Chapter 435 – Her Sudden Departure: A Tale of Love and Redemption (Lucian & Roxanne)

When she met Estella’s innocent gaze, her heart softened. Nevertheless, she had to coax the girl. “Be a good girl, Essie. It’s very late, and Mr. Lawson came all the way here to pick you up. You’d better go back with him.”

Estella replied with a pitiful look, “But, we agreed that I’d go back if Daddy came over. If he doesn’t, I’ll stay with you.”

Roxanne was surprised by her response.

Indeed, Estella was Lucian’s daughter.

Although she did not speak for quite some time due to autism, it did not affect her eloquence after her condition had improved.

“Well, Daddy sent Mr. Lawson to pick you up.” An amused Roxanne squatted down to regard Estella.

Estella pursed her lips and insisted, “No, I want Daddy to pick me up!”

Then, she turned around to look at Cayden with a woeful expression.

A warm sensation enveloped Cayden’s heart after meeting Estella’s gaze. He could not bring himself to say no.

Then again, he dared not defy Lucian’s order.

For one moment, Cayden was caught in a fix. He could only cast a pleading look at Roxanne. “Um, Ms. Jarvis…”

Roxanne returned a comforting smile and eyed Estella with a firm expression. “Listen to Mr. Lawson, Essie. It’s late, and if you don’t go home, Daddy will be worried.”

In the past, Roxanne would probably have ignored Lucian and let Estella stay with her.

However, ever since that morning’s incident and Roxanne’s realization about her relationship with Lucian, she decided there was no point in doing so.

Thus, she had to send the little girl back.

Seeing how insistent Roxanne was, Estella lowered her gaze dejectedly.

Archie and Benny, who were watching from one side, suggested, “Mommy, we’ll talk to Essie.”

At once, Roxanne recalled how her sons had persuaded Estella. Relieved, she allowed them to do so.

The two boys led Estella to the living room.

Roxanne merely saw Archie and Benny speaking to the little girl in a mysterious manner, stealing glances at their mother in the process. Soon, Estella nodded firmly and headed to the doorway.

“Let’s go back, Mr. Lawson!” she said as she grabbed the hem of Cayden’s shirt.

It took a while for Cayden to react when he realized how quickly Estella had changed her mind. After a few seconds, he agreed, bid farewell to Roxanne, and left with Estella.

Once Cayden’s car had cruised away, Roxanne led Archie and Benny into the living room.

Recalling Cayden’s prior words, she squatted down to look at her two boys apologetically. “Have I spent too little time with you all this while?”

Ever since her involvement in the Damaris family’s project, Roxanne had spent most of her time on work.

Had Lucian and Cayden not brought this up to her, she would not have realized it.

Archie and Benny shook their heads when they noticed how guilty their mother felt. “Your work is more important, Mommy. We’re fine.”

Benny added, “We’ll take care of ourselves and you!”

Archie chimed in, “We understand you have to treat patients, and we hope you can save more lives.”

Moreover, they were already used to this sort of life, so it did not bother them.

However, something else was on their minds.

Both Archie and Benny thought of their little sister.

To Estella, Roxanne had indeed been busy to the point that she could hardly see her mother.

Roxanne was about to heave a sigh of relief when she noticed the glum expressions that were starting to form on the boys’ faces. So, she asked in a concerned manner, “What is it? Do you think I’ve been too busy?”

Following that, a crease appeared between Roxanne’s eyebrows, and she apologized, “At the moment, my work is really important. Once things are settled, I’ll definitely spend more time with you!”

Archie and Benny nodded obediently. “We understand! Still, can you bring Essie along, too?”

Upon hearing Estella’s name, Roxanne immediately thought of Lucian, and a hesitant expression slowly appeared on her face.

“Mommy, Essie misses you a lot, too,” the boys persuaded.

Estella’s pitiful expression came to Roxanne’s mind. Her heart softened, and she answered with a smile, “All right, I promise I’ll take all three of you out when the time comes.”

The boys cheered triumphantly.

Feeling curious, Roxanne asked, “What did you say to Essie earlier?”

Why did she give in so easily?

Archie and Benny glanced at each other and smiled enigmatically. “It’s a secret!”

Roxanne was taken aback by their answer.

Previously, things had turned out the same way. She had no idea what her boys had said to Estella.

The three children seemed to be hiding something from her.

When she realized this, Roxanne feigned a stern expression. “Tell me. Are you hiding something from me?”

The boys figured that Roxanne would not actually scold them. Instead of taking her seriously, they headed toward the staircase and giggled. “We’re so tired, Mommy. We’ll go to bed now! You ought to go to bed, too!”

Then, they ran upstairs without waiting for their mother’s response.

Roxanne felt amused yet helpless as she watched them.

These two little… They understand me completely, and they don’t even take me seriously!

Nonetheless, it was evident that the children were hiding something from her, and she did not know what it was.

Roxanne still believed that her children knew better than to do something bad. She only wanted to see whether she could help them.

Meanwhile, Archie and Benny ran into their room and heaved a sigh of relief.

Mommy has discovered that we’re plotting something!

Nevertheless, as long as they remained silent about it, Roxanne would be unable to guess what they were thinking about.

They would never tell their mother that Estella decided to head back so that she could assess Lucian’s attitude.

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