“Daddy!” Unaware of the change in Roxanne’s mood, Estella tugged ecstatically at Lucian’s sleeve. “Let’s play hide and seek for a while before going home!”
Lowering his head to gaze at Estella, Lucian then shifted his attention to Roxanne with an indiscernible look in his eyes. When she met his gaze, Roxanne felt a sudden sense of guilt.
She had just reprimanded the brothers for running wildly with Estella. But now, she was the one doing it instead.
After an awkward silence, Lucian remarked in a deep voice, “It’s getting late. I’ll be taking Essie home now.”
He had barely finished when he turned toward Estella and said, “We have to go now, but we’ll come back again tomorrow.”
Despite puffing her cheeks up to express her unwillingness, Estella recognized that she had had a lot of fun that evening already. After a brief hesitation, she demonstrated her acquiescence by holding her father’s hand.
When she reached the mansion’s door with Lucian, Estella turned around and waved at Roxanne with a reluctant expression. “Bye, Ms. Jarvis. Bye, Archie, Benny.”
Roxanne, too, bid the little girl farewell. “See you tomorrow.”
All of a sudden, Lucian looked down at Estella and surprised everyone with his next words. “Let’s go. We’ll play hide and seek again with Ms. Jarvis tomorrow.”
The mere mention of the game caused Estella to smile so happily that her eyes couldn’t be seen.
As for Roxanne, the sound of Lucian’s voice caused her to blush faintly.
After watching his car disappear into the distance, Roxanne led the boys back into the mansion,
The next evening, she went to school to pick them up just as she promised.
When she arrived at the kindergarten entrance, she saw the three of them standing in front of Pippa Unable to hear the exchange between them, all she could see was Estella bursting into gleeful laughter.
Upon her arrival, the children looked at her in unison, their faces glowing with joy.
The heartwarming sight melted Roxanne’s heart as she hurried over to their side.
“Mommy!”
“Ms. Jarvis!”
The children called out to her in their squeaky voices.
After giving their heads an affectionate pat each, Roxanne’s attention fell on Estella. “Essie, is your daddy not here yet?”
Estella nodded, as Lucian would usually arrive later.
Pondering for a moment, Roxanne then suggested with a smile, “In that case, do you want to come home with me first?”.
Estella nodded in agreement without giving it a second thought. In fact, she even reached out to hold Roxanne’s sleeve of her own volition.
Roxanne then held Estella’s hand before bidding goodbye to Pippa and herding the children into her car.
As the children climbed into the backseat obediently, they felt as if they had returned to the time when Estella was living with them. The only difference was that she could now interact with them normally, injecting further dynamism into their relationship.
Consequently, the car, filled with their excited voices, felt especially lively.
When Roxanne saw how they were fooling around in the backseat through the rearview mirror, a gentle smile emerged on her face. As she took her phone to give Lucian a call, it rang with a call from him instead.
Roxanne proceeded to answer.
“Are you picking Archie and Benny up today? I’m tied up with something right now. If you can, please bring Essie along to your place.”
Lucian’s deep voice rang out the moment she answered.
Even though his words were consistent with her intention, she had an indescribable feeling after hearing what he said.
Meanwhile, before Roxanne had the opportunity to answer, Lucian furrowed his brows and added grimly, “If it’s not convenient, I’ll send Cayden over.”
Regaining her senses, Roxanne calmed herself down and replied, “It’s all right. Essie is already in my car. I was just about to give you a call to tell you.”
Her words cased the tension on his face. “Thanks for that. Anyway, I have to go off now.” Before Roxanne could even react, Lucian ended the call.
All she could hear was the call-end tone.
After spacing out for a few seconds, Roxanne put her phone aside. Nonetheless, Lucian’s voice continued to reverberate in her mind.
She was unsure if she was overthinking it, but it felt as if he was warming up to her after spending the last two days rehearsing together.
In fact, she would sometimes be mired in the illusion that they were a family, and that was the exact sensation she felt a moment ago.
Unfortunately, the thought of Sonya alone caused her to snap back into reality.
“Mommy?” Curious as to why she hadn’t yet driven off, the children checked on her.
Roxanne, gradually gathering her thoughts, mumbled a response before starting the drive back home.
By the time they arrived, the dinner Lysa prepared was already waiting for them.
When Lysa only saw the four of them, she was surprised. “Where’s Mr. Farwell?”
Used to having dinner together with him over the last two days, Lysa felt out of sorts when she only saw Estella and not Lucian.
When she looked behind them to check, Lucian was still nowhere to be seen.
Lysa then gave Roxanne a quizzical look as if he was a member of their family.
Noucing Lysa’s strange expression, Roxanne knitted her brows but quickly realized that the niggling sensation she felt wasn’t imagined. At the same time, for some inexplicable reason, her mood plummeted. “Ie… is tied up with work.”
Lysa nodded in acknowledgment. “In that case, should we wait for him, or shall we start first?”
Roxanne fell into deep thought again.
Lysa’s question sparked a glint in Estella’s eyes as she turned around and gave Roxanne a pitiful look. “I want Daddy…”
She had barely spoken when she gave Roxanne’s sleeve a gentle tug and whined, “Daddy doesn’t eat when he’s busy.”
After hearing Estella’s words, Roxanne had no choice but to nod at Lysa. “Let’s wait for a while then.”
Lysa bobbed her head in acknowledgment.
Roxanne, with conflicted emotions, ushered the children to wash their hands.
“Mommy, are we waiting for Mr. Farwell to have dinner together?” Benny asked while the water was running down his hands.
He had heard what Roxanne promised Estella but was also aware that she was trying to avoid Lucian.
In the end, Roxanne mumbled an affirmative.
Sensing his mother’s reluctance, Benny tilted his head in confusion.
Since Mommy doesn’t like Daddy, why did she agree to wait for him to have dinner?
Oblivious to what was going through Benny’s mind, she waited for them to finish washing their hands before leading them out of the bathroom. It was then that they heard a knock on the door.
Everyone could guess that Lucian had arrived.
With that thought in mind, Roxanne put on an aloof expression as she opened the door.
When she did, she was greeted by the sight of Lucian in a suit and a neatly tied tie. He looked as if he had just come out of a meeting and was still exuding an authoritative air.
Roxanne, after being briefly stunned by his appearance, stepped aside to make way. “Come in.”
Lucian gave her a slight nod before brushing past her to enter the living room.
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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