Roxanne lowered her eyes.
Estella rubbed her tummy and whined, “I’m hungry.”
Roxanne smiled apologetically at Estella before turning her attention back to Jack. “Sorry, I woke up a little late today. I haven’t prepared their breakfasts. Please, come in and sit with us.”
“Sure.”
Roxanne released a sigh of relief in her heart as she stepped into the kitchen alone. Thank goodness Essie came to my rescue. I hope Jack won’t think I was being impertinent for not directly accepting his flowers.
Inside the living room, when Jack sat on the couch, he placed the flowers in his hand next to him. The children looked at him from a distance.
Upon sensing their gaze, Jack lifted his eyebrow and faced the boys. “Do you two like the presents I gifted you?” The boys exchanged a glance.
They didn’t open Jack’s gifts because they saw him as a potential love rival to Lucian. Despite their animosity toward him, they felt compelled to answer his question amiably.
Archie smiled at him. “It’s really fun. Thank you, Mr. Damaris.” Hearing that, Estella snorted imperceptibly.
While it was the first time she had met Jack, the alarm bells in her mind hadn’t stopped ringing since he first appeared. This guy is doing the same thing Daddy did when he was courting Ms. Jarvis. He visited Ms. Jarvis early in the morning because he was supposedly concerned about her health. Then, he openly gifted her flowers! He must be pursuing Ms. Jarvis!
She was enraged as she thought about how proactive Jack was and how her father was still angry at Roxanne. Archie and Benny could tell she was furious and why.
“Mr. Damaris, I once saw on the television that flowers are only given to people you like. So why did you buy Mommy flowers?” Benny started.
Jack was stunned for a moment. “Friends can give each other flowers too.”
Benny ignored his response and continued, “If you like Mommy, I suggest you give up because she already has someone in her heart!”
Surprise flashed past the man’s eyes as he stared at the boy with intrigue. “Oh?”
Benny met Jack’s eyes assertively and proclaimed, “Mommy likes Daddy!”
Roxanne’s expression changed when she stepped out of the kitchen and heard that. “What are you talking about, Benny?”
The boy pouted and said seriously, “Isn’t that true? If you don’t like Daddy, then how are we born?”
While the boys did not know who their father was, Roxanne did.
Then, as she related Benny’s words to what Estella said last night, she felt a peculiar sensation swelling in her.
As she didn’t feel it was appropriate for her to refute Benny’s words, she mentioned breakfast instead. “All right, that’s enough. Essie’s hungry. Let’s eat first.”
Only then did the children cave in and line up next to the dining table, waiting to be seated.
Roxanne turned to Jack and offered politely, “Have you eaten, Mr. Damaris? Join us if you haven’t.”
The moment the children heard Roxanne’s invitation, they halted their movements and looked at the man on the couch.
Jack pursed his lips upon spotting the children’s look. “No, thanks. I already ate before I came.”
It was only then the children returned to whatever they were doing.
Roxanne nodded at him and enjoyed breakfast with the children.
However, because of Jack’s presence, the children ate inattentively.
After breakfast, Roxanne was afraid the children would say anything inappropriate, so she asked them to play outside. Jack was still waiting in the living room. She cleaned up the dining room, then sat next to him.
“The mother of Mr. Farwell’s daughter has always been mysterious.” Jack’s voice rang out abruptly. Roxanne was stunned. She did not understand why he suddenly brought that topic up.
Studying her expression, he resumed, “If not for the fact that you already have two children, I would think you’re the mother of his daughter.” “That’s impossible. Don’t say nonsense like that, Mr. Damaris,” Roxanne quickly denied.
“You two resemble each other. Or maybe I’m just overthinking it. Good-looking people tend to have similar features, after all.” Jack smiled, his words seemingly ambiguous and implying something.
Furrowing her eyebrows slightly, Roxanne kept her composure and changed the topic. “How did the medical consultation go yesterday, by the way?”
Jack sensed her anxiety and gazed at her meaningfully for a few seconds, making her feel uneasy. Fortunately for her, he went along with her wishes and changed the topic.
The children were feeling a little unhappy as they gathered in front of the mansion entrance. Estella knitted her eyebrows as she stared at the boys. “Does Mr. Damaris have a good relationship with Ms. Jarvis?”
The boys exchanged a glance, uncertain of what to say. They didn’t want to tell her Jack was Lucian’s potential love rival and had a good relationship with Roxanne, as they were uncertain how that knowledge would affect her unstable mood.
“Mommy said they’re colleagues. She’s been fairly busy with work lately, so they’ve been interacting with each other more frequently,” Archie said.
Estella pursed her lips and stared at the entrance, skeptical of Archie’s words. Why would he, a mere coworker, send Ms. Jarvis flowers? Daddy has many colleagues, yet he never gave any of them flowers! I wonder what Ms. Jarvis is talking about with Mr. Damaris inside. Also, why did she chase us out?
The more she thought about it, the more worried she was. The boys’ hearts sank when they sensed Estella’s foul mood.
The three children gazed at the entrance with great bitterness and deep hatred, wishing they could run straight to Roxanne’s side and monitor her interaction with Jack.
After a while, the boys made a decision and said, “How about we go in right now?” However, when they turned around, they realized Estella was gone.
“Essie?” Archie and Benny combed the courtyard to look for her. Estella was squatting next to Jack’s car, doing something. The moment she heard their voices, she wrapped up her task, concealed her tools, and hid behind Jack’s car.
As Archie moved closer, she abruptly ran out from behind the car. “Why are you here, Essie?” Archie’s eyes lit up. Estella lowered her head guiltily and muttered, “I… I just want to play hide and seek.”
Archie took in the girl’s expression. While he found her demeanor odd, he didn’t give it too much thought. “If you want to play hide and seek, we can play with you. But you must inform us beforehand if you’re going somewhere next time.”
Estella nodded obediently.
After Archie found Estella, he summoned Benny. “Let’s head inside and listen to what Mommy is talking about with Mr. Damaris.” Upon hearing that suggestion, the other two agreed.
They opened the door carefully and saw Roxanne sitting on the single-seat couch and chatting with Jack. Both adults had a smile on their faces.
The alarm bells in the children’s minds rang loudly the instant they noticed the faint smile on Roxanne’s face. Estella acted against her usual behavior and sprinted straight to Roxanne’s side.
“Essie?” It was only then Roxanne noticed the children had returned. Jack gave Roxanne and Estella the once-over and said half-intentionally, “I can see the resemblance even clearer like this.”
That sent Roxanne into a panic. Innocently, Estella asked Roxanne, “What resemblance, Ms. Jarvis?”
Roxanne patted her head, shot a look at Jack, and said, “It’s nothing. It’s just a random comment from Mr. Damaris.” Then she stood up and faced Jack. “Is there anything else, Mr. Damaris?”
Of course, as a veteran in the business industry, he could tell she was hinting for him to leave. He smiled at the kids and said, “It’s almost noon. Even though I’ve known the boys for a long while now, I still haven’t had the chance to treat them to a meal. How about we all have lunch together today?” Then he looked at Estella meaningfully. “It just so happens that Mr. Farwell’s daughter is here, so consider this my invitation to him for a meal.”
Roxanne felt uncomfortable upon hearing that. Is he implying something? Also, his pretext for inviting the children to lunch is so strange.
At that thought, she was ready to reject the offer on the children’s behalf.
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.