Chapter 675 – Her Sudden Departure: A Tale of Love and Redemption (Lucian & Roxanne)

The mechanic sounded uncertain after he heard Lucian’s question. “I understand that you’re in a hurry, and we’re doing everything we can. Your speedometer needs to be replaced, but unfortunately, we don’t have the same model in our workshop. But we’ve already placed an order for it, and it should be delivered soon.”

Lucian’s brows scrunched up. “How much longer will it take?” The mechanic answered, “At least half an hour. I’m already urging them, so please give us more time.”

At that, Lucian shot Roxanne a helpless look. He had put his phone on speaker, but the volume wasn’t too loud. They were the only ones who could hear the mechanic’s answer.

Roxanne grew increasingly anxious when she learned it would take at least thirty minutes. As Lucian seemed displeased, she decided to appease him first. “Safety comes first. Let’s wait a bit more!”

Lucian gave a curt nod and hung up. Right then, Jonathan’s text arrived. Jonathan: How’s the town? Not bad, right? I asked many people before discovering its existence!

Lucian glanced at it and quickly locked his phone. On the other side, Jonathan was confused as he didn’t receive any reply from his friend. I went through a lot of effort to find a scenic town that happened to be beside the highway. Don’t tell me Lucian didn’t go there.

“Let’s go for a walk outside,” Lucian suggested after pocketing his phone. Roxanne assumed he didn’t like the interior of the pasta restaurant. She didn’t ponder over his request and nodded obligingly. After they paid for their meal, Lucian got up and took Roxanne’s suitcase. They then walked out of the restaurant.

As they strolled along the street, surrounded by the mountains, Roxanne and Lucian felt the temperature was just right despite it being past noon. Although the sun should be shining brightly, the foliage provided ample shade to keep the heat at bay.

Roxanne might be in a hurry to head to Jadeborough, but she couldn’t help but relax in such an environment. “Do you like it here?” Lucian’s expression softened when her discovered that she seemed relaxed.

Roxanne’s lips curled as she nodded. “When I first went overseas, I had the privilege of accompanying Professor Lambert on a number of excursions to the mountains, where we would search for herbs. Later, I had to stay in the lab. I do miss the feeling of being out in the wilderness but never had the chance to do so again.”

Lucian’s eyes dimmed as conflicted feelings rose in his heart. He believed that Roxanne had experienced a great deal of hardship, but it appeared that she had actually been quite content.

“Don’t you find this place beautiful?” Roxanne stared at him, her eyes sparkling under the sunlight. Lucian was momentarily dazed. He quickly regained his composure and gave a brief nod. Indeed, this town was scenic.

Nevertheless, the most important thing was that she loved it. They strolled ahead for some time until Roxanne realized it was pretty late. Concerned, she demanded to know the progress of the repair.

“Is the car done yet? If it’s still getting repaired, I’m afraid we’ll have to spend the night here. There is no hotel in this town.” Lucian fished his phone out to call the workshop.

The person on the other end of the line sounded particularly helpless and distressed. “I’m sorry to say that something came up while they were delivering the part. I’ve already urged Before he could finish, Lucian cut in unhappily, “I don’t want to hear any excuses. Just tell me when it can be done.”

“I’m afraid it won’t be done by today.” The mechanic sounded increasingly guilty. Lucian’s brows drew together deeply.

Realizing he was about to lash out at the mechanic, Roxanne gave his sleeve a careful tug. “Forget it. Let’s get someone to fetch us.” She meant to call Jack to send someone here to give them a ride.

Lucian understood her meaning. His eyebrows furrowed once again as he ended the call. Roxanne pulled out her phone to contact Jack. “I’ll ask Cayden to come here. He can drive the car back when it’s done,” Lucian said to her quickly before she could make the call.

Roxanne paused for a few moments as she thought about his proposal. After weighing up the fact that the two cities were relatively close in proximity, she eventually decided to agree to his suggestion.

Only then did Lucian call Cayden to come pick them up. Cayden agreed without hesitation.

It would take some time before Cayden arrived. Lucian seemed to be in a foul mood, so Roxanne said to him gently, “The villagers told me there is a beautiful lake right ahead. Let’s head there to take a look!”

Lucian relaxed slightly and took her hand, and they strolled to the lake. Meanwhile, the mechanics in the workshop were confused. “Didn’t he ask us to take our time? Why did he get mad at us?”

One mechanic seemed accustomed to such antics as he explained, “He is obviously courting that lady. That was just an act!” Comprehension dawned on everyone.

“If you enjoy it here, then we can go traveling often in the future,” Lucian said when they were on the way to the lake. “The past few years have been incredibly hectic, so I’m looking forward to taking some time off to relax during my vacations.”

He was holding Roxanne’s hand. She stared at his side profile and felt a bitter feeling spreading across her heart. For the past six years, they had been out of touch and unaware of each other’s current status.

Roxanne led a hectic but fulfilling life. On the contrary, Lucian didn’t seem to be doing well. “We can bring the kids here one day. I don’t think they have been in the mountains before.”

Lucian stopped in his tracks and turned over his shoulder to look at her. They had arrived at the lake.

Perhaps they were in the mountains, for the lake water was crystal clear. The branches of the drooping willows by the lake were swaying lightly in the breeze. Roxanne glanced at him and said distractedly. “I believe Archie and Benny want to travel, too.

I’ve been busy with work and never got the chance to travel with them. Essie…” She didn’t know much about Estella but could roughly guess the little girl’s situation. “Essie used to be afraid of strangers, so I don’t think she has gotten out much, right? Now that she’s doing better, we can go travel.”

She sounded natural as though she had been thinking about this for a long time. Lucian tightened his grip on her hand, surprised. He was saying that on the condition that Roxanne agreed to be with him.

Never in his wildest dreams did he expect Roxanne to continue the conversation readily. Does she feel the same way as I do?

Roxanne’s heart skipped a beat when she met his gaze. She didn’t continue and merely gave him a bright smile as an answer. They remained by the lake until sunset. Before Cayden arrived, Roxanne received a call from Jack. “How’s the situation? Has your car been repaired?”

“No. I’m afraid I can’t make it there today. I’m sorry about that. Has the medical consultation ended? What about the elderly people’s condition?”

Jack chuckled bitterly. “The medical consultation has ended. Everyone is exhausted. All these elderly patients have been suffering from old and stubborn diseases that are hard to cure completely. All we can do is help them recuperate slowly and patiently.”

Roxanne frowned as an apologetic look appeared in her eyes. “You must’ve worked hard today. I’ll make sure to arrive on time tomorrow to meet up with you.”

Jack reassured her, “Don’t worry. We have plenty of doctors here to take care of any medical needs. Be careful and let me know if you need any help.”

Roxanne thanked him gratefully. They chatted briefly about the elderly people’s medical condition before hanging up. Taking in Roxanne’s downcast expression, Lucian pulled her into his arms.

“It’s not your fault that they got sick, so don’t beat yourself up over it. If you’re looking for someone to put the blame on, then I’m the one to blame. I should have driven more carefully. so you could have made it in time.”

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