Unaware of Jonathan‘s intentions, Roxanne merely regarded it as a joke. She calmly countered, “Don‘t make such a joke, Mr. Queen. Mr. Farwell already has a fiancée. Besides, I don’t have any plans for a romantic relationship.”
“Then, will you consider him if he doesn‘t have a fiancée?” Jonathan pressed.
Roxanne was startled for a moment. The smile on her face gradually faded, and she ended the subject coldly. “It‘s late. I‘ve got to hurry home. You should also go back in quickly, Mr. Queen.”
After saying that, she climbed into her car straight away.
Before Jonathan could gather his wits about him, the car in front of him had already sped away.
It wasn‘t until after Roxanne‘s car had disappeared from sight that he snapped back to his senses. Recalling her reaction earlier, he couldn‘t shake off the strangeness of it.
I asked whether she‘d consider Lucian, but her first reaction was that he had a fiancée…
After she left the Queen residence, a mix of emotions brewed within Roxanne on a rare occasion.
She had been busy with matters pertaining to the Damaris family recently, so she had tossed everything about the Farwell family into the back of her mind.
Only occasionally did she hear Archie and Benny speaking about Estella when she went home.
Lucian, on the other hand, seemed to have vanished from her world.
Earlier, Jonathan had mentioned the man before her out of the blue and even proposed a question she had never once considered.
If he doesn‘t have a fiancée…
Roxanne wavered for a while before she gave a self–deprecating chuckle.
How would he possibly allow such a possibility when he had been obsessed over Aubree for so many years? On top of that, the lesson I learned six years ago was sufficient to have me give up on him. I don‘t want to repeat the same mistakes again.
By the time she arrived home, Archie and Benny were already home. When they saw her stepping into the house, they docilely trotted over. But then, they weren‘t as enthusiastic as they were in the past.
Ever since she started avoiding Estella, they appeared despondent every time she came home.
At the sight of them, Roxanne was inexorably reminded of Estella.
“When will you be finished with work, Mommy?” Benny queried in curiosity.
Roxanne patted them on the head in consolation. “I‘m not sure either, but this matter is really important to me, so the two of you have got to behave. When I‘m done with work, I‘ll bring you out to have fun, okay?”
The Damaris family would be choosing a collaboration partner after the medical consultation concluded. She didn‘t want any mistakes at any point in the process.
Archie and Benny were clearly not quite eager to go out and have fun, for they merely nodded woodenly upon hearing that.
Chuckling in exasperation, Roxanne led them both to the dining table.
After dinner, Archie and Benny weren‘t in the mood to play either. They retired to their room early.
Roxanne dithered for some time before she followed them into their room.
When Archie and Benny saw her coming in, they obediently sat on the edge of the bed side by side.
With a smile on her face, Roxanne sat down beside them. “Are you both unhappy because Essie isn‘t happy?”
Archie and Benny kept their lips pressed into a thin line in silent admission.
Seeing that, Roxanne lifted her hand and stroked them on the head. “The two of you have always been very smart. But why are you so silly this time?”
Archie and Benny tilted their heads in puzzlement.
“I like Essie a lot, too. But because of some reasons, I can‘t have too much contact with her. You should be understanding. If she‘s unhappy at the kindergarten, you‘ve got to take good care of her on my behalf and make her happy.”
Roxanne then continued explaining patiently, “She doesn‘t just like me. She also likes the two of you very much. As long as you treat her better, she‘ll definitely cheer up.”
Speaking of Estella, Roxanne couldn‘t help feeling somewhat distressed. The smile on her face turned a touch forced.
Estella was unhappy because of her, yet she could only have Archie and Benny mollify the girl on her behalf.
As Archie and Benny clocked her expression, their eyes dimmed. Self–reproach was written all over their faces. “We‘re sorry, Mommy.”
Roxanne‘s brows furrowed in bafflement when they apologized all of a sudden.
Benny muttered weakly, “We shouldn‘t have thrown a tantrum with you because of Essie. You must also be very tired every day, Mommy. Don‘t worry. We‘ll do our best to make her happy henceforth!”
“Just focus on your work, Mommy. We‘ll take good care of Essie!” Archie echoed.
Roxanne beamed in gratification. “Thank you, Darlings.”
“But it‘ll be far better if you can go and visit Essie, Mommy,” Benny added in a whisper.
After saying that, he was afraid that Roxanne heard him, so he smilingly announced, “It‘s okay even if you can‘t visit her. We‘ll help take good care of Essie on your behalf, Mommy!”
Roxanne smilingly patted him on the head. She watched as the two children went to bed before she stood up and returned to her room.
Meanwhile, at the Farwell residence, Estella had been down in the dumps ever since she came home from kindergarten.
Lucian‘s brows knitted together.
Her mood has improved significantly after learning that Roxanne isn‘t going abroad so soon, but she‘s abruptly depressed again today for some inexplicable reason.
“What‘s wrong?” He regarded her in bewilderment.
“Ms. Jarvis…” Estella admitted sullenly.
Sure enough, Roxanne is the only person who can cause her such emotional turmoil.
Lucian‘s gaze darkened a shade. “Isn‘t she no longer going abroad? Why are you still sad?”
Pouting, Estella glowered at him in displeasure. “I haven‘t got to see her!”
She had thought she would have the opportunity to see Roxanne when the latter wasn‘t going abroad, but Roxanne had never once appeared in the past few days.
Every day she went to kindergarten and back, she was hopeful beyond words. Alas, she ended up disappointed each day.
After a few days, she couldn‘t help feeling dejected to the point that she was irate about seeing Lucian.
It‘s because of Daddy that Ms. Jarvis is avoiding me!
Lucian had no idea about her thoughts. It merely occurred to him out of the blue that the look in her eyes as she gazed at him was somewhat similar to Archie‘s and Benny‘s.
Ever since Rozanne‘s showed up, all three kids seem to detest me.
At that realization, he felt a headache building. Nonetheless, he patiently mollified her, saying, “You‘ll get to see her eventually since she isn‘t going abroad.”
Conversely, Estella shot daggers at him, making it evident that she didn‘t believe him.
Lucian massaged his temples. “I‘ll figure out something for you. Now, go and sleep, okay?”
Estella eyed him skeptically for a long time. Then, she slowly extended her little finger at him and urged in a sweet voice, “Pinky promise.”
Lucian stretched out his hand and hooked pinkies with her before she relented.
He sent her back to her room, but recalling her relentless wails when she had a nightmare back then, he didn‘t dare leave immediately. Instead, he waited until she was deep in slumber before getting to his feet and leaving.
As he stood at the door, his expression was frightfully grim.
She‘s so dependent on Roxanne, yet that woman is so cruel to her that she’s unwilling to visit her even once. If she were to know what Roxanne told me that morning, she‘d probably cry buckets.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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