Frightened by their argument, Estella shook her head vigorously in response to Sonya’s words, her eyes reddened in fear. No! I don’t want to leave. I want to stay and play with Archie and Benny!
A fresh swell of rage rose within Sonya when she realized Estella wasn’t going to listen to her. Initially, she wanted to apologize to Estella for yelling at her previously.
Alas, she never imagined that Estella would choose Roxanne over her! Blind with rage, Sonya stepped forward with an ugly scowl, intending to push Roxanne away.
Roxanne held the kids’ hands and retreated warily. Sonya was about to make a move when a car honked outside the mansion.
Roxanne instinctively glanced toward the source of the noise and saw Lucian alighting from his car. He strode over to them.
From afar, he was giving off an intimidating air.
Roxanne’s heart sank at the sight. If Lucian insists on taking Essie with him, I can’t stop him.
Feeling helpless, she abandoned her defensive attitude and allowed herself to relax.
Sensing the change in Roxanne’s attitude, Sonya stopped warily and turned over her shoulder.
The sight of her son gave her confidence. “Lucian, I’m glad you’re here. You must be here to pick Essie up, right?”
Roxanne cast her gaze downward, unsure of how to face him.
Lucian frowned slightly and said nothing.
Sonya shook her head in disbelief and added, “I can’t believe those boys. They must have said something to Essie to make her follow them willingly. I’m not happy about this at all. I think it would be best if Essie stayed with me.”
Estella’s eyes widened in shock when she heard that. She promptly burst into tears.
Instantly, all eyes were upon her.
“No!” Estella wailed so hard that she couldn’t even open her eyes wide. “I want Ms. Jarvis…”
She wanted Roxanne, so it was obvious what she didn’t want.
Despite being humiliated, Sonya had to make an effort to restrain her anger in her son’s presence. To try and comfort Estella, she coaxed, “Come on, stop crying. I’ll buy you a present if you follow me home. Anything you want, I promise.”
Estella wrapped her arms around Roxanne’s leg tightly and said nothing. She merely shook her head vigorously while bawling.
There were several instances where Roxanne wanted to speak, but she decided to keep silent after remembering what Sonya said. The fact that Lucian was at the scene as well did not help.
On the other hand, Archie and Benny were incredibly anxious. “Stop it, Mrs. Farwell! Essie is crying her eyes out!” exclaimed Benny, who was on the brink of bursting into tears himself.
Pursing his lips, Archie quietly walked to the middle of Benny and Estella to hold their hands. Lucian stood opposite the four with a deadpan expression, only half a step behind Sonya.
Seeing how protective the two boys were of Estella and how Roxanne remained silent, Lucian frowned once again. “Even if you don’t want me, you should have no problem going with your father, right?” Sonya thought she was being quite reasonable, but as soon as she finished her sentence, she heard her son’s indifferent voice.
“Stay out of this. I’ll take Essie back,” uttered Lucian. When Roxanne heard that, she reluctantly shut her mouth. Then, she glanced coldly at Roxanne and Lucian before turning around to walk away.
She had something to say but would rather not do it in front of Roxanne, lest she got humiliated right before the younger woman.
Well aware of what was on his mother’s mind, Lucian quickly followed her.
“Were you aware that the two little ones went to the manor?” questioned Sonya as she looked suspiciously at her son.
To that, Lucian answered straightforwardly, “I was working overtime at the office, so I had no idea.”
“Then why are you here?” Sonya did not believe her son, but then she suddenly thought of something.
“Did Catalina tell you that I came over?” questioned Sonya displeasedly.
Lucian did not answer the question directly, however. “Not only does Essie have a sensitive personality, but she also hasn’t been doing well recently. It won’t take much to trigger a relapse.”
“Do you think that was what I was trying to do?” After listening to Lucian, Sonya got upset. “I’m Essie’s grandmother. Why wouldn’t I want the best for her?” Roxanne was the one who heartlessly abandoned Essie, so what right does she have now to take the girl under her wing? Besides, Essie will be Aubree’s daughter sooner or later. There’s no point in letting the girl get close to an outsider.
At that point, Lucian felt as if he was about to have a headache. “If you really want the best for her, just go back now.”
Sonya did not expect that instead of siding with her, her son would try to drive her away. “Did you forget how Roxanne treated Essie? The girl may not have any idea, but are you just as oblivious?”
Knitting his eyebrows, Lucian chose to keep silent.
Sonya would rather not waste more time arguing with her son, so she stated, “I’ll go back now, but if I don’t see Essie when I return to the manor tomorrow, there’s nothing you can say to stop me from taking her back to the Farwell main residence.”
With that, Sonya shot another cold glance at Roxanne before turning around to leave.
Lucian then took a few seconds to recollect himself before heading for the mansion door.
“Mr. Farwell,” greeted Roxanne distantly, for she had no idea why Lucian came over.
At first, she thought he wanted to help Sonya take Estella away, but after witnessing how he convinced Sonya to leave, she was utterly baffled.
In response to Roxanne’s greeting, Lucian simply glanced indifferently at her before shifting his attention to Estella, who had reduced her bawling to sniveling after Sonya left.
“Sorry, Mr. Farwell,” voiced Archie suddenly.
When Lucian heard that, he looked at Archie with a raised eyebrow since he knew what the boy was apologizing for.
What Archie said next was also well within his expectation. “We know we shouldn’t have taken Essie away secretly, but we missed her a lot. Do you think you could let her stay a while longer?”
Even though Roxanne and Lucian knew what Archie would say, they were still moved when they heard the boy actually put his thoughts into words.
After looking down at Archie, Roxanne silently shifted her gaze to Lucian. If possible, I, too, wish Essie could stay a moment longer, at least until she calms down.
Unfortunately, she knew she had no right to make such a request. Only after keeping quiet for a few seconds did Lucian turn to meet Roxanne’s gaze.
Clenching her fists, Roxanne then looked away and pretended to be calm. “What do you think, Ms. Jarvis?” inquired Lucian in his deep voice.
Roxanne reluctantly replied, “I have no say in the matter since Essie is your child, Mr. Farwell. However, I do hope that you’ll respect her wishes.”
Since Roxanne did not intend to request him to let Estella stay, Lucian nodded understandingly in response and turned to Estella. “Then you should come home with me.”
Estella had just stopped crying, but after hearing her father’s words, her face began to scrunch up again.
Seeing how the girl was about to burst into tears once again, Benny and Archie got upset at Lucian. Daddy knew Essie isn’t in a good mood, but he’s still forcing her.
“Essie doesn’t want to go back,” protested Benny, confronting his father with determination.
Lucian was somewhat surprised by the boy’s sudden statement.
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.