Roxanne’s eyebrows furrowed slightly when she got the answer to her question.
Even though the woman promised Estella she would not get upset, she still felt uncomfortable deep down. What is Lucian thinking? Why would he take Aubree in after telling me he wanted to pursue me? He even said that he’d give me an explanation. Besides, he knows how Aubree got physical with Essie. How can Essie feel safe with Aubree around when it’s clear she has an aversion to that woman?
The symptoms of Estella’s autism had just improved, so Roxanne was worried Aubree’s presence would undo that.
Moreover, nobody could guarantee that Aubree would not take the opportunity to hurt Estella again.
The thought of Aubree bullying the little girl again left Roxanne heartbroken.
“Ms. Jarvis,” called out Estella while cautiously tugging at Roxanne’s sleeve.
After returning to her senses, Roxanne turned to the girl. “What is it?”
“Are you mad?” Estella knitted her eyebrows in concern. “You promised that you wouldn’t be angry with Daddy.”
Roxanne’s heart clenched inexorably when Estella insisted on defending her father. “I’m not. I made you a promise, and I intend to keep it.”
Only then did Estella smile. Obviously, she was relieved to hear that Roxanne wouldn’t break the promise.
“Are you unhappy because Ms. Pearson’s staying with you?” Roxanne gazed tenderly at Estella.
The girl decided there was no need to hide anything from Roxanne since she was convinced that the latter was not upset with her father. “The evil woman was bad to me, so I don’t like her.”
After that, Estella stared at Roxanne with her pair of puppy-dog eyes. “Can you stay with us, Ms. Jarvis? Archie and Benny too!”
The boys immediately got excited after hearing Estella’s request. “Mommy!”
They wanted to stay with Estella so they could protect her if Aubree ever decided to bully the girl again.
Looking at Archie and Benny, Roxanne wanted to say yes but knew her circumstance would not allow so.
“I’m sorry.” Roxanne then wrapped her arms tightly and apologetically around Estella before inquiring gently, “Essie, do you dislike Ms. Pearson?”
In response, Estella nodded fervently. Ms. Pearson’s always angry with me. She even hit me; she’s just pretending to be nice in front of Daddy.
Roxanne was filled with helplessness when she noticed how downcast the girl was. “The boys and I may not be able to stay with you, but I can talk to your father. Don’t worry, okay?”
Estella was obviously disappointed after listening to Roxanne, but she nodded passively in response anyway.
Lucian hurried to Roxanne’s house to pick up Estella after work that evening. On his way there, Cayden’s words reverberated in Lucian’s mind. Thanks to Cayden, Lucian was reminded that Roxanne had not explained her relationship with Jack yet.
Even after he had arrived at Roxanne’s house, Lucian still could not stop thinking about the matter. Thus, displeasure filled his heart. Roxanne was greeted by the man’s cold visage as soon as she opened the door, which got her frozen in place like a statue.
I haven’t even given him a piece of my mind about Estella’s matter! What’s with his attitude? He actually has the audacity to show me that gloomy face?
“What’s wrong? Is something up at work?” questioned Roxanne, trying to be patient. However, Lucian simply looked past the woman with a deadpan expression before asking, “Where’s Essie? I’m here to take her home.”
Roxanne furrowed her eyebrows slightly when she sensed the gloomy aura around Lucian. The three children hurried over the second they heard someone at the door.
“It’s time to go home, Essie.” Lucian held out his hand as he looked at the girl. Estella could sense that Lucian was in a bad mood, so she shook her head in response after hiding behind Roxanne.
Because of that, the man frowned and shifted his attention back to Roxanne, who patted Estella on the head before turning to her boys. “Why don’t you guys play with Essie for a while? Mommy has something to discuss with Mr. Farwell.”
Archie and Benny both immediately knew that Roxanne had to talk with Lucian about Aubree, so they nodded cooperatively and took Estella to the living room.
Lucian was baffled since he had no idea what Roxanne wanted to talk about.
If anything, the man wanted to hear what Roxanne had to say about what happened a few days ago, especially the matter between Jack and her.
“Essie said that Ms. Pearson’s just moved into your house,” voiced Roxanne, trying her best to ignore Lucian’s tense aura.
The man’s eyes quickly turned dull when he realized that Roxanne wanted to talk about Aubree. After nodding slightly, Lucian responded, “She’s staying with us because of the old injury on her arm.”
Roxanne was hit by another wave of unease when Lucian confirmed what Estella said to be true. However, the woman did not show it. “You didn’t forget how Ms. Pearson got physical with Essie last time, did you, Mr. Farwell? I’m sure it’s quite obvious how Essie feels about Ms. Pearson staying with you.”
Lucian did not appreciate Roxanne doubting his decision, so he knitted his eyebrows tightly. “I know how to handle it.”
“Letting Ms. Pearson stay with you is the reason Essie is down.” Roxanne’s tone turned cold because the man’s action had infuriated her. “I don’t think you want to see Essie revert to her old self. Where Ms. Pearson stays has nothing to do with me; I just hope she stays away from Essie.”
Then, Roxanne suddenly fell silent for a few seconds as if she had remembered something. “At least give Essie some time to accept Ms. Pearson before letting the woman get close to her,” added Roxanne, who almost forgot that Aubree was still Lucian’s fiancée and Estella’s future stepmother to the public.
If Lucian decided to marry Aubree, it would be impossible for Estella to avoid the woman forever.
The aura surrounding Lucian instantly reached a freezing point when he heard Roxanne, for he knew exactly what the woman’s brief pause and the words that followed meant. She still doesn’t have faith in what I promised her!
Roxanne had more to say, but Lucian interrupted her coldly before she could continue. “That has nothing to do with you, so don’t concern yourself with it. I know what to do.”
Sensing the annoyance in the man’s tone, Roxanne was stunned once again. “Maybe you’ve misunderstood me, but I’m only worried about Essie’s condition. Your relationship with others has nothing to do with me.”
The woman thought Lucian got upset because he disliked her getting between Aubree and him. With that thought in mind, Roxanne could not help but scoff inwardly at herself.
The anger Lucian had bottled up on his way there finally exploded after he listened to Roxanne dissociating herself from him repeatedly. “Of course, my business has nothing to do with you. After all, you probably only care about matters concerning Mr. Damaris!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Roxanne was baffled when Lucian suddenly replaced Aubree with her in the crosshair.
She never expected Lucian to hold on to the matter because she thought the man would understand.
“You’re happy working for the Damaris family’s research institute, aren’t you? I know how much you wanted to be a part of the project. Would you have worked that hard if their medical skills were the only reason you wanted to join them?” scoffed Lucian, whose eyes seemed as though they were sharp enough to see through anything.
Roxanne furrowed her eyebrows even tighter in response, for she had no idea what the man’s words meant. “Besides their medical skills, what do they have that’s worth so much of my effort?”
Having been in seclusion from the world for so many years, the Damaris family was only known for their medical skills.
In fact, Roxanne did not even know of Jack’s existence before the medical consultation.
However, it was clear Lucian was implying that Jack was the only reason Roxanne worked so hard, which not only gave the woman a headache but also upset her.
Lucian’s suspicion obviously meant that he doubted the respect Roxanne had for medical skills.
The man was even surer that he was right when he saw how infuriated Roxanne was, so he voiced indifferently, “Your relationship with Mr. Damaris is plain to see, Ms. Jarvis. I’m sure there’s no need to paint the whole picture.”
With that, Lucian looked toward the living room, intending to take Estella home.
Still, Roxanne insisted on explaining herself because even though she did not plan to accept Lucian, she refused to let him accuse her with that supposed reason. “Mr. Damaris and I are just friends. The few times we’ve met in public were for work. Mr. Damaris and Larry are both great doctors, so please stop the guessing game! I won’t cut off ties with them just because of your suspicion!”
Roxanne would have to work with Jack as long as the project remained. As for Larry, the woman had been friends with him for many years.
She would never cut off ties with the two men just because Lucian got jealous. However, it was undeniable that Lucian’s suspicion had caused her some inconvenience.
Lucian only heard the last part of her explanation about how she would not sever ties with the two men because of him.
The man then frowned in silence for a moment as the aura surrounding him suddenly dropped to a freezing point.
Despite that, Roxanne stood her ground and stared the man in the eye, showing no sign of retreat.
Noticing that the two did not enter the room even after some time, the three children couldn’t resist coming outside to check. As soon as they reached the door, they felt the tension between the two adults.
“Mommy?” Benny tugged at Roxanne’s clothes cautiously and asked with concern, “Did you get into a fight with Mr. Farwell?”
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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