Roxanne was the only one in the empty office.
She turned on her laptop, intending to research more about congenital diseases among children. However, she could not absorb anything she read.
Her initial plan for coming back to the research institute was to work as she hoped to use it to forget about Lucian’s words earlier.
Little did she expect everyone to be so supportive about the medical consultation.
Sitting alone in the office, she could not decipher her mixed feelings.
She could not retain much information even after staring at the screen for a long time.
Right as she reached the peak of her frustration, her phone suddenly rang.
Roxanne picked up her phone and froze when she saw who the caller was. Although she was hesitant, she still decided to answer the call.
“Roxanne, how is your preparation coming along?”
It was Larry on the other end of the line.
Suppressing her emotions, Roxanne calmly replied, “I’m still trying to understand the Damaris family’s research approach. How about you?”
Larry chuckled. “Me too. However, I will be going there with the intention to learn, so I did not prepare much.”
After they exchanged some of their findings, Larry suggested, “The medical consultation will be happening this weekend, and it will be out of town. I could swing by to pick you up and head to the medical consultation together. What do you think?”
Previously, Roxanne had already agreed to go there with him. Despite so, when Larry brought it up again, Lucian’s furious expression appeared in her mind’s eye.
A short moment of silence passed. Massaging her temples, Roxanne answered in an apologetic tone, “Larry, I think I will head there on my own.”
Instantly, Larry frowned when he heard her reply. “What’s wrong? I thought we agreed to go to the medical consultation together.”
“I went to Old Mr. Queen to get a recommendation letter from him earlier. By chance, I found out that the Morrison and Damaris families are well acquainted. Old Mr. Queen thinks I could get to know the Damaris family better if I headed there with you. However, I would rather rely on my own abilities instead.”
It was not an excuse she thought of on the spot. In fact, that had crossed her mind while she was in the Queen residence.
When Jonathan brought up the relationship between Larry and the Damaris family, she felt comforted. At the same time, she realized it was not how she wanted things to pan out
It was true that she could use Larry’s relationship with the Damaris family to her advantage. That way, when the Damaris family decided on who to collaborate with in the future, she would gain priority.
However, she worried the Damaris family would give her special treatment during the medical consultation. As a result, she might not be able to showcase her full strengths to them.
Ultimately, she hoped to gain the Damaris family’s favor through her own capabilities.
After listening to her reply, Larry remained quiet for a while. Then, he cheekily stated, “All right. You can have your way. However, do not pretend we are strangers during the medical consultation, okay?”
He was well aware of Roxanne’s character and knew she never liked to rely on others. At the same time, he also knew how capable she was and believed she could impress the Damaris family without his help.
Therefore, he was not surprised when Roxanne rejected his offer.
Roxanne chuckled. “Okay.”
“If you need anything during the medical consultation, feel free to look for me. Although I might not be as skilled as you in traditional medicine, I could still give you some ideas,” Larry continued.
“Sure,” Roxanne agreed with a smile.
Then, they continued to exchange a few more words before they ended the call.
Finally, Roxanne felt more composed to continue her preparation. Before she got off work, she had thoroughly analyzed all her research.
The night before the medical consultation, Roxanne inevitably felt nervous.
After dinner, she headed to her study early and planned to go through all the information she had gathered over the past few days.
Only a few minutes had passed when she heard a knock on her door.
Roxanne looked up from her laptop and called out, “Come in.”
As soon as she spoke, Archie and Benny pushed open the door and walked in with a smile.
Archie had a cup of coffee while Benny carried a plate with a slice of cake.
Carefully, the two children placed the things down on the table. “Thank you, Darlings,” Roxanne cooed as she lovingly ruffled their hair.
Archie and Benny grinned before curiously peeking at Roxanne’s screen.
When they were abroad, the boys spent much of their childhood in the research institute. Having been in that environment, they had acquired some basic knowledge, so they had a rough idea of what was easy or difficult.
After reading some of the information on Roxanne’s laptop, the children quietly looked away.
Despite their knowledge, Roxanne’s preparation work was still too advanced for them.
“All the best, Mommy!” Benny cheered.
Roxanne could not help but smile at the encouragement. “Thank you, Darling. I will try my best!”
Beside her, Archie puffed up his chest to act like an adult. He nagged, “Mommy, do not stay up too late. Since the medical consultation is an important event, you should have a good rest to perform your best tomorrow!”
“Yes, I will,” Roxanne readily agreed.
“Mommy, you are already very skilled. Even if you do not prepare anything, I’m sure you will shine the brightest tomorrow,” Benny quickly added to gain some brownie points.
Their words only made Roxanne amused. She planted a kiss on their foreheads and replied, “Thank you for supporting me. I will do my best tomorrow. Meanwhile, both of you should go to bed. After I finish reading this, I will head to bed too.”
The children knew they would only distract Roxanne from her work if they stayed longer. Therefore, they obediently heeded her words and left the study.
Soon, the room was silent again. Glancing at the coffee and cake, Roxanne felt a surge of warmth enveloping her.
She spent some time reading the documents before realizing it was getting late. Since she felt prepared, she got up and decided to get some rest.
When she stepped out of the study, she noticed two heads shrinking back from the open bedroom door.
At the sight of that, Roxanne could not hold back her laughter. She headed to their bedroom and questioned, “Why aren’t both of you sleeping?”
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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