Estella gave Roxanne a hug with a heavy heart before going into the manor.
Roxanne didn’t dare to go in because she was worried that Lucian and the maids would see her. Hence, she could only watch Estella leave before going back into her car.
At that moment, Catalina was preparing for dinner in the manor. That was when she suddenly heard the doorbell ring. She immediately went to open the door and saw Estella at the door on her own. Shocked, she checked the surroundings, but she didn’t see another soul.
“Ms. Estella, you should still be at the kindergarten, no? Why have you come back alone? Who sent you back?” Catalina asked worriedly before bringing Estella in. She then checked the surroundings once more.
Estella was only forcing herself to smile in front of Roxanne. Since they had parted ways, her mood turned sour again. In response to Catalina’s questions, she shook her head absent-mindedly before heading upstairs.
Seeing that, Catalina grew concerned. After mulling over it for a while, she decided to call Lucian.
Meanwhile, Roxanne felt conflicted after she got into her car.
After sitting in a daze for a while in her car, Roxanne started her car and drove back.
Back home, Archie and Benny were sitting on the couch, waiting for her to reach home. Upon seeing her, they rushed up to her worriedly.
“Mommy, is Essie home already?”
At the mention of Estella, Roxanne smiled bitterly and nodded at Archie and Benny.
“Did Essie cry again in the car? She seemed so sad just now,” Benny questioned.
Roxanne caressed his head and answered, “No, she didn’t. She was very well-behaved.”
Hearing that, Benny and Archie nodded. However, they were still staring fixedly at Roxanne.
Roxanne was startled by their intense gazes. With a frown, she asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Mommy, must we leave and stay abroad?” Benny stared at Roxanne in puzzlement.
Prior to that, they didn’t know they were going to settle down in a foreign country. They thought they were going to stay in Chanaea for good. Why would Mommy suddenly suggest something like that? There must be a reason behind it. Could the reason be Daddy?
Roxanne nodded gently in response.
Initially, she planned to settle down in Chanaea with Archie and Benny.
However, she didn’t expect to bump into Lucian again after returning to the country. Besides, she noticed the dramatic change of attitude Lucian had toward her. Because of him, my life is a mess now. I must get away from him so that I can protect Archie and Benny.
Meanwhile, at the Farwell residence, Lucian immediately stopped working after getting the call from Catalina. He rushed home from the office and called James on the way.
Ever since the abduction incident, Estella had suffered from mental instability and they had to pay extra attention to her.
Catalina stepped forward as soon as she noticed the two of them stepped inside the house.
“Where is Essie?” Lucian furrowed his brows and eyed the living room. There was no sign of the little girl anywhere.
Catalina pointed upstairs and said, “She went up to her own room after coming back, and she didn’t seem like she was in a good mood. No matter what I said, she just paid no heed to me. I didn’t know what else to do but to get you back home.”
Lucian nodded solemnly and brought James upstairs.
Estella’s room was locked, and it was eerily quiet.
Lucian’s heart sank. He knocked on the door gently and said, “Essie, it’s Daddy. Could you open the door and let me in?”
No sound was heard coming from the inside of the room. Estelle did not seem to have any intention of opening the door either.
Lucian turned around to look at James.
He was not actually worried about Estella coming home alone.
Her brooding, however, was something he was worried about.
Lucian was concerned that Estella would lock herself up like last time.
Likewise, James was worried about the little girl.
He had been Estella’s psychologist for many years. Even though her condition had not improved over the years, it was still a rare condition, especially considering her age.
The two of them hesitated for some time. Lucian ordered Catalina in a low voice, “Go take the keys.”
Just when Catalina was about to go fetch the keys, Estella opened the door.
The three adults heaved a sigh of relief.
“What happened? Why did you come back alone?” Lucian leaned forward and eyed the little girl.
Estella seemed upset and shook her head. It was apparent that she did not wish to talk about it.
Seeing that Estella was at least somewhat responsive to his question, Lucian was relieved. He patted her on her head and said, “It’s all right if you don’t want to say it. Just take a good rest. I’ll call you when it’s time for dinner later.”
Estella nodded meekly.
When she went inside, Lucian ordered in a low voice, “Don’t lock the door anymore.”
Estella agreed.
She closed the door, and Lucian brought James to his study.
“What do you think about Essie’s current condition?”
They sat opposite each other in the study.
James had been observing Estella and did not notice any changes in her. He nodded and said, “Same old, same old. Perhaps only some people could make her condition better.”
Of course, Lucian was well aware of who he was referring to.
“I would suggest for her to get in touch with Ms. Jarvis more often. Estella might just recover after some time,” James commented.
He noticed that Lucian’s face grew solemn. Puzzled, he asked, “Why? Is it not feasible?”
Lucian pinched between his brows and said, “I’m afraid that is not likely at the moment.”
Of course, Lucian knew that Estella would get better with Roxanne by her side.
However, Roxanne was not particularly fond of him. Lucian reckoned that it would be almost impossible for her to agree to Estella staying with her.
James was saddened by the news. “Well, you will be Estella’s best hope then. You have to pay more attention to her condition. Anyhow, you may contact me for anything. Nothing has changed in that regard.”
Lucian nodded solemnly.
After confirming that Estella was all right, James did not linger and left before dinner.
Lucian stayed in his study for some time. Then, he took out his phone and gave Pippa a call.
He had personally sent Estella to the kindergarten in the morning. Even if she had left alone, Lucian reckoned that she would have left from the kindergarten.
Pippa should have known what had transpired.
On the other end, Pippa was nervous to get a call from Lucian, and she told him everything.
“I left after leaving Estella there. Ms. Jarvis told me she would send her back. Did she not?” Pippa said apprehensively.
She regretted leaving Estella with Roxanne right then.
After all, she had not sought Lucian’s consent and brought Estella to Archie and Benny’s home, and even proceeded to leave the little girl there.
There was no explaining it any other way. She was being irresponsible.
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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