That night, both the boys and Roxanne did not get a good night’s sleep. Roxanne couldn’t stop thinking about Lucian’s reply in the group chat and also their collaboration in the play.
As for the kids, they were kept awake by the worry that their mommy would back out of the play. The next morning, Roxanne stepped out of her room and saw two little “pandas” at her door.
Surprised at the sight of the dark circles around the boys’ eyes, she frowned and softly jested, “Where did these two pandas come from?”
The boys innocently looked up to her and gave her sheepish smiles.
Roxanne shook her head and asked with concern, “What happened? Did you not sleep well last night? How did you get such bad dark circles?”
Roxanne’s heart ached, and she bent over and gently caressed the area around their eyes.
The boys closed their eyes to accommodate her, but there was a look of anxiousness on their faces. “Mommy, you’re still going to join us in the anniversary celebration, right?” They sought her assurance.
Lucian’s face appeared in Roxanne’s mind when she was reminded of the anniversary play. Her heart sank, but she put on a brave front and said, “Of course! Mr. Bauer told me the groupings are final, and we can’t make changes anymore.”
The two boys nodded in relief, but their eyes never left her.
Roxanne wondered if it was her imagination, but she thought Archie and Benny looked apologetic.
She was puzzled by their abnormal behavior as she could not recall the boys doing anything naughty or hurtful to her.
During breakfast, the boys were very attentive to Roxanne, piling her plate with food and filling her glass with milk.
After a while, Roxanne could not hold back her curiosity anymore. “Okay, out with it! What have you done behind my back?” she asked.
The boys froze for a second, anxiously looked at one another, then turned to
Roxanne and shook their heads.
Roxanne gave them a suspicious eye and said, “Then why are you so exceptionally attentive to me this morning?”
Instantly, the boys’ guilty expressions betrayed them.
After reading about the story of Sleeping Beauty, they felt they had betrayed their mother. They had the kind intention of helping Estella, but as a result, they inadvertently got Roxanne into an awkward situation whereby she had to be kissed by Lucian.
They couldn’t possibly tell their mother the truth, so both of them pursed their lips tightly together and refused to utter a word. Although Roxanne knew something was fishy, she decided not to probe, knowing she would not be able to get them to talk.
Archie and Benny secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quietly finished their breakfast under the apprehensive eyes of their mother.
After breakfast, Roxanne sent the two boys to school and stayed on to attend the parents’ meeting to discuss the plays’ scripts.
It had been a while since Roxanne last accompanied the boys to school, so Archie and Benny were very happy. However, as they were still conscience-stricken by their “betrayal,” they suppressed their excitement and kept quiet throughout the journey.
It was highly unusual for the kids to be so dull and subdued.
Normally, they would be chatting non-stop during the journey to kindergarten, especially since their mom had not been sending them to school for a while.
The kids should be excited, so their restrained behavior was making Roxanne uneasy. She knew something was wrong, but unfortunately, she could not get the boys to talk.
Pippa was already waiting by the gate when Roxanne arrived with her boys. She smiled and grected them. “Hi, Ms. Jarvis. It has been a long time!” Pippa said.
Roxanne politely smiled and replied, “I’ve been busy at work lately. Did Archie and Benny give you any trouble?” Roxanne suspected the boys might have done something wrong in school, resulting in their strange behavior that morning.
Surprisingly, Pippa shook her head and said, “Not at all! Archie and Benny are really good boys. Sometimes, they even help me look after other kids. I have to thank you for bringing up such sensible boys!”
Roxanne lowered her eyes and looked at the two boys that were standing by her side. They looked up to her with wide-eyed innocence, leaving her perplexed.
Seeing that they were not going to let her in on their secret, she gave up and looked away.
“Ms. Jarvis!”
A sweet, child-like voice rang out from behind Roxanne.
Roxanne turned around and saw Estella running toward her as fast as her tiny legs could take her. Her chubby little face was turning red from the exertion. The little girl was dressed in an adorable dress and had a head full of curly hair.
Roxanne was stunned by the sight of Estella’s curly hair. She bent over and hesitantly asked, “What happened to your hair, Essie?”.
She remembered Estella had naturally straight hair and wondered who styled her hair.
Estella tugged at her own hair and innocently said, “Grandma! Grandma said all princesses have curly hair!”
Sonya was aware of the kindergarten’s anniversary celebration. She heard Estella was going to act in the play, so she excitedly brought the little girl to the salon to style her hair.
Lucian did not want to quarrel with his mother over such a small matter, so he let her be.
When Estella mentioned Sonya, Roxanne’s heart became heavy, and she instinctively stood up and took a step away from the little girl.
Estella could sense ber change in attitude. She tilted her head in confusion and looked disappointed.
It pained Roxanne to have to put a distance between herself and the little girl, but she had to do so.
Realizing she had overlooked something, Roxanne looked behind Estella, and true enough, she saw Lucian walking toward them.
Dressed in an expensive tailored suit, Lucian strode regally in her direction, his gaze fixed intently on Estella and her.
Roxanne quickly looked away when her eyes met Lucian’s. She grabbed her boys’ hands and turned to walk into the school compound.
Although she knew she would have to work with Lucian and Estella due to their collaboration in the play, she wanted to delay their interactions as long as possible.
“Hello, Mr. Farwell!” Roxanne heard Pippa greet Lucian respectfully as she hurried past the gate. She was too slow as Lucian had already caught up with them.
Lucian gave Pippa a small nod in acknowledgment. Then his gaze swiftly swept to Roxanne, who was back facing him and walking away in a hurry.
Roxanne had a prickling feeling on her back and could sense he was looking at her.
“It has been a long time, Ms. Jarvis,” Lucian greeted her as he walked to her side, Estella in tow.
Roxanne’s heart skipped a beat when she heard his voice. Scenes of them parting unhappily after their last meeting juxtaposed with the kissing scene in Sleeping Beauty and flashed in her mind. She got flustered and did not know how to face him.
“Ms. Jarvis.” Estella spoke, gingerly tugging on Roxanne’s outfit. Roxanne dropped her gaze and saw the little girl piteously looking at her with her big round eyes. She seemed to be asking why Roxanne was ignoring her.
Roxame was ruffled by her puppy-dog eyes, but she could only return a forced smile. Lucian noticed her uneasiness with Estella. His brows furrowed, but he quickly hid his emotions and said, “We are counting on your support to make the play a success, Ms. Jarvis. This will be the kids’ first performance, so I hope you can set aside your personal feelings for the benefit of the kids.”
Roxanne’s expression froze. Her heart was in turmoil, but she put on a nonchalant front. She casually nodded her head and replied, “Don’t worry. I will.”
As his gaze swept past her face, he could see she had pursed her lips and looked indifferent. Very obviously, she had no intention of engaging with him.
Lucian lowered his gaze and exchanged a knowing look with Estella.
The little girl got the hint, moved over, and clung to Roxanne, asking, “Are you still very busy, Ms. Jarvis?”
Roxanne could not bear to ignore the little girl anymore. She hesitated for a moment, then replied, “Yes, I’m still busy. But since we promised to take part in the anniversary celebration, I’ll make time to join you in your rehearsals.”
Estella’s eyes instantly lit up when she heard that, joy written all over 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.
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