Following his explanation, Roxanne appeared to have even lesser reason to blow up at him.
In a nutshell, Lucian was trying to brush off his faux pas earlier by claiming that she had disrupted his sleep.
They both stared at each other for a long time before Lucian decided to spare the woman before him, thanks to his good mood. Arching a brow, he inquired, “So, why did you suddenly approach me, Ms. Jarvis?”
Since Roxanne was still feeling irate inwardly, her tone wasn’t all that pleasant. “Essie asked me to help treat your insomnia. But seeing that you were sleeping so soundly earlier, I don’t think that’s necessary anymore.”
After saying that, she made to whirl around and leave, not in the mood to see his face anymore.
She spun on her heel and walked a distance away, but the man behind her remained unusually silent.
Finding it a tad strange, she glanced back over her shoulder in puzzlement, only to meet the man’s dark gaze.
As their eyes locked, her heart lurched. She turned back and went to the backyard without a backward glance.
“Mommy!” Concerned about the interaction between the two adults in the house, the children hadn’t been in the mood to play. The instant they caught sight of Roxanne coming out, they immediately swarmed over to her.
Roxanne smilingly patted them on the head, but her expression was somewhat distracted.
Clocking the look on the woman’s face, Estella tilted her head in puzzlement. She cast her gaze behind Roxanne, but she didn’t see any signs of Lucian.
“Did Daddy pick on you, Ms. Jarvis?” she queried cautiously.
The mention of the man in the house made Roxanne unconsciously frown. Feigning a nonchalant expression, she shook her head with a smile. “Nope.”
Estella stared at her with suspicion written clear in her eyes. “Where is he, then?”
Roxanne turned and glanced in the direction of the living room before replying, “He has just awakened. Perhaps… he’s still sitting on the couch.”
Having said that, she hastily withdrew her gaze and wanted to change the subject.
Alas, Estella didn’t give her that chance. She persistently questioned, “Can you treat his insomnia, Ms. Jarvis?”
Roxanne choked.
Because of Lucian’s sudden awakening and what he did after that, she hadn’t the time to take his pulse. She didn’t even know why he was suffering from insomnia, let alone treat him.
Therefore, that question truly had her caught between a rock and a difficult place.
Seemingly aware that she wouldn’t be able to answer that, Estella looked at her for a long while before declaring firmly, “He picked on you, Ms. Jarvis!”
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be unable to answer my question at all. At the very least, she would have been able to either say yes or no. Her expression now makes it apparent that she didn’t even have the chance to diagnose his problem. They must have had a row again!
At that thought, she pouted in chagrin. “Daddy is such a jerk!”
Upon hearing that, Roxanne’s wrath and embarrassment finally dissipated. She found the situation rather hilarious.
For some inexplicable reason, she’s biased toward me, so much so that she’s certain Lucian picked on me without asking any questions about whatever happened.
“Don’t be angry, Ms. Jarvis. I’ll avenge you!” Estella gingerly tugged at the hem of Roxanne’s shirt.
Seeing her solemn expression, the smile on Roxanne’s face turned genuine. “I’m not angry, and your daddy didn’t pick on me either. Calm down, Essie.”
While saying that, she stroked Estella’s head soothingly.
Still, the little girl scrutinized her for a long moment.
To convince her, Roxanne bit the bullet and added, “I’ll check him out later regarding his insomnia. It shouldn’t be a big problem.”
Estella believed her half-dubiously upon hearing her remark.
Roxanne chatted with the children for some time. When she noticed it was getting late, she brought them back into the mansion.
Unsurprisingly, Lucian was still sitting on the couch, but this time, he was dealing with work matters while wearing a frown.
When he heard them coming in, he lifted his eyes and cast his gaze over.
“Daddy.” For once, Estella voluntarily let go of Roxanne’s hand and went over to her father.
Lucian regarded his daughter in mystification, wondering what she was up to.
Estella climbed onto the couch unhurriedly and leaned close to her father’s ear. In a whisper, she demanded, “Did you pick on Ms. Jarvis earlier?”
After asking that, she pulled away from him. Sticking her hands on her hips, she shot daggers at her father as though interrogating a suspect.
Roxanne had no idea what Estella whispered next to Lucian’s ear. All she knew was that the man looked at her meaningfully after Estella had spoken to him before denying in a low voice, “No.”
No sooner had he said that than they both swung their gazes at her. Lucian wore a bizarrely innocent expression, while suspicion was written all over Estella’s face.
The question Estella asked her when they were in the backyard earlier flashed across Roxanne’s mind. Complemented by their expressions, she felt that she could surmise the situation to a tee.
At the thought of Estella’s determination to avenge her, Roxanne was both amused and exasperated. After a few seconds of silence, she stepped forward and started, “Essie is exceedingly worried about you, so I’d best take a look at you. Besides, it’s a problem if you keep having insomnia.”
In other words, she was trying to tell him that she only decided to treat him for Estella’s sake.
When Lucian heard that, he quirked an eyebrow and glanced at his daughter beside him.
Estella nodded emphatically with triumph etched across her features.
Clocking that, Lucian chuckled lightly and held his wrist out to Roxanne.
Roxanne lifted her hand and grasped his wrist. While diagnosing his condition, however, she couldn’t quite ignore the warmth emanating from his wrist.
It should have only taken a minute or two at most, but it took quite a while because she kept getting distracted.
“Never mind if you really can’t determine the cause. Perhaps I’ve been too busy with work these days. I’ll be fine after resting for a few days,” Lucian drawled insouciantly upon seeing that she couldn’t diagnose his condition after some time had passed.
Roxanne happened to find the cause at that instant. Dropping her fingers from his wrist, she stated placidly, “Your liver is a bit inflamed, probably because of overwork. Take some medicine to reduce the inflammation. Alternatively, it’ll also heal by itself after you rest for a few days.”
Lucian inclined his head in acknowledgment.
“It’s getting late. You should bring Essie home earlier, Mr. Farwell.” Roxanne began asking him to leave after glancing at the time.
Lucian didn’t voice any objections either. He got up from the couch nonchalantly and looked down at Estella, who was still sitting on the couch with a reluctant expression on her face.
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.