However, to her surprise, Estella had learned how to bake quite decently in just a few days. Early in the morning, when the weekend approached, Estella waited for Lucian at his bedroom door.
“Daddy!” Lucian had just opened the door when he heard Estella’s cute voice. When he looked at Estella, he noticed that excitement was written all over her face.
“What is it?” asked Lucian. The little girl tugged at his sleeve as she said, “Let’s go see Ms. Jarvis! I have not thanked her yet!”
At the mention of Roxanne, Lucian knitted his brows. Since his chat with Jonathan about her, he had yet to pay Roxanne a visit. He had also not thought of any romantic gestures.
Knowing that Estella wanted to see Roxanne, Lucian was put in a difficult position. Estella continued to tug at his sleeve expectantly, signalling that she wanted him to follow her downstairs.
Estella was so weak that she huffed and puffed with all her might. Even her face had turned red from the exertion. Lucian frowned helplessly and helped Estella support herself by holding her arm. Then, at Estella’s pace, the pair walked down the stairs.
However, when they got to the bottom, Estella’s feet showed no signs of stopping. Instead, she pulled him toward the door.
It seemed that if Lucian did not agree to take her to see Roxanne, she was not going to give up.
Lucian was rendered with no other option. All he could do was comply with her wishes, and the pair soon drove toward Roxanne’s house in his car.
Throughout the journey, Estella did not stop chattering about what she wanted to do when she saw Roxanne.
Lucian did not really pay attention to her. His mind was occupied by thoughts of how he was going to face Roxanne.
They had met and parted under unpleasant circumstances, and some time had passed since they had seen each other. He did not know if her anger had abated yet.
After half an hour, Lucian slowly pulled into Roxanne’s driveway.
Lucian got out of the car and carried Estella down. Without waiting for him, Estella rushed toward Roxanne’s door.
The little girl pushed the doorbell enthusiastically and knocked on the door, hoping that the inhabitants inside could hear her.
At that moment, Roxanne and her sons were having breakfast.
They heard sounds coming from the door, but it was so gentle and soft that they thought it was merely an illusion.
Soon after, the doorbell rang.
Roxanne frowned slightly before getting up to open the door.
“Ms. Jarvis!”
Estella’s cute voice rang out from below her as soon as she opened the door.
Roxanne smiled at the little girl and patted her head. Then she turned to look at the man next to her with mixed feelings.
Immediately, the air was heavy with silence and awkwardness.
“Essie wanted to see you, so I brought her over.” Lucian was the first to break the silence.
Roxanne came back to her senses. She forced a smile, nodded, and said, “Please, come inside.”
Roxanne stood at the doorway after the two guests entered the house, but a look of self-mockery flashed across her face. They had not seen each other for a week, so she should have already known what was on the man’s mind.
When she saw him just now, she unexpectedly had an illusion that the man was using Estella as an excuse to pay her a visit. She had nearly forgotten that whatever was between them had ended after Lucian’s competition with Jack.
Presumably, they were here today because Lucian was pestered by Estella into coming, and therefore had no choice but to agree.
Realizing that she got lost in her thoughts, Roxanne forced herself to focus and closed the door before entering the house.
In the dining room, Archie and Benny noticed that Lucian and Estella have arrived. Their little faces were filled with excitement as they asked out of concern, “Have you eaten yet, Essie?”
Estella merely shook her head.
I’m eager to come here and see Ms. Jarvis. How would I have time to eat? Even Daddy hasn’t eaten yet!
Seeing Estella shaking her head, the boys chorused, “Then join us!”
After saying this, the boys looked expectantly at Roxanne.
Meeting the gazes of the children, Roxanne gave them a smile and turned to look at Lucian. “I assume you’ve not eaten yet, Mr. Farwell. Why don’t you sit down and grab yourself a bite to eat?”
Since their ambiguous relationship had ended, Roxanne could finally treat Lucian like her friend without having any qualms.
A strange feeling rose in Lucian’s heart when he noticed that Roxanne had taken the initiative to invite him to partake in their meal. He tried to perceive what was on her mind through her expression, but she had already entered the kitchen.
Shortly after, Roxanne returned with extra placemats and cutlery to set the table for her two additional guests. With concern, she looked at Estella and asked, “Did you come here to play with the boys, Essie?”
The little girl shook her head without hesitation and looked earnestly at Roxanne. “I’m here to thank you, Ms. Jarvis.”
Upon hearing this, Roxanne was puzzled. She subconsciously raised her eyes to look at the man before her, wondering if he knew anything about this.
She had just raised her head to look when her gaze met Lucian’s dark eyes.
It was as if he had been staring at her this whole time.
Roxanne was momentarily stunned. She clenched her fists, forcing herself to stop overthinking. Trying hard to remain composed, she looked at Estella and asked, “Is that so? What do you have to thank me for?”
“I want to thank you for treating me and Daddy’s illnesses!” came Estella’s adorable reply. “I spent ages learning how to bake a cake. I want to make one for you, Ms. Jarvis.”
As soon as Estella spoke, she looked at her father innocently and said, “Daddy can prove that I worked very hard! Didn’t I, Daddy?”
Though Estella said she wanted to express her gratitude, she had, actually, been plotting to find ways to bring Roxanne and Lucian closer together, creating more opportunities for them to be in each other’s presence.
I can’t believe Daddy doesn’t grab this golden opportunity! I guess I’ll just have to help him.
Lucian noticed that Estella had directed the conversation at him and soon understood her intentions. He nodded in cooperation. “She pestered Catalina to teach her for a whole week. Catalina said that she learned how to do it pretty well.”
Roxanne nodded awkwardly when she heard him speak, but her expression remained cheery as she turned to look at Estella. “You know how to bake? How clever!”
Archie and Benny had also caught on to the meaning behind Estella’s prompting. Excitedly, they said, “We want to learn as well! Teach us, Essie!”
Estella nodded obediently.
In a split second, the boys immediately changed their tone of voice while looking at Lucian and Roxanne with pitiful eyes. “However, we’re scared of ruining Essie’s hard work. Can you help us out, Mommy and Mr. Farwell?”
After hearing what the kids had to say, Roxanne could not help but hesitate. Baking with the children meant that she could not avoid interacting with Lucian. But…
Roxanne looked at Lucian, who was seated across from her at the table. His expression seemed to be quite indifferent as if he did not really mind.
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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