Once she was gone, Jack turned toward Roxanne. “Are you hungry? Do you want to eat someplace else?”
Both of them barely ate and the food was already cold.
Nonetheless, Roxanne, feeling a little woozy, wondered what sort of wine had Jessica ordered. Although she only had a small glass, the after-effects were extremely strong.
In response to Jack’s question, she shook her head with a frown. “It’s fine. I should head back earlier anyway, as the children should be home by now. I can’t let them wait up for me.”
Naturally, Jack didn’t insist and got up to leave with her.
When they went down the stairs upon leaving the restaurant, Roxanne accidentally slipped and almost fell down.
Fortunately, Jack noticed it and turned around to catch her in the nick of time.
“Thank you,” Roxanne murmured before retracting her hand.
Jack flashed a smile. “No problem.”
After they got into the car one after the other, Jack—who didn’t drink—decided to drive Roxanne home to not trouble the driver.
On the way home, a black sedan followed them from a safe distance.
With his attention entirely focused on Roxanne, Jack didn’t notice the car at all.
As the traffic jam had cleared, it took them less than ten minutes to reach Roxanne’s home.
“It’s getting late, so forgive me for not inviting you in,” Roxanne explained in a cursory tone.
Jack gave her a casual nod. “You should hurry back in. As for Archie and Benny’s presents, I’ll hand them over the next time I see them.”
After acknowledging him with a smile, Roxanne alighted and headed home.
It wasn’t until he saw her go back in that Jack drove leisurely back to the Damaris residence.
“Mommy!” The moment Roxanne stepped through the door, the two boys beamed and rushed up to her side.
She tousled their hair with a smile before changing out of her shoes.
Meanwhile, they gave her a puzzled look. “Why didn’t you pick us up tonight?”
After the interaction from the day before, the boys and Estella assumed that Roxanne would pick them up as usual.
Thus, the sight of Madilyn surprised them.
While Estella was visibly disappointed, the boys were worried that their mother had a new tiff with their father.
Consequently, Roxanne was baffled to see the children’s anxious looks. “I had a last-minute appointment tonight. What’s wrong?”
Upon exchanging glances, the boys observed Roxanne for a while. Only after they determined she wasn’t lying did relief descend upon them. Smiling gleefully, they replied, “Nothing. We’re just curious. That’s all.”
Roxanne grinned apologetically. “I’m sorry I didn’t inform you ahead of time. Going forward, I’ll try my best to pick you up on time, all right?”
Hearing Roxanne’s promise, there was a glint in the boys’ eyes and they jumped in joy.
The next morning, while Roxanne was having breakfast with the children before sending them to school, the doorbell suddenly rang.
The ring caused Roxanne and the boys to exchange glances as the same thought popped into their minds—Lucian and Estella were there.
After all, both of them usually dropped by at that hour. Without a second thought, Roxanne got up and opened the door. She was subsequently greeted by the sight of her best friend looking all anxious.
“Did something happen?” A sinking feeling crept into her heart. The frowning Madilyn stretched her head to look at the children—who were busy eating—before pulling Roxanne out the door.
Cognizant that it was something the children weren’t supposed to know, Roxanne followed the former to the yard. “What’s wrong?”
“Did you see the news in the morning?” Madilyn sounded exceptionally grim. Hearing that, Roxanne shook her head in response as she was clueless.
As Lysa was held back by something at home and couldn’t come to work for the week, she had woken up early in the morning to prepare breakfast and watch the children eat.
Consequently, she didn’t have time to read the morning news at all. Nevertheless, Roxanne could tell from Madilyn’s expression that something grave had happened.
Knitting her brows, Madilyn didn’t even know how to break the news. “What on earth happened?” Madilyn’s reaction told Roxanne that it was something related to her. She repeated with a frown, “If you don’t tell me, I’ll go in and read it myself.”
Just when she turned around to go back in, Madilyn grabbed her hand to stop her.
“News of you going on a date late at night with Jack has splashed across the headlines. They accuse both of you of being close and suspect that strings were pulled for you to be included as one of the Damaris family’s partners.”
Madilyn—who greatly resented the news—spoke in a swift but incoherent manner. In spite of that, Roxanne face darkened, as she had caught the gist of it.
My date with Jack…
The only thing that came to mind was the dinner the night before. However, there were three of us. How did it end up becoming a date?
In the midst of racking her brain, an image suddenly flashed across her mind. Last night, Jessica didn’t show up for a long time even though both of us had arrived…
“Whatever it is, you had better not send the boys to school. I’ll take them instead, as I’m worried that you would be swarmed by reporters there. Also, don’t leave home as far as possible,” Madilyn instructed with a solemn expression on her face. Roxanne was well aware of the gravity of the situation.
Even though she was certain of her innocence, the media wasn’t going to let her off the hook easily. In addition, Roxanne didn’t want her affairs to burden her children, causing them an unnecessary emotional burden.
With that in mind, she nodded without hesitation before expressing her gratitude. “Thank God you came all the way here to tell me.”
However, Madilyn ranted, “Why are they slandering such a good doctor like you? Once I find out who’s responsible, I’ll definitely give them a piece of my mind!”
While Roxanne was trying to calm Madilyn down with a smile, Jessica’s face emerged again in her mind, for she couldn’t think of anyone else.
However, Roxanne had no clue whether someone else was behind Jessica. Realizing it was getting late, both of them went back into the house.
As for the boys, their faces drooped in disappointment upon learning that Madilyn was taking them to school.
Since telling them the truth wasn’t an option, Roxanne apologized, “I’m sorry. There’s just something I need to deal with urgently. Once I’m done, I’ll definitely send you to school every day.”
Noticing the gloomy look on Roxanne’s face, the brothers—in spite of their dejection—acknowledged her promise obediently.
After watching Madilyn leave with the children, Roxanne went upstairs into the study and checked the news on her phone.
The moment she went on Twitter, she saw the top trending topics. Pretty Doctor Pulled Strings To Advance Her Career. Jack Damaris Goes On A Late-night Date With A Pretty Doctor. Jack Damaris’ Love Life Exposed…
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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