Chapter 335 – Her Sudden Departure: A Tale of Love and Redemption (Lucian & Roxanne)

Lucian frowned when he heard what she said. Roxanne sounded frustrated; she was not touched by what he did at all.

Before Lucian could respond to her, Roxanne continued, “Do you know how grave of a misunderstanding your action can cause, especially among my staff?”

A deep line formed between Lucian’s brows. “Isn’t that your wish? I only sent the bouquet to the research institute because you didn’t want the children to know about it.”

Before Roxanne could say anything, the man continued, “Besides, you did send the flowers back to my office, didn’t you? Do you want to know how my staff talked behind my back?” Lucian said it matter-of-factly.

His reply rendered Roxanne speechless for a moment. After a short pause, she gritted her teeth and retorted, “That’s because your action has caused inconvenience to me, Mr. Farwell!”

Lucian let out a baffling laugh. “Your action has caused me inconvenience too, Ms. Jarvis.”

“Lucian Farwell!” Roxanne called out his name with a raised voice. “You knew what I meant!”

Lucian’s expression turned grim as he responded in a solemn voice, “You knew my intention as well. Why wouldn’t you give me a chance?”

Their conversation kept hitting a deadlock. Roxanne pressed her lips, remaining silent for a while. After regaining her composure, she said calmly, “Let’s meet and talk it out.”

She had to think of a way to end this quickly as she did not want to play this game with him anymore.

Upon hearing that, Lucian arched his brows, surprised that she would want to meet up with him. But it seems she just wants to turn me down in front of me.

The man pursed his lips as he agreed, “Sure. You decide the time and place, then.” Roxanne acknowledged at once.

After ending the call, Lucian returned to the conference room. However, this time, he looked less intimidating. Those who talked behind his back immediately zipped their mouth, looking all businesslike once again.

“Let’s continue,” Lucian ordered.

With that, someone stood up and continued with the meeting. During the meeting, Lucian’s phone started blinking again.

Arching his brows, he glanced at the screen, noticing the text from Roxanne. She told him to meet her at a café near the research institute during lunch break.

The people in the meeting noticed the tension on Lucian’s face had eased after he looked at the phone screen. In fact, he seemed to be in a good mood by the time the meeting ended.

It was already noon when he left the conference room and returned to his office. Glancing at the time on his watch, Lucian felt concerned about the meeting with Roxanne, as he had not thought of what to say later.

Their meetings in the past had ended on a sour note, and Lucian knew things would not get better this time because Roxanne was determined to reject him.

Of course, Lucian would not let things go her way.

Feeling vexed at the thought of the intense exchange that might happen later, he decided to give Jonathan a call.

It did not take long for Jonathan to answer his call. “Yes, Lucian. How can I help you?”

Lucian replied in a deep voice, “I’ll be meeting her later.”

Hearing that, Jonathan froze for a moment, but he soon realized who Lucian was talking about. “So… I suppose you’ve made good progress?” Jonathan asked in surprise.

Lucian said frankly, “She’s planning to reject me.”

His reply left Jonathan speechless. Did Lucian do anything wrong? Why does Dr. Jarvis keep on rejecting him?

Had the person involved in this been someone else, Jonathan would have advised him to give up.

However, since the center of the drama revolved around Lucian and Estella’s biological mother, Jonathan had no choice but to come up with ideas to help Lucian out.

Yet, Jonathan had run out of ideas since Lucian said Roxanne was determined to turn him down.

It was almost noon, but Jonathan had not been able to come up with a solution. He could only advise Lucian, “Whatever you say or do, remember to tone down your attitude. Don’t confront her head-on.”

Lucian frowned but acknowledged at once. After ending the call, Lucian went downstairs and drove to Roxanne’s research institute.

In the meantime, Roxanne got up, ready to depart to the café when most of her staff had left the building.

Before stepping out of the research institute, she stopped in her track as something popped up in her mind. She then returned to her office to retrieve the roses. I might as well give him back the flowers since I’m meeting him.

She was relieved that no one saw her walking with a bouquet of roses. When Roxanne was about to walk to the car park after leaving the research institute, she saw a Bentley at the entrance of the building.

Noticing her from a distance, the man immediately got out of the car and walked toward her.

Roxanne’s expression stiffened when she saw the man coming in her direction. Didn’t I tell him to meet me at the cafe? What on earth is he doing here? It’s as if he’s still unhappy with the damage done when he sent the bouquet over this morning!

“It’s noon now, so I feel we should have a proper meal instead. That’s why I came here to fetch you,” Lucian explained as if he knew what she was thinking.

Upon hearing that, Roxanne snapped back to reality. With a frown, she responded, “No thanks. Let’s just grab a quick coffee.”

She wanted to avoid having lunch with Lucian because she did not want to spend more time with him.

However, Lucian acted as if her words fell on deaf ears as he continued, “What would you like to eat? I’ll reserve a table now.”

Roxanne gave him a puzzled look.

She was unsure if her mind was playing tricks on her, but somehow, she felt Lucian looked slightly different from how he used to carry himself.

“That won’t be necessary. I don’t feel like eating. I’m asking you out so we can clear things up once and for all.” Roxanne reiterated her motive icily before giving him back the bouquet. “Your flowers. Please take it back.”

Lucian, who was busy scrolling through his phone, froze instantly. He lifted his eyes and looked over. A hard glint flashed across his eyes.

When he noticed her carrying the bouquet from a distance earlier, he had already expected her to return the flowers to him.

However, he intentionally diverted her attention so that she would forget about the flowers. Should that happen, he would be in a foul mood.

Yet, the woman was not going to give up easily. Inching closer, she placed the bouquet in front of him. “Here.”

After a stand-off, Lucian finally reached out his hand to retrieve the flowers with a deadpan expression. “I’m sad that you refused to accept the bouquet. To make it up to me, please have lunch with me.”

Roxanne studied his expression but did not see a hint of sadness on his face. “I’m sorry, I-”

When she was about to reject his offer, Lucian interrupted, “I didn’t have breakfast this morning. My stomach is growling now.”

He started frowning while playing the sympathy card. “You want me to drink coffee with you on an empty stomach, Ms. Jarvis?” As his words fell, Lucian gazed into the woman’s eyes.

He came out with the idea on the spot. According to Jonathan, resorting to tactics that could tug at her heartstrings might work.

In the past, Lucian would have looked down on such a dirty trick, but the woman’s attitude left him with no choice other than to resort to this tactic.

Upon hearing that, Roxanne hesitated for a moment. Swallowing her words, she sized the man up while knitting her brows.

Given Lucian’s background and stature, he never had the need to put up a front with anybody. Still, he had learned how to control his emotions and facial expressions, having been in the corporate world for so long.

Roxanne thought he was really feeling unwell when she saw him frowning. Lucian raised his brows slightly and casually placed one of his hands on his stomach.

Roxanne continued sizing him up for a long while. I stayed with him six years ago, and I never knew he had gastritis. That being said, I don’t think he’s just acting. Is he acting weird because he’s experiencing discomfort in his stomach? Otherwise, why would he suddenly change the venue and decide to have a meal instead? Yes, that might be it.

Roxanne dispelled her suspicions and agreed to the suggestion through gritted teeth. “I’ve failed to consider your situation, Mr. Farwell. Since you’re not feeling well, you should decide what to eat.”

Lucian relaxed the hand he had on his stomach and flashed a subtle grin.

“I’ve already made a reservation at a restaurant. Hop in.”

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