After all, Lucian knew they were on his side and wouldn’t have gotten them to keep the secret unless he deemed it necessary.
With Madilyn’s car gone, the increasingly curious Roxanne lowered her gaze at the boys.
If I’m not mistaken, Madilyn seemed to be looking for someone. However, the kids noticed it before she said anything. That’s why they were so anxious to change the topic. I’m sure they must be hiding something from me.
Knowing that she might not get to the truth even if she asked, Roxanne decided not to pursue the matter. After they were done with breakfast, she sent them to the kindergarten.
Upon their arrival, they saw Estella holding Lucian’s hand at the entrance.
The sight of Lucian triggered a strange feeling within Roxanne.
She wondered if it was just her imagination, but she vaguely remembered hearing his voice the night before.
“Ms. Jarvis.”
Estella’s piping voice jolted her back to her senses, and she looked down at the former with a smile.
Estella raised her head and looked at Roxanne with concern. “Ms. Jarvis, how are you feeling?”
Roxanne was thrown into confusion by how abrupt the question was.
“Daddy said that you had a lot to drink last night,” Estella said innocently.
Roxanne looked at Lucian hesitatingly, briefly stunned.
Lucian had on a calm look. “She caught the smell of alcohol on me, so I told her about it.”
Not expecting Lucian to explain himself to her, Roxanne was taken aback for a few seconds. Then she turned to Estella and replied softly, “Thank you for your concern, Essie. I’m feeling a lot better now.”
Relieved, Estella responded with an obedient nod.
After watching the children enter the kindergarten, Roxanne turned to Lucian with mixed emotions and started, “The boys told me that it was you who sent me home last night.”
Lucian nodded noncommittally. He averted his gaze from her and looked to the side as if nothing had happened. In truth, he couldn’t help recalling the scene from the night before at the sight of her face.
Roxanne trailed his gaze, only to see his car that was parked by the roadside. Thinking that he was in a hurry to leave, she decided to get straight to the point. “Can you tell me how we ran into each other last night?”
Lucian’s face turned cold when Roxanne mentioned their encounter. “We happened to run into each other in the hotel elevator.”
Even though he didn’t describe how he had wrestled her away from Jack’s arms, Roxanne had no trouble imagining it.
Given his temper, he must’ve been infuriated to see me together with Jack. It goes without saying that something unpleasant must have happened between them.
Nonetheless, what surprised her this time was that Lucian didn’t probe further about her relationship with Jack. When the thought struck her, a peculiar feeling arose from within, causing her to recall their conversation the day before.
Lucian must be trying to stop me from going to the contract signing ceremony because he and Jack are competitors. And that must be the reason he showed up at the hotel. It was just that he had arrived too late. Is the conclusion of the matter the reason he no longer cares about my relationship with Jack?
Holding that thought, Roxanne felt slighted for some reason. Nevertheless, she kept her emotions to herself and expressed her gratitude flatly instead. “Thank you for sending me home, Mr. Farwell.”
Lucian nodded with a frown.
Just thinking about the image of her and Jack together angered him. However, when he saw her face, he couldn’t help but be reminded of the scene from the night before.
Overwhelmed by the clash of opposing emotions, Lucian couldn’t bring himself to question her any further.
All of a sudden, an inexplicable tension emerged between the two of them.
Upon collecting her thoughts, Roxanne gave him a distant smile. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way, then.”
With that, she walked past Lucian without giving him a chance to react.
Lucian’s eyes darkened, but he didn’t stop her. It wasn’t until her footsteps could barely be heard that he finally returned to his car.
On the way to the research institute, Roxanne felt unsettled as her mind kept dwelling upon her conversation with Lucian and his attitude toward her.
In the past, he would have stopped me and said something if I were to leave just like that. But this time, he didn’t. As for his attitude toward me and Jack, he doesn’t look like he cares anymore. In fact, he didn’t even bother questioning me any further. Also, while I spoke to him, he seemed to be in a hurry to leave as if he was trying to avoid me.
Roxanne felt the irony when she recalled Lucian’s declaration that he wanted to pursue her.
After all, she had been stuck in a dilemma for a long time and had even considered if she should accept him.
However, she now realized that she had been a fool to have taken him seriously.
In fact, she couldn’t help but laugh at herself for wondering whether Lucian had stayed back to take care of her the night before.
From the looks of his attitude earlier, how is it possible that he bothered to show me any concern?
The moment she arrived at the research institute, she received a call from Jack. She schooled her emotions and answered her phone. “Mr. Damaris, what can I do for you?”
Roxanne’s voice reminded him of the incident last night. “Nothing really. I just want to seek your opinion on something. Herbscape Group hopes you can take on the role of technical advisor for them. I think you’re up for it, but what are your thoughts?”
Roxanne was stunned by the proposal. It took her a few seconds to agree with a smile. “Since it’s something you and Herbscape Group want, I naturally won’t say no.”
Jack chuckled. “I’m glad to hear that.” After discussing some details, both of them ended the call. When Roxanne put her phone aside, an avalanche of emotions descended upon her again.
According to Jack, my assistance is crucial to the collaboration between Damaris Group and Herbscape Group. Now that I have agreed to take on the role of technical advisor, Lucian would probably be angry with me again when he found out about it.
Realizing what was going through her mind, Roxanne put an end to such thoughts and laughed self-deprecatingly at herself.
The matter has been settled, and the competition between Lucian and Jack has ended. Why would he continue to be involved with me?
Meanwhile, Lucian didn’t return to Farwell Group. Instead, he drove straight to Queen Group to see Jonathan, intending to discuss the matter related to Herbscape Group with him.
Jonathan stood up and greeted Lucian with a nod when he saw him making his entrance. “I heard that Herbscape Group has signed the contract with Damaris Group last night. Our plan to takeover Herbscape Group has failed.”
Lucian took a seat opposite him, looking solemn. “Other than Herbscape Group, do you have your eye on any other pharmaceutical companies?”
Since Jonathan’s expertise was in the medical industry, Lucian would usually seek out the former’s opinion on such matters.
After pondering upon the question, Jonathan gave a helpless shrug. “In Horington, there’s no other company I can think of other than Herbscape Group. That’s the only company that will bring us the biggest benefit with a takeover.”
As soon as he said that, both their expressions turned grim.
Jonathan’s conclusion was that they had no other choice other than Herbscape Group.
However, now that the company had signed a contract with Damaris Group, negotiating a takeover had become significantly more difficult.
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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