On the contrary, Roxanne shuddered.
So, based on what Jack has told me, what Lucian did has something to do with me? However…
Just when Roxanne was still trying to convince herself that it was not because of her, Jack’s voice sounded beside her ears again.
He said, “It’s true that, of late, we’ve become closer due to work. As such, I can’t blame Mr. Farwell if he misunderstands our relationship.”
Jack feigned a calm grin. “Nonetheless, I now hold a grudge against Mr. Farwell as a result of this issue.”
After a while, Roxanne finally snapped back to her senses and forced a wan smile. “You must be mistaken, Mr. Damaris. My relationship with Mr. Farwell isn’t what you think…”
She wanted to explain when she got interrupted by a strange, meaningful gleam in Jack’s eyes.
“Perhaps, you’re the only one who thinks that way,” he said.
Roxanne was stunned.
For one moment, she was almost convinced by Jack’s gaze and tone.
Does the incident at Herbscape Group really have something to do with me?
“Mommy!” While Roxanne was still doubting herself, Archie and Benny’s sweet voices could be heard.
The boys had been waiting in the dining room for quite some time. When Roxanne did not return, they thought Lucian had arrived with Estella, so they ran outside excitedly.
However, when they saw the man on the couch, the boys instantly became wary of him. Although Archie and Benny had only met Jack once, they had a lasting impression of that man.
They were already worried that Jack would steal their mother away from their father. Furthermore, they knew their parents had a fight yesterday because of Jack.
Since Jack had dropped by early in the morning to look for Roxanne, Archie and Benny couldn’t help having their guard up.
“Hello.” Jack smiled at the boys and stood up. “I didn’t prepare a gift for you when we met the last time. Hence, to be on the safe side, I stored a gift in my car so that I can hand it to you when I see you. Hang on, I’ll get it.”
Then, Jack left the mansion to get the gift.
Once he was out, Archie and Benny huddled up to their mother and asked, “Mommy, why did Mr. Damaris drop by today?”
Roxanne pushed her frustrations away and tried her best to force a smile at her children. “Nothing, it’s just because of work. Don’t worry.”
Work again.
Archie and Benny glanced at each other. Yesterday, Jack had also summoned Roxanne away using work as an excuse. As a result, Lucian and Roxanne argued over this matter.
“Well, are you going to work today, Mommy?” The boys displayed pitiful expressions on purpose and murmured, “You promised you’d take us out today!”
Ever since her return, Roxanne would take her children outside almost every weekend to relax.
Yesterday, she had been summoned by Jack to give a tour of the research institute. As such, she had to reschedule her plans with her children for this day.
A major incident had erupted at Herbscape Group the day before, and Roxanne was worried about it. Still, she did not want to disappoint her children and decided to go out with them as planned.
However, she did not expect Jack to visit her early in the morning.
At that point, she was not sure of the day’s plans.
Archie and Benny lowered their heads woefully when they did not receive a response from their mother.
Seeing their looks of disappointment, Roxanne caressed their heads apologetically. “I’m sorry. If there isn’t anything important, Mommy will try not to leave the house. Even if I do, I’ll be back soon. All right?”
The boys were still a bit reluctant about it.
They refused to let their mother spend another minute with Jack, let alone have her go out with him.
Roxanne was oblivious to her sons’ thoughts. She merely assumed they were upset because she could not spend time with them, so she tried her best to console them.
While she was comforting her children, Jack entered the mansion with a gift in his hands.
“I learned from your mother that you like Lego, so I bought this for you. I hope you like it,” he announced.
Although Archie and Benny disliked Jack, they had good manners.
They turned around upon hearing Jack’s voice and accepted the gift. Instead of telling him whether they liked it, they just replied courteously, “Thank you, Mr. Damaris.”
Jack didn’t mind. Instead, he flashed a meaningful grin. “Don’t thank me first. I’m giving you these presents because I have a favor to ask.”
Hearing that, the kids immediately put up their guard. Roxanne was similarly baffled. This is only his second time meeting the children. What favor does he have to ask from them?
Just as she was wondering, she noticed Jack looking at her, causing her to be startled. The next second, he looked at the kids again and said, “I need to borrow your mommy for a while. Is that all right?”
The kids exchanged glances, having already expected that to happen. We knew it. He’s here to take Mommy away again. If Daddy knows about this, I wonder how long Mommy and Daddy’s next fight will last before they reconcile.
At that thought, the kids shook their heads without hesitation and uttered matter-of-factly, “Mommy promised to bring us out to have fun today. Adults shouldn’t lie to children!”
Hearing that, Jack shot Roxanne a surprised look.
Roxanne was instantly caught in a tight spot.
She fathomed Jack must be there to take her away because of work-related matters. The only thing she didn’t know was the severity of the issue.
Jack explained solemnly, “I’ve tried my best to acquire more time from Mr. Lacroix. Herbscape Group will be sealed for investigation at ten o’clock in the morning. Before that happens, we can still enter the premises to bring out whatever material we need to facilitate and ease our subsequent research. This is also why I came here so early this morning.”
Roxanne tensed up after listening to his elaboration. I didn’t notice anything unusual about his behavior or ask him any questions about his arrival. Since we’re so short on time, why did he waste so much time telling me all those things earlier?
Sensing the urgency of the circumstances, Roxanne immediately persuaded her children, “Darlings, I must leave now. You two stay at home obediently and wait for me to come home. I’ll definitely bring you out to play, okay?”
Archie and Benny were reluctant to let Roxanne leave. Still, because it was a work-related problem, they couldn’t come up with an excuse to refuse her.
After saying that to her kids, Roxanne got up to leave.
The boys grew more anxious as they could tell Roxanne was about to leave the house.
Benny hastily tugged at Archie’s sleeves, hinting at the latter to think of a solution.
Although they were equally smart, Archie was better at keeping his composure most of the time.
Archie frowned and cautiously stole a glance at Jack and Roxanne after receiving Benny’s signal. When he saw that the adults weren’t paying attention to them, he swiftly gestured at Benny with a significant look and mouthed at his brother to pretend to be sick.
Archie was confident that Roxanne would prioritize their health over her work.
The boys shared a tacit understanding. Benny swiftly grasped his brother’s intention and crouched on the floor, grimacing and clutching his stomach.
Archie glanced at Roxanne, who had reached the door, before turning to look at Benny and exclaiming, “What’s wrong with you, Benny?”
Hearing his voice, Roxanne stopped in her tracks and turned around.
Her heart lurched when she saw Benny crouching on the floor and hugging his stomach. She strode up to him at once. “What’s the matter? Are you feeling unwell?”
Benny sniffled and gazed at her pitifully. “Mommy, my stomach is hurting so badly.”
Roxanne knitted her brows and stared at Benny confusedly for some time. He was fine just now. Why is his stomach hurting all of a sudden? He seems to be in a lot of pain.
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.