Thus, his initial plan was to let the girl stay in the house, but when he lowered his head, he saw a pleading look in her eyes. In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to say no to that face.
“I have something to tend to at work today. So, you’ll come with me to the company before I ask Mr. Lawson to take you there. Is that okay?” he asked.
While Estella didn’t want to stay with Aubree, she was still an obedient girl. So, she nodded when she heard her father had work-related matters to deal with.
Patting the girl’s head, Lucian turned around and went to wash up.
As for Estella, she waited at the door docilely.
Meanwhile, Aubree had just woken up. Due to her excessive drinking last night, she was groggy and had a nasty headache.
The cold attitude Lucian gave her last night was still fresh in her mind.
Thinking about how coldly he treated her enraged her instantly. It also made her panic because, if things continued in that trajectory, her position might really be replaced by Roxanne. Even if he gives me the cold shoulder again, I must put up with it! I must change Lucian’s attitude toward me!
As that thought came into mind, she ignored her headache, swiftly freshened up, and prepared to head downstairs.
She could only see him during the morning and night because he would spend the rest of the day in the company. That was why she couldn’t miss out on any chance to meet him.
When she left her room, she saw Estella, who was waiting for Lucian in front of his bedroom.
Thus, Aubree slowed her pace, adjusted her expression, and approached the girl with a smile.
“You’re up early, Essie.” She tried to caress the girl’s head when she got close enough.
However, when Estella saw the woman, she had her guard up like a porcupine raising its body’s quills. Then, as she regarded her warily, she inched into her father’s room.
Aubree retracted her hand and paused in her tracks, but the smile on her face remained. “Are you waiting for your father? How about I bring you downstairs?”
Without hesitation, the girl shook her head with an expression of clear defiance.
Aubree was already suffering from a terrible headache, so when she was once again rejected by Estella, the smile on her face disappeared.
Glancing at the bedroom, she surmised Lucian was probably still inside the bathroom, meaning he wouldn’t be able to see what was going on outside.
At that realization, Aubree’s expression turned grim. “Listen to me obediently and follow me downstairs!”
When Aubree revealed her true colors and put on a frightening expression, Estella jumped in fear and wanted to go to Lucian. However, her wrist was grabbed by Aubree, and she couldn’t break free.
Staring coldly at the girl, Aubree uttered, “If you don’t want to suffer, you better obey me! Don’t piss me off, do you understand?” Inside the bathroom, Lucian was taking a shower when he called Roxanne.
He knew how much of a workaholic she was, so he was worried Roxanne might not be there when Cayden sent Estella over. The little girl would throw a temper tantrum if she didn’t get to see Roxanne. That was why he was calling her, to make sure she was around.
Thankfully, she picked up the call rather quickly. “What’s the matter, Lucian?” Roxanne sounded groggy. She might have just woken up, or she was woken up by the call.
Amused by her sleepy tone, Lucian apologized softly, “Did I wake you up? Sorry.”
She yawned slightly and sat up in bed. “It’s okay. I should be waking up at this time, anyway. I think I overslept a little. Why are you calling me early in the morning?”
“Essie wants to go to your place. Do you have time during the morning for that? If it’s not convenient for you, I can ask her to stay in the company with me.”
After spending time with Roxanne for a while, Lucian figured out her preferred way of interacting between the two of them. Therefore, he would use a negotiating tone whenever he spoke to her.
Roxanne pondered for a while before agreeing. “Got it. I’ll be at home in the morning.”
He was astounded when he heard her agree to it readily. Raising his eyebrows in surprise, he hummed in response and told her the estimated time that Estella would arrive before ending the call.
After hanging up, Lucian stepped out of the bathroom and glanced at his daughter, who was still at the door.
Aubree was still threatening the girl at that moment and was shocked to see Lucian emerging from the bathroom. Hastily, her expression changed as she greeted him guiltily, “Lucian.”
The moment he saw her, he remembered how she pestered him last night. With a cold tone, he asked, “Why are you here?”
Her eyelashes quivered before she explained cautiously, “I saw Essie standing here, so I thought I should come over and talk with her.” Then, she flashed a fake smile at the girl. “Isn’t that right, Essie?”
Pursing her lips, Estella glanced at the woman before wordlessly running toward her father, hiding behind him while grabbing his pants.
The look in Lucian’s eyes darkened as he regarded his daughter’s restless demeanor. He then glimpsed the woman at the door.
Even though his gaze merely swept past Aubree’s face briefly, it still made her tremble. She clenched her hand tightly to prevent herself from losing her composure.
He was tired of dealing with her, so he just said, “I’ll bring Essie downstairs later. You can go down first.”
Upon hearing that, she parted her lips to say something but didn’t dare to. Silently, she shot a glare at Estella before descending the stairs. With that, only Estella and Lucian were left in the room.
“What did you two talk about with each other earlier?” He looked at her with a frown. She was clearly afraid when she ran toward me just now.
Pressing her lips into a thin line, the girl shook her head, refusing to talk. She appeared similar to how she used to act when her autism was severe.
Lucian’s heart dropped when he saw that. Instead of asking any more questions, he wordlessly comforted Estella by caressing her head.
Not long after, Lucian brought Estella downstairs. Aubree was already sitting at the dining table. When she saw them, she stifled the displeasure in her heart and smiled at them before pointing to the spot next to her. “Come over here, Essie. Let’s eat breakfast together.”
She thought her threat from earlier would make the girl listen to her. To her surprise, the little girl blatantly ignored her. Grabbing onto the hem of her father’s shirt, Estella followed him to the dining table and allowed him to lift her and plop her down on the seat next to him.
Aubree’s expression froze when she saw neither of them had any intention of paying attention to her. “You’re heading to work in a while, right, Lucian?” she asked a few seconds later, refusing to give up. He nodded indifferently.
Aubree’s rage dissipated slightly when she at least got some response out of him. With a smile, she suggested, “Then let me take care of you today, Essie! I’ll make sure you’ll have tons of fun!”
The instant she ended her sentence, she saw Estella glancing at her cautiously before looking back down and eating silently. In the past, when the girl’s condition hadn’t improved yet, she tended to remain silent when Aubree talked to her.
In Aubree’s opinion, the girl’s behavior had worsened to the point of straight-up disrespecting her. Even threats no longer worked.
Realizing that Estella had changed, Aubree was enraged, and she blamed everything on Roxanne. If not for that b*tch, this brat wouldn’t have defied me. The brat clearly thinks she has someone supporting her now, so she could do as she pleases. It’s all because of that b*tch! I lost my best way into the Farwell family because of her!
Meanwhile, she was also mad at the stubborn little girl. I remember Lucian’s relationship with that b*tch was quite awkward when she first returned to the country. The reason their relationship improved was because of this brat! Even though I treated her so well, she ungratefully insisted on clinging to that b*tch! If not for her, that b*tch wouldn’t have had so many opportunities to spend time with Lucian and develop their relationship to what it is today!
As her thoughts ran wild, Aubree started staring at Estella with hatred in her eyes.
The girl was sensitive enough to sense Aubree’s hostility. Thus, she put the spoon down and tugged at her father’s sleeve to indicate that she wanted to head to Roxanne’s as soon as possible.
Aubree rapidly changed her expression and smiled warmly in response to that. Lucian glanced at her. “There’s no need for that. Essie will be following me today.”
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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