Upon hearing her father’s words, Estella pursed her lips tightly as she desperately held back her tears.
I can’t cry! If Daddy and Ms. Jarvis have fallen out with each other, I will definitely not be able to see her anymore. It’s up to me alone to help them reconcile.
In that instant, Estella remembered the boys’ advice to her—strive to grow stronger. Throughout the journey home, Estella did not shed a single tear.
When Lucian carried her out of the car upon their arrival, he was surprised by the look on her face. Despite looking as if she would burst into tears any second, she was tenaciously holding them back.
Lucian wondered what had caused such a big change in her. When he tried to hold her hand, expecting her to refuse, Estella obediently let him hold it.
Filled with complicated emotions, Lucian led Estella back into the mansion. The moment they entered, they saw Sonya, whose face was contorted, seated on the couch.
“If you had come back any later, I would’ve gone to pick Essie up myself!”
Sonya glared at her son before shifting her gaze toward Estella. “Essie, come here and give Grandma a hug.”
Even though Estella had changed a lot, the fear she had for Sonya didn’t diminish one bit.
Sonya’s words caused her to hide meekly behind Lucian.
Lucian called out to Catalina, “Take Essie upstairs.”
Catalina let out a quiet sigh of relief before leaning over to hold Estella’s hand.
Sympathizing with the pitiful look on Estella’s face, Catalina urged her in a gentle tone, “Let’s go, Ms. Estella.”
Estella grabbed Catalina’s hand without any hesitation and leaned against the latter for support as they headed upstairs together.
The sight of the two leaving silhouettes only served to intensify the scowl on Sonya’s face.
“For goodness’ sake, I’m Essie’s grandma. Why has it come to this? It’s one thing for her to be close to Roxanne; and now, she’s even closer to the help than me! Look at how Roxanne has brainwashed her!”
The expressionless Lucian sat down in the armchair beside her before pouring each of them a glass of water, while Sonya watched him with a sullen look on her face.
“Essie was raised by Catalina, so it’s normal for Essie to feel attached to her.” Lucian spoke in a grim voice after having a drink.
Sonya sneered, “What about Roxanne? Has she ever spent a second raising her?”
Lucian calmly locked gazes with his mother. “There’s no need to mention her anymore. Essie will not see her ever again.”
Sonya knitted her brows in disbelief. “What did you just say?”
Despite my repeated persuasion, I have failed to get them to stay away from Roxanne, so what’s going on now? Why is he saying that they won’t be seeing each other ever again out of nowhere?
Retracting his gaze, Lucian repeated in an indifferent tone, “I have made it clear to her that we have nothing to do with each other going forward. There will be no reason to see each other anymore.”
Only after Sonya heard her son’s firm answer did she breathe a sigh of relief.
“I told you from the very beginning to keep your distance from her. If only you had listened to me early on, Essie wouldn’t have turned out this way!”
Lucian’s brows furrowed. “Stop bringing her up already and don’t link her to Essie anymore!”
Sonya scrutinized him for a while, for she knew how enamored her son was with Roxanne. In fact, both of them had argued frequently over the latter.
Now that Lucian was speaking so coldly about Roxanne, Sonya couldn’t help but suspect that this was all just an act.
It wasn’t until it dawned on her he was telling the truth that a smile descended upon her face. “It’s still not too late to change your mind now.” Lucian simply threw her a glance without comment.
“Now that you have come to your senses, you might as well continue the engagement with Aubree since it has yet to be canceled. Just remember not to let her down again,” Sonya said patiently. “I don’t deny that she has made many mistakes in the past, but now that she’s sorry and has turned over a new leaf, you shouldn’t hold a grudge against her. She’s not someone bad at heart.”
Lucian frowned at Sonya’s attempt to help Aubree. “I promised Essie to only marry the person she likes.”
Surprisingly, Sonya was unfazed by the comment. “That’s easy. Just let Essie spend more time with Aubree. Aubree is fond of her. It’s just that you never allowed them the opportunity to interact with each other.”
Lucian still felt hesitant, for he hadn’t forgotten how Aubree had struck Estella the last time.
“I know that you’re still concerned about what Aubree did, but she did it for Essie’s own good. She regretted what she did after that and wanted to make it up to Essie, but she didn’t get the chance to do so. No matter what, Aubree has waited years for you, and her feelings for you are true. She will definitely not mistreat Essie out of respect for you.”
The words left Lucian no room to refute them. It was true that his engagement with Aubree had gone on for six years.
Regardless of how he tried to delay it, she had never once mentioned annulling the engagement.
As for her feelings, Lucian was well aware of them. He just wasn’t bothered about anyone else when he only had eyes for Roxanne.
Now that they no longer had a future together, he figured that it would be worth giving Aubree a shot.
With that thought in mind, Lucian nodded at his mother. “I know. I’ll give it some serious consideration.”
Sonya was about to continue convincing him when she was caught by surprise by how readily he acceded to her wishes.
It even took her a few seconds to regain her senses. “I’m glad you have seen the light.”
“But whether the engagement will turn into a wedding will still depend on Essie.”
Given that he had let her down once, there was no way he was going to marry a woman she disapproved of.
Sonya, despite his words, was just glad that Lucian no longer reacted stubbornly when it came to Roxanne.
She was also confident in Aubree.
“Fine. I believe Aubree will grow on Essie once both of them spend more time together.”
Lucian remained silent, while Sonya was already brimming with elation.
Her initial intention of coming over was to see whether Lucian had brought Estella back.
Little did she expect such a delightful turn of events.
“All right, I’m going off now. You should go talk to Essie.” Before Sonya left in satisfaction, she reminded him, “Now that you’ve made up your mind, remember to spend some time with Aubree and allow her to interact with Essie. Don’t repeat your past mistake of hurting her.”
Lucian nodded flatly in acknowledgment.
After escorting Sonya out, Lucian headed upstairs to check on Estella since she was obviously out of sorts upon returning home.
Catalina was by Estella’s side upstairs. At the sight of Lucian, she prudently came out of the bedroom. Standing by the bedroom door, Lucian asked in concern, “How’s Essie?”
Catalina replied in a low voice, “She’s been behaving. I’m not sure what’s going through her mind, but she didn’t cry or throw a tantrum.” Lucian nodded in acknowledgment before entering the bedroom.
It was just as Catalina had said. Estella looked distracted and didn’t even notice him coming in. Lucian walked up to her and gave her hair a gentle tousle. “What are you thinking about?”
Estella was racking her brains on how to placate her father so that he would continue pursuing Roxanne. Looking up frantically, she greeted him, “D-Daddy.”
Lucian sat down beside her. “Are you angry that I brought you home from Ms. Jarvis’?”
Estella nodded with her lips pursed. “Then why aren’t you crying?” Lucian arched a brow. “Because—”
She was just about to speak when she realized that her plan would fail if she were to share it with Lucian. In fact, he might even stop her from keeping in touch with the brothers.
Estella quickly covered her mouth with her hands, refusing to say another word. “You can’t tell me?” A hint of suspicion flashed across Lucian’s eyes.
Hands over her mouth, Estella nodded vigorously. Lucian didn’t pursue the matter. Instead, he inquired about her relationship with Sonya.
“Anyway, why are you mad at Grandma?” It was then that Estella finally removed her hands.
I have not told him about how Grandma threatened me. On top of that, I’m angry at Grandma for stopping me from spending time together with Ms. Jarvis and the brothers. Let’s not forget that she also objected to Daddy and Ms. Jarvis being together.
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.