Catalina glanced at the children on the couch, taking in their wide, expectant eyes. She recalled the past two days’ events and replied, “No. Mr. Archie, Mr. Benny, and Ms. Estella were all very well-behaved.” Then, remembering something, she added, “I believe Mr. Archie and Mr. Benny had a phone conversation with their friend overseas, but I’m not sure what they discussed.”
Lucian pondered over her words for a few moments and confirmed the kids didn’t suspect anything. “All right. Please do your best to look after them. Thank you for your dedication.” “Of course. You and Mrs. Farwell take care, too.”
After the call ended, Lucian gazed at Roxanne and reached out to caress her pale cheek. “Did you hear that, Roxanne? The kids are waiting for you to go home. You’ll wake up soon, right?”
Roxanne remained motionless, her breathing so light and shallow that it was almost imperceptible. Lucian’s fists balled up as he seemed to be struggling to make up his mind.
Madilyn stepped into the ward, her eyes swollen and red from the tears she had shed. Her voice was still unsteady as she asked, “Do the kids know?”
Lucian shook his head. “No. I’ve asked Catalina, and they have yet to suspect anything as long as Roxanne contacts them before tomorrow night.”
Tomorrow night? Madilyn’s heart clenched as she started dreading tomorrow. It was already the second day, so if they still couldn’t figure out anything by tomorrow morning, they would have no choice but to agree to Jack’s condition.
Madilyn dreaded the thought of Roxanne’s response when the latter eventually regained consciousness, as well as the children’s reaction.
Before returning to the country, Archie and Benny held a strong prejudice against Lucian. It took Lucian a long time to change their minds about him.
If the children discovered he married another woman when Roxanne was severely ill, they would most probably hate him for the rest of his life. Madilyn felt a heavy burden of guilt settle in her heart as the thought crossed her mind.
“I’m sorry,” she muttered, her gaze fixed firmly. on the ground. Lucian’s brows furrowed slightly, as he had no idea why she would suddenly apologize to him.
Feeling heavy-hearted, Madilyn explained, “Because of what happened six years ago, I was biased against you and assumed you were a b*stard. I even told Roxanne to stay away from you. I had no idea you’d do this for her.”
Lucian’s gaze turned dark. “You don’t have to apologize to me. It was my fault six years ago. I will make it up to her now.”
Six years ago, I wronged Roxanne. Little did I know that I would be making the same mistake again six years later. If I had been more aware of my emotions and acted on them when I was younger, or if I had taken it upon myself to set her free when we bumped into each other again after so many years, she would not have had to go through so much…
They both waited hopefully until the afternoon. Time ticked away, and it was soon three in the afternoon. Alas, no one could figure out a way to save Roxanne.
Madilyn felt a wave of anxiety wash over her, and she felt completely lost. Her gaze kept shifting to Lucian. She wanted to ask him what they should do.
Lucian remained unfazed. His face was as cold as ice. Seeing his reaction, Madilyn blurted out, “Mr. Farwell, are we still going to wait? Should we call Old Mr. Lomax?”
Lucian met her gaze and said firmly, “I need to leave. Take care of Roxanne. I’m not sure when I’ll be back.” Madilyn asked anxiously, “Where are you going at this hour?”
Lucian’s gaze landed on Roxanne, who was lying in bed silently. A flash of determination. appeared in his eyes and disappeared. “I’m going to Jack.”
Madilyn gaped incredulously. “What? Are you seriously going to…” She trailed off and clenched her jaw. Despite her strong desire to reach out and grab his sleeve to prevent him from leaving, she didn’t dare do so, as he seemed really intimidating. She merely gave him a look of disapproval.
“There is still time. Let’s wait instead of giving in to Jack now!” Lucian paid no heed to her and turned to leave. “I can’t wait anymore. It’s too risky, and I can’t bear the thought of putting Roxanne’s life in danger.”
Madilyn parted her lips, but she couldn’t say anything to stop him from leaving. After all, she knew she would do the same if she were in his shoes.
They couldn’t afford to risk Roxanne’s life. Lucian strode out of the ward, his face expressionless. He walked through the corridor, passing by a group of specialists. Everyone couldn’t help but wonder what was going on after seeing him.
“Is Mr. Farwell going to give up on Dr. Jarvis? Dr. Jarvis’ condition is deteriorating, but her doesn’t seem anxious at all.”
“I don’t think so. We saw how distressed he has been in the past few days. He even invited Old Mr. Lomax here. Why would he give up suddenly?”
As the elevator doors slid shut, everyone else raised their voices, eager to discuss the possibilities. Hearing the commotion, Madilyn marched out of the ward and gave them a pointed look. “Everyone, if you’re free, then I suggest getting back to work trying to figure out how to treat Roxanne instead of wasting time gossiping here!”
No one knew better than her that Lucian had never thought about giving up on Roxanne. He was actually giving up on himself. The specialists were determined to treat Roxanne but couldn’t help gossiping when they noticed Lucian leaving.
It was normal for Madilyn to lash out at them, and they understood her feelings well. They got back to work instantly.
Madilyn glanced at the elevator, which had finally reached the parking lot level. She then turned to look at her best friend, who was oblivious to everything. The agony that flickered across her face revealed the inner turmoil she was experiencing.
In the parking lot, Lucian sat in his car for at long time without revving up the engine. He had assumed he could accept the reality as long as Roxanne could survive.
Even though he was on the verge of losing her, Lucian still could not rid himself of his own selfish desires. Is accepting Jack’s conditions the only way out?
Lucian waited in the car for almost half an hour, but there was no update. Finally, he pulled out his phone to call Jack.
The phone rang for almost one minute before Jack answered the call. “Who is this?” Jack’s voice was dripping with arrogance and disdain. Lucian responded calmly, “It’s me, Lucian.”
“Oh, it’s you,” Jack drawled in exaggeration as though he had just realized who it was. “Mr. Farwell, hello. I thought it was someone else who was rude enough to interrupt me while I was busy working.”
He was saying that Lucian was rude enough to interrupt him at work. Lucian pretended to be oblivious to Jack’s mockery and replied calmly, “It looks like I picked the wrong time to call. Mr. Damaris, if you’re occupied, then you can call me back when you’re free.”
He fell silent after saying that but didn’t end the call. On the other end of the phone, Jack grew flustered when he heard Lucian indicating that he wanted to end the conversation. “Wait a minute!”
Lucian arched a brow, for Jack’s reaction was within his anticipation. “No matter how busy my schedule may be, I need to make time for you since you took the initiative to call me, Mr. Farwell,” Jack sneered. “How can I help you? If my memory serves me correctly, it isn’t time yet as we agreed upon three days.”
Lucian was unperturbed. “As long as I’m willing to give in, any day works. I believe you never wanted anything to happen to Roxanne, do you?”
Most of Jack’s requests involved Roxanne, so if anything were to happen to her, even if Jack got the research institute for himself, he would never be able to realize its maximum potential. Hearing that, Jack grew increasingly smug. “You’re right, Mr. Farwell. That was what I thought, too.”
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.
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