huge smile on his face.Unsure of why he was grinning from ear to ear, Roxanne flashed him a confused look in response.“Essie seemed to have a bad dream after waking up from our afternoon nap today! She kept crying even though Ms. Ward and the other kids tried to comfort her. In the end, Archie and I were the ones who calmed her down! Do you think she knows us, Mommy?”Roxanne had felt the same way earlier that morning, so hearing about it filled her heart with a warm sensation. “Maybe. I’m really glad that you two are able to look after Essie.”Benny patted himself on the chest confidently as he said in his childish voice, “Don’t
Roxanne was taken aback by how the girl had launched herself into her arms, but after the shock came delight.It was the same action as before. In the past, Estella would jump into Roxanne’s arms whenever she saw the latter.Although the girl was crying, at the very least, she was reacting to her surroundings.At that thought, Roxanne lifted her uninjured arm and gently hugged the girl to her. At the same time, she tentatively asked, “Essie, have you recovered? Do you know who I am now?”The girl gave her a slight nod, but she continued to sniffle.At that, Archie’s and Benny’s eyes lit up. They then walked over to Estella and pointed at themselves. “Then do you know who we are?”However, Estella’s gaze was fixed on Roxanne’s injured arm; she did not look at them at all.The boys were disappointed.Sensing their emotions, Roxanne raised her hand to ruffle Estella’s hair and softly said, “The boys are here too. Do you see them? They’ve been taking care of you the past two days.”It was
Realizing what she was going to do, Lucian said, “I’ve asked Catalina to come. She’ll be taking care of you all for the next two days, so sit down and eat first.”Roxanne halted in her tracks before turning to thank the man, “Thank you.”She was not going to act like she was a stranger to Lucian because of Estella, so she was not going to turn him down on his offer.Lucian nodded.Roxanne turned to the boys. “Come on. You must be hungry too. Dig in while the food is still hot.”It was true that the boys were starving. Upon hearing her words, they jumped down from the couch and walked toward the dining table in a line.Roxanne was squeezed between them. Habitually, she tried to take care of them by taking food for them. However, she only recalled her injury right after she raised her hand. Thus, she had no choice but to use her left hand, but her movements were clumsy because of that.At the sight of the slowness of their mother’s actions, Archie and Benny said to Roxanne, “Mommy, you
It seemed like Estella could see that Roxanne had something on her mind, for the girl buried herself into Roxanne’s arms slowly before looking at the woman with big, concerned eyes.As Roxanne looked at the girl’s clear eyes, she recollected herself and hugged her.Her heart melted when her arms wrapped around the small and soft body. At the same time, she found herself letting go of the niggling question.The identity of Estella’s biological mother and the current relationship between Lucian and Aubree had nothing to do with her at all.She and Lucian should have been strangers. They were only interacting because of Estella. That was all.Overthinking things would only make her feel even more frustrated.In the meantime, at the Farwell residence, Sonya and Elias were about to rest. When they heard the sudden ringing of the doorbell, they hastily opened the door.Instantly, they were greeted by the apologetic faces of Samuel and Gina. Aubree was behind them, her eyes red.“What happen
Sonya could not sleep almost the entire night because of Aubree’s words.Consoling Aubree was not the only reason she had told Aubree that she was not going to let Roxanne into the family. It was also because she genuinely hated that ruthless woman.That ruthless woman was capable of abandoning Lucian and Estella once, so Sonya was sure that she would do it again.I have no idea what my son’s thinking about. I can’t believe he’s actually thinking of having her marry into the family again.The more Sonya thought about it, the angrier she became. That night, she sent men to find out where Roxanne was living, planning to visit her the next day.By the time Roxanne woke the next morning, Catalina had already made breakfast. Just as she was eating breakfast with the three children, someone rang the doorbell.Roxanne then asked Catalina to take care of the children as she went to open the door.Originally, she thought that Lucian had come to pick them up for kindergarten, but she was dumbfo
However, Sonya seemed unfazed by that. “Sonya has told me about this already. Essie was the one who had not been obedient, and Aubree only punished her in that way in her panic. She has already apologized to me. Essie is at fault too. Aubree will be her stepmother in the future, but she’s still kicking up fusses like these.”Hearing that, Catalina realized she could not say anything else. All she could do was cast a pitying look at Estella.The girl had just walked out of her own world recently. After this crying session, Catalina was afraid that she might revert to her state from the day before.After Archie and Benny heard their conversation, they guessed that the unfamiliar woman was Estella’s grandmother. Nevertheless, they did not hold themselves back as they refuted, “Essie didn’t kick up a fuss. That bad woman is in the wrong to have hurt a kid! Why would you listen to an outsider and scold Essie? She’s been badly hit, but you don’t feel upset for her at all? If not for my momm
Lucian was filled with hatred at the mention of Aubree. “Do you know why Essie resents her?”Stunned, Sonya explained at once, “Is it because of what Aubree did to Essie? Didn’t she explain it to us already? She didn’t do it on purpose and was only worried about Essie’s safety. It only happened under desperate circumstances. Moreover, she regrets her action and has apologized to us about it.”Just as she finished, she turned the tables on him. “As for you, you have gone overboard with your recent behavior toward her!”Sonya’s intentions were clear. She still hoped that Lucian would marry Aubree.Over the last six years, she had pestered him many times about it.Lucian cocked a brow in annoyance. “I know what I’m doing. There’s no need for you to interfere.”Sonya was upset. “You know what you’re doing? Are you really planning on canceling the engagement?”Before Lucian could reply, Sonya’s expression drastically changed while the resolve in her voice hardened. “No matter what, you per
The next morning, Roxanne sent the children to school alone as Lucian didn’t come.When Pippa saw Roxanne by herself, she was surprised. “Ms. Jarvis, where’s Mr. Farwell today?”Roxanne was briefly stunned by the comment.She wasn’t expecting Pippa to notice that Lucian had brought the children to school with her over the last two days, let alone inquire about his absence.As it gave the impression that she and Lucian were close, Roxanne was stumped for an answer.Nonetheless, Estella brought out her notebook and wrote: I’m living with Ms. Jarvis now!She then raised it up with a vibrant smile on her face.When Pippa saw how cheerful Estella was now in contrast to her listless expression from two days ago, she couldn’t help but beam and stroke Estella’s hair. “I see.”Subsequently, she returned her gaze to Roxanne and was bowled over by how much Estella liked Roxanne and her sons.Roxanne heaved a sigh of relief in her mind when she saw Estella answer on her behalf. After handing the
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