At the sight of Lucian holding Estella, Catalina heaved a sigh of relief. Although Estella was only a few steps away from the floor, she was small and fragile. It would be dangerous if she were to fall.
Estella had been in a hurry to chase Lucian that she did not watch her steps. The moment she missed her footing, she was so terrified that she couldn’t make a sound at all.
Although Lucian had caught her in time, she only felt more and more aggrieved. Why didn’t Daddy wait for me?
At that thought, Estella looked up at Lucian with a pout and grumbled, “I couldn’t keep up with you because you were walking too fast.”
Lucian furrowed his brows. He knew that Estella was blaming him for her almost accident. Meeting her eyes, he said helplessly, “Essie, I told you that I’m really busy these days.”
I never knew she was such a stubborn little girl. She’s doing this because she wants to speak up for Roxanne.
Estella looked even more upset when she heard Lucian.
I almost tripped, but it seems that Daddy doesn’t plan to listen to what I have to say. If this drags on, when will Daddy and Ms. Jarvis be together?
Faced with Estella’s pitiful countenance, Lucian sighed inwardly.
He just couldn’t help but give in to her.
“Okay, I’ll listen to you, but we only have three minutes. I have to leave after three minutes.”
Immediately, Estella’s eyes lit up. She bobbed her head obediently and asked, “Were you angry at Ms. Jarvis last night?”
Lucian nodded.
His fury was written all over his face the night before. Even if he denied it, Estella probably wouldn’t believe him.
Puffing her cheeks, Estella said adorably, “Daddy, can you forgive Ms. Jarvis? She already apologized to me last night!”
Lucian raised his brow at that.
What kind of logic is that? Why do I have to forgive Roxanne just because she apologized to Essie?
Indeed, Lucian was mad because of how Roxanne treated Estella. However, her attitude toward him was also one of the reasons for his anger.
Estella refused to give up. She continued seriously, “Ms. Jarvis already knows that she was wrong. If you still don’t forgive her, I will be sad!”
Left with no choice, Lucian scrunched his eyebrows and said, “All right, I’ll forgive her.”
He figured Estella wouldn’t let him go if he didn’t give in that day.
Even after hearing his words, Estella stared at him doubtfully for a while.
Lucian did not give her time to speak. He put her down on the floor and said, “Time’s up. I have to go to work now. Stay at home and be good.”
Noticing that he was just trying to get this over with, Estella felt a bit agitated.
She wanted to stop him, but Lucian stroked her head and turned around right away. Before leaving, he did not forget to remind Catalina to take good care of Estella.
Due to the sudden scandal about Herbscape Group, Jack had spent the whole night thinking. In the end, he decided that since he had sacrificed so much, he had to drag Lucian down with him.
Early the next morning, Jack drove to Roxanne’s house. Roxanne was eating breakfast with Archie and Benny when the doorbell rang. She couldn’t help but wonder who it was.
When she saw the person standing at the door, she was surprised. “Mr. Damaris, what brings you here so early in the morning? Did anything happen to Herbscape Group again?”
As she spoke, she looked at Jack in confusion and stepped aside to let him in.
Jack nodded firmly, looking solemn. “I spent a lot of money yesterday and helped stabilize their stock prices, but this morning, Herbscape Group was ordered to stop its operation. All of its projects and activities will have to be postponed from now on.”
This meant that if they carried on with their project, Herbscape Group would likely be unable to supply them with medicines on time.
As a result, the money Jack spent would also go to waste.
When Roxanne realized that, she said worriedly, “Then our project…”
“It will also have to be postponed.” Jack rubbed his temples and casually mentioned, “I wonder who Herbscape Group offended.”
Upon hearing that, Roxanne thought of her speculation the day before. Guilt filled her as she took in Jack’s distressed appearance.
In an attempt to change the topic, she cleared her throat and said, “Does this mean Damaris Group’s efforts all this time will be in vain? It must be a huge loss.”
Jack’s frown deepened as he remarked, “The money I spent yesterday alone was a huge figure. I originally planned to temporarily stabilize Herbscape Group’s situation with that money, but I didn’t expect the officials to act so quickly.”
“If there’s nothing serious, Herbscape Group will probably be able to resume its operations after the investigation today, right? It’s just that it will need some time to repair its reputation,” Roxanne commented, looking uneasy.
The next second, she heard Jack chuckle helplessly. “It’s not that easy.”
Roxanne knitted her brows in puzzlement and looked at him.
Jack shrugged. “Seeing how the person behind this can ruin Herbscape Group’s reputation in one day and how the officials treat this matter so seriously, I believe that person must have a powerful background. If that person doesn’t want to go easy on Herbscape Group, then nothing good will come out of the investigation today.”
In short, Herbscape Group had no control over its fate. It was at the mercy of that person behind the scene.
Even if Herbscape Group were really innocent, it would be found guilty if that person said so.
Roxanne had considered the possibility of Lucian being the person behind the scene, but she had never thought so deeply about the matter.
With Jack’s reminder, Roxanne started to doubt the news and the evidence in the reports she had seen the day before.
Did Herbscape Group really do those things, or is that what Lucian wants to make them out to be? What is Lucian trying to achieve by doing this?
Roxanne and Jack talked while walking into the living room, then sat down on the couch.
Roxanne’s mind was filled her speculations about Lucian that she was in a daze for some time. When she finally came back to her senses, she stood up apologetically and hurriedly prepared a cup of coffee for Jack.
Jack accepted the cup of coffee from Roxanne and said politely, “Thanks.” Roxanne sat down beside him on the couch and stared at him solemnly. “What should I do now?”
A major incident had erupted at Herbscape Group. Yet, Jack dropped by early in the morning to look for her. It meant that he needed her help. However, Jack responded with another question, “Do you have a suspect in mind?”
Roxanne was stunned by his question. In fact, she had a suspect in mind, but she did not know how to approach the subject.
Subconsciously, she refused to believe that Lucian would do such a thing.
“Mr. Lacroix of Herbscape Group told me that he suspects Farwell Group is behind the incident.” Jack fabricated Dean’s words expressionlessly. “It’s because Herbscape Group broke off the contract at the last minute, and as such, Farwell Group decided to take revenge on them.”
Roxanne frowned and kept quiet. Dean’s suspicions were the same as hers. Jack glanced at her and continued, “In my opinion, that might not be the case.”
Roxanne was confused by his words. She thought Jack meant that Lucian might not be the mastermind. “Mr. Damaris, you think…” Before she could finish, she noticed Jack staring at her with an inscrutable expression on his face.
When she met his gaze, Roxanne fell silent, and her heart sank. Jack spoke slowly. “I’m more inclined to think Mr. Farwell took action against Herbscape Group because of me.”
Roxanne was astonished. After a moment’s silence, she asked, “Why do you say so? Is it because Damaris Group snatched Herbscape Group away from him previously?”
Jack noticed the shift in Roxanne’s expression and smiled wryly. “Ms. Jarvis, are you still going to play dumb with me after all we’ve been through?”
Getting stared at by Jack made Roxanne feel guilty, but she did not know what he was getting at. Moreover, she had no idea how to answer him, so she merely gazed at him blankly.
“I bet a smart person could tell how much Mr. Farwell cares about you.” Jack smiled bitterly and shook his head. “Earlier, I also assumed that my dispute with Mr. Farwell was only business-related. However, after thinking about it last night, I thought of you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Jack looked away mysteriously and took a sip of his coffee.
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.