Chapter 285 – Her Sudden Departure: A Tale of Love and Redemption (Lucian & Roxanne)

Roxanne followed him, knowing that the children were likely there.

In the brightly lit backyard, the boys were kicking a ball around while Estella, holding up her skirt, ambled behind them. Even though she didn’t manage to get a kick in, she smiled widely the entire time.

“Mommy!” Benny, who had just kicked the ball in the direction of the door, was given a fright when he suddenly saw Roxanne emerge from the house.

The moment she stepped out, Roxanne was stunned to see the ball flying straight at her face. Just when it was inches away from her, she felt a hand reach out from behind and pull her to the side.

In the next second, the ball brushed past her body before falling onto the ground. As Lucian appeared from behind Roxanne, he looked at the dumbstruck children and instructed in a deep voice, “Come back in for dinner.”

It wasn’t until they gradually gathered their wits that they hurried up to Roxanne’s side.

“Mommy, I’m sorry for scaring you. Are you all right?” Benny apologized meekly.

Roxanne gave his hair a reassuring tousle. “I’m fine, but you have to be more careful next time.”

Just as she spoke, something else occurred to her. Giving Estella an amused yet helpless look, she reprimanded the brothers, “How could you play ball with Essie? She’s wearing a dress, for goodness sake. What if she had fallen?”

Having heard Roxanne’s words, the boys exchanged glances before scratching their noses to hide their guilt.

Suddenly, Estella’s high-pitched voice rang out. “They didn’t ask me. It was I who wanted to play with them.”

Roxanne’s brows jumped in surprise, for she didn’t expect Estella to speak out on behalf of the brothers.

Nonetheless, it was still dangerous for her to be running wild with the boys while wearing a dress. On top of that, she barely had any energy left given how hungry she was.

It was one thing for the children to be playful but another for Lucian not to stop them.

With that thought in mind, Roxanne subconsciously threw Lucian an accusatory glance,

As if he could sense the attention she placed on him, Lucian explained without turning around, “Essie rarely gets the opportunity to run. Since she’s having fun, there’s no reason to stop her.”

Roxanne had no further comment after hearing his response. She then took the children to wash their hands before leading them into the dining room.

As the food had already gotten cold, Lysa reheated them.

Considering how famished they were, the boys began wolfing down their food once everyone took their seats at the table.

The innocent Estella, after observing them, picked up her cutlery and ate just as aggressively

Watching the scene unfold, Roxanne just couldn’t hold back her laughter. She then patted her boys on their backs. “Slow down. You’re setting a bad example for Essie.”

After giving Estella a glance, the boys burst out in laughter before complying.

“Mommy, why did you come back so late today?” Benny asked curiously halfway through dinner.

She gave his head an apologetic tussle. “I’m sorry. I did plan to pick you up today and even told Lysa about it. Unfortunately, something unexpected came up at work, causing me to forget.”

Upon hearing her reason, the boys gave her an understanding nod. “It’s all right. However, the next time you want to pick us up, please let us know. Otherwise, we’ll worry about Ms. Lane.”

Feeling as if her heart had melted, Roxanne agreed with a smile.

At that moment, Benny added, “To make up for letting us wait for such a long time, why don’t you pick us up every day from now on? How about that?”

Roxanne’s brows furrowed in reflex. Right as she was about to say something, Benny, as if he could read her mind, changed his request. “You don’t have to do it every day; just until the anniversary celebration will do.”

In response to Benny backing down, Roxanne sighed in relief and agreed, “All right.” Her answer filled the children’s faces with elation.

Meanwhile, displeasure flashed across Lucian’s face when he noticed Benny wavering in his stance He was cognizant of why Benny did it and the reason why Roxanne could readily agree.

Since they were going to be rehearsing for the play, there was no point in her avoiding him for the time being.

Once the anniversary celebration was over, she would then stay as far away from him as she could

Given that Roxanne had come back late, it was already well past eight by the time dinner was done. With limited time left, they could only rush through the rehearsal before it was time for Lucian to take Estella home.

When she was reluctant to leave, Roxanne coaxed her with a smile, “Be a good girl, Essie. I’ll be collecting all of you from school tomorrow, and we can have fun then, all right?”

Only after hearing Roxanne’s reassurances did Estella nod in compliance.

Just as Roxanne looked up to bid Lucian goodbye, his phone suddenly rang.

Holding her tongue tactfully, she watched as Lucian answered the call with an emotionless expression.

As it was related to work, Lucian stopped to inform Roxanne before heading off to the balcony to take it, leaving her alone with the three children in the living room,

When the kids saw Lucian going off to answer his call, their eyes lit up at the opportunity to play,

Thus, the three of them ran off before Roxanne could even say a word.

Roxanne, smiling in resignation, went along by playing hide and seek with them.

As their house wasn’t big, Archie and Benny would always end up hiding in the same few places. Once Roxanne found them with little effort, the three of them set off in search of Estella

“Mommy.” Benny gave Roxanne’s sleeve a gentle tug.

Trailing the trajectory of his gaze, Roxanne saw a dainty pair of legs underneath the curtain. In fact, it was still trying to wiggle its way toward the corner.

Unaware that she had been discovered and clueless about how obvious her hiding spot was, Estella was still trying to get into a better location.

After watching Estella’s adorable movements, Roxanne instinctively looked at the man on the balcony.

Lucian, with his back facing them, was still on the phone. Looks like it will be a while before he finishes.

Retracting her gaze, Roxanne gestured at Archie and Benny to be quiet so that they could continue the game with Estella for a little longer.

The boys, aware of their mother’s intention, played along by calling out Estella’s name while walking back and forth in the house.

As the figure behind the curtain moved a little, Roxanne could hear the sound of a faint giggle. Nonetheless, it was quickly suppressed by Estella.

When she saw how happy the little girl was, Roxanne treaded silently toward her.

“I found you!” Upon reaching Estella’s side, she gently pulled the curtain away.

Estella was momentarily stunned before running away and laughing at the same time.

Tickled by Estella’s response, Roxanne calmly followed behind her. “I’m going to Catch you now!”

At that moment, Archie and Benny joined in the fray by surrounding Estella.

Left with no way out, Estella fled toward the balcony in her panic,

Meanwhile, Lucian had just ended his call and was oblivious to what was going on, No sooner had he turned around than he saw his daughter crashing into him while panting heavily. As if by instinct, he managed to get a hold of her.

At the sight of Estella throwing herself into Lucian’s arms, Roxanne stopped awkwardly and held back the two boys running behind her.

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