In fact, when he asked her about it, she simply ignored his question, causing him to wonder if she had even seen it. But if she hadn’t read it, how would she have known that I was the one who sent her the flowers?
Lucian continued to ruminate on the matter. Since she chose to call me, she must have read the card but wasn’t willing to talk about it. In that case, can there be something wrong with the card’s contents?
Meanwhile, Jonathan, after waiting a long while for a response, pestered him, “What did you write? If you don’t tell me, how would I know where the problem is?”
Only then did Lucian relent.
Upon hearing what it was, Jonathan couldn’t resist massaging his forehead. “What do you mean by ‘let’s be honest with each other? Aren’t you forcing Ms. Jarvis to speculate? Wouldn’t it have been better to pen down your feelings directly?”
If you want Roxanne to admit her feelings for you, you have to do it first!
Throwing him a glance, Lucian added, “She gave me a call after receiving the flowers, and I followed your instructions.”
At that, the hope Jonathan had for his friend was reignited. “What did you do? Did you confess?”
Thinking back to his call with her, Lucian nodded without elaborating.
Seeing that, Jonathan was intrigued. “What did you say?”
Lucian replied, “I asked her if she was willing to return to my side.”
“And?” Jonathan pressed on.
After a momentary silence descended upon the car, Lucian’s voice rang out. “She didn’t say anything.”
Didn’t say anything….
Having contemplated upon it for a few seconds, Jonathan reassured him with a smile, “Not saying anything is better than being downright reject—”
Before he could finish, Lucian continued, “I then told her that Essie needed a mother and since she was fond of Essie…”
In that instant, Jonathan was stumped.
He had not expected Lucian to speak so candidly when all he suggested was for the latter to confess his feelings.
Furthermore, he was well aware that Lucian had often used Estella as a pretext to get Roxanne to soften her stance. Little did Jonathan expect Lucian to still involve her in such a delicate circumstance.
Is he pursuing Roxanne, or is Estella the one doing it?
“What the hell did I do wrong?” Lucian questioned solemnly. “Or is your method useless to begin with?”
Lucian’s accusation caused Jonathan to shake his head in resignation. “Lucian, that’s not how you court a girl or even confess to her.”
Looking clueless, Lucian was filled with frustration.
“By bringing Estella up unnecessarily, one could be forgiven to think that you’re using the girl to threaten Dr. Jarvis,” Jonathan explained.
Lucian’s frown deepened. “In that case, what should I do?”
“In order to court a girl, you have to soften your attitude,” Jonathan advised. “Also, remember that you’re the one pursuing her; it has nothing to do with Estella. By saying what you said, Dr. Jarvis might think that you’re giving her the flowers because you want a mother for Estella. Without knowing what your true feelings are, there’s no way she would agree to be with you.”
As he listened earnestly, Lucian felt the exasperation within him gradually build up.
He had never courted anyone before, and he didn’t think courting someone would be such a complicated endeavor.
Even confessing his feelings seemed to be an art.
“Do you understand what I have said?” Jonathan asked, just in case. Lucian pinched between his brows. Despite all he had heard, he was still as confounded as before.
Given what had happened, he couldn’t tolerate making another mistake. Therefore, despite how embarrassing it was, he inquired further, “Tell me in simpler terms what I should say for her to understand me.”
Jonathan was speechless. Didn’t I make it clear enough? “I love you.”
Jonathan’s face couldn’t be any more serious as he stared at his friend. No sooner had the words left his mouth than a deathly silence ensued.
Given how earnest Jonathan’s expression was, even Lucian was stunned for a few seconds.
When Jonathan saw from Lucian’s expression that he had gotten his point across, he eased the seriousness on his face and continued his coaching. “Do you now know what to say now?” Lucian, having regained his senses, nodded.
“I know that you have never courted a woman in your life, so it’s understandable that you might have some difficulty with it.”
Jonathan continued in a solemn tone, “Nonetheless, pursuing a lady is similar to closing a business deal. There’s no need to beat around the bush. Just let the opposing party know what your intentions are so that they can understand you properly. Or else, being shady will never win you any deals.”
Just as he spoke, Jonathan patted Lucian on the shoulder. “If you like her, you should then admit it instead of using Essie as an excuse. If you make it into a habit, Dr. Jarvis, based on her character, will grow to be wary of the little girl. When that happens, neither of you will be able to get close to her anymore. And you know what, you would deserve it. But what about Essie? She’s the innocent one in all this!”
The instant Lucian heard the last sentence, he wrinkled his brows as the temperature around him dropped.
Feeling a chill down his spine, Jonathan, realizing the gravity of his words, tried to laugh it off. “I’m just quoting an example. I’m sure you know what I mean.”
Lucian remained silent.
Truth be told, Jonathan’s words had hit the nail on the head.
In fact, Roxanne was already avoiding Estella on his account, while Estella was angry at him for the same reason.
Even then, Lucian didn’t learn from his mistakes because Roxanne would keep her distance unless he used Estella as an excuse.
After all, he had absolutely run out of ideas.
As Jonathan sipped his wine subconsciously, he snuck a careful glance at Lucian.
Upon seeing the sullen expression on his friend’s face, Jonathan assumed he had said something wrong and began to regret it.
However, Lucian’s voice suddenly rang out,
carrying a hint of suppressed anger.
“What else can I do when she keeps avoiding me?”
When Jonathan felt that Lucian’s anger had passed, he heaved a sigh of relief and continued, “You just have to be patient. After all, you did hurt her six years ago, so it’s not a surprise that she’s avoiding you. If you really want to change her mind, you should drop that high and mighty attitude of yours in front of her. Instead, lower yourself and try to gain her sympathy.”
As Lucian turned his head to give Jonathan a glance, anger seemed to flash across his eyes, as if he was questioning Jonathan’s audacity to have him play the victim card.
Reading Lucian’s mind, Jonathan explained, “After being a doctor for so many years, Dr. Jarvis is definitely someone sympathetic. Besides, given how intimidating you are, I’m sure you’ll be able to melt her heart by playing victim.”
After Jonathan spent the entire night analyzing the situation for Lucian, the latter finally agreed with a frown. On the way back home, Lucian continued to playback Jonathan’s words in his mind.
It’s not like I don’t want to lower myself in front of her. It’s just that she gets on my nerves so much that I just can’t control myself. Now that he thought about it, Lucian was again filled with remorse.
It looks like I have no choice but to get a grip on my temper. After all, I’m the reason why our relationship became this way. By the time he returned to the Farwell residence, it was almost ten in the evening.
Usually, Estella would already be asleep at that hour. However, when he opened the mansion door, he could hear the sound of her room door opening at the same time.
Raising his head, he saw her standing on her heels and staring down at him with her lips pursed.
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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