Ch. 1461..1470
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 1461-Upon seeing that Roxanne was still in a daze, Lucian couldn’t resist lifting his hand and caressing her face.
“You…”
Roxanne was stupefied for several seconds before she belatedly snapped back to her senses. Mild embarrassment showed in her eyes.
While the man had sneaked up on her countless times when they were in Miralaea, she could more or less postulate the reason after the fact.
But this time, I didn’t do anything. Why did he simply kiss me?
Innocence was written all over Lucian’s face. “Sorry, I lost control.”
At that answer, Roxanne’s eyes went wide in fury. However, she couldn’t really censure him either. All she could do was turn around as though nothing had happened and put the washed tableware aside.
The two of them spent some time doing the dishes. When they exited the kitchen, Archie, Benny, and Estella pestered Lucian to play with them for a while.
Only when it was rather late did Lucian drive home.
Needless to say, Roxanne saw him off with the three children.
When they had gone back into the mansion, she watched as Archie and Benny got into bed before making her way to her bedroom to take care of Estella.
“Essie, would you like to go home with your grandpa and grandma tomorrow?”
Lying on the bed, Roxanne only started coaxing Estella after spending a long time bracing herself mentally.
As soon as Estella heard that, her initially smiling face fell. She clutched at Roxanne’s arm tightly. “No! I want to be with you, Mommy!”
Roxanne hugged her comfortingly. “I want to be with you too, Essie, but your grandpa and grandma miss you. Why don’t you go back and keep them company for two days? Then, I’ll go over and bring you back here again. How about that?”
It took a lengthy persuasion before Estella was finally less averse to that idea.
Early the following morning, Roxanne sent all three children to the kindergarten. When she was planning to leave, Estella clung onto the hem of her clothes, unwilling to loosen her grip.
She patiently cajoled the little girl for a while before the latter entered the kindergarten at long last.
Nevertheless, Estella remained morose the entire day as her mind was occupied with the fact that she had to go back with her grandparents later in the day.
In the afternoon, the kindergarten hosted a mini sports competition. Only then did Estella’s spark of life gradually return. Under Archie and Benny’s lead, she got along smashingly with the other children.
At the sight of the children all fired up, Jeffrey and the other teachers wore expressions of gratification.
“I never expected Ms. Jarvis to be Essie’s biological mother,” Jeffrey lamented.
It wasn’t until he had spoken that the others dared comment on that subject.
“Exactly. I didn’t expect Essie to be Archie and Benny’s biological sister. No wonder she always clung to the boys when she used to like to keep to herself.”
Likewise, gladness shone in Pippa’s eyes as she regarded the three children.
She had been teaching Estella for a long time, so she was happier than anyone else to see the little girl’s personality turning bubbly.
Hearing that they were clearly favoring Roxanne, Ophelia was disgruntled. Even so, she went along with the flow. “I know, right? The world of the rich is really complicated.”
The instant those words rang out, Pippa eyed her strangely.
She couldn’t shake off the feeling that Ophelia’s words carried an underlying meaning to them.
Sensing Pippa’s gaze, Ophelia chuckled blithely. “But then, they’ve got a happy ending. The fact that the kids have a whole family is far more important than anything else.”
Following that remark, the sense of incongruity within Pippa finally dissipated. She bobbed her head in agreement.
No sooner had she retracted her gaze than a chilly gleam glinted in Ophelia’s eyes.
Hah! Isn’t Roxanne and her family’s so-called happy ending thanks to that b*tch stealing my best friend’s man? If it weren’t for her, Aubree wouldn’t have ended up in such a state today! I’ll definitely teach this family a lesson on Aubree’s behalf!
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 1462-Ophelia couldn’t help but recall how she lived frugally overseas as she watched the kids having fun.
Without Aubree’s assistance, she likely would have encountered difficulties in carrying on with her studies.
Initially, Aubree wanted her to join Pearson Group after she returned to the country.
Ophelia was filled with deep gratitude for Aubree, who went above and beyond to assist her.
When Aubree voiced her discontentment about Roxanne, Ophelia was quick to join in, expressing her own disdain as well.
Alas, none of them expected that Pearson Group would meet its end before Ophelia could return to the country.
According to Aubree, the downfall of the Pearson family was mainly due to Roxanne’s influence on Lucian. She was able to snatch him away from Aubree and convince him to do whatever it took to destroy the Pearson family. There were, of course, other causes that culminated in the eventual demise of the Pearson family, but Roxanne’s interference was ultimately the most decisive factor.
Roxanne had hurt her friend and brought about the ruin of the Pearson family, leaving Ophelia without any opportunity to achieve her ambitions.
Hence, it was only natural for Ophelia to despise Roxanne.
Getting a job at the kindergarten after her return was also Aubree’s idea.
Since Roxanne was the cause of their misery, they must teach her a lesson!
Ophelia agreed to Aubree’s suggestion readily.
Her goal was to inflict harm upon Roxanne’s children in order to teach her a lesson, but she hadn’t gotten a chance to do so for the past few days.
The sports competition was the perfect opportunity for her to carry out her plan.
Ophelia kept her gaze on the kids as she racked her brains to figure out a plan.
Meanwhile, the children were focused on the games.
The first game they took part in was the puzzle game.
It was a competition, so the teachers had selected some difficult puzzles for the kids.
The other kids had been born into affluent households and had received additional tutoring beyond their regular schooling, yet they were completely bewildered by the challenging puzzles.
Archie and Benny were pleased with themselves after completing their puzzles with ease. They started clapping their hands smugly and turned around to find that Estella was also clapping her hands with them.
The boys exchanged a look and assumed Estella had yet to complete her puzzle. They were about to go and help her when they realized she had already finished her puzzle.
“Essie, you’re so smart!” Benny praised her excitedly.
Estella’s lips curled into a smug grin.
The other children forgot to complete their own puzzles and gathered to lavish praises on the three of them.
The three children were surrounded by their friends.
The next game was an obstacle course that required them to put on blindfolds. Archie and Benny were the first ones to make it through the obstacle course with their blindfolds on. After taking them off, they turned their attention to Estella, offering her assistance as she attempted to complete the same challenge.
Under their guidance, Estella soon completed the course. Her grin grew wider.
They were so engrossed in completing the games that they didn’t notice Ophelia’s gaze on them.
Jeffrey and the other teachers were paying attention to the kids, too.
It took Ophelia some time before she came up with an idea. Carefully, she observed her surroundings.
Once she made sure no one was looking at her, she sneaked away and ran to the equipment room.
The children’s sneakers for their upcoming game were neatly arranged in the equipment room.
Their parents had lovingly prepared the shoes for them, taking great care to label their shoes with their name stickers.
Ophelia meandered around the area until she eventually spotted Benny’s shoes at the most outward corner. Her expression was dark as she picked them up.
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 1463-The next game was hopping on one foot. The kids filed to the equipment room to change into their sneakers.
After changing into his shoes, Benny felt slightly uncomfortable. He assumed that it was probably because he had not worn these types of shoes in quite some time and wasn’t used to the fit. Nonetheless, he didn’t give it too much thought and kept going.
Archie and Estella were urging him to hurry up, so he pushed aside the thought of his uncomfortable shoes and hurried over to them, beaming happily.
This was an individual game, and Benny’s turn wasn’t until later.
After Archie and Estella finished their turns, they stood aside to watch Benny play.
“Remember to be careful. Safety comes first,” Pippa told them repeatedly.
Ophelia stood aside and acted like she was ready to spring into action and protect the children at any moment.
The three children had done a good job in the previous games, so when it was Benny’s turn, their friends cheered him on and watched him expectantly.
Benny’s competitive nature was unleashed, and he began to hop quickly.
He picked up speed as his friends cheered him on.
When he realized something was wrong, it was too late for him to stop.
“Benny!” Archie yelled.
He was the first one to take note of Benny’s strange behavior and ran over to his brother hastily.
Benny did his best to halt in his tracks.
However, the harder he tried, the more out of balance he got.
In the end, he toppled to the ground.
Beneath him was a hurdle that they were supposed to hop over.
Crack!
Benny crashed into the hurdle, breaking it in half. Wincing in pain, he landed awkwardly, his hand twisted beneath him in an unnatural position. He felt a sharp pain flaring up his arm.
Without warning, Benny, who was typically strong, burst into noisy tears.
“Benny, what happened? Let me see your injury!”
Ophelia stood the closest to Benny, so she was the first one who rushed up to him and embraced him tightly. She was also careful to wipe away the oil on the ground discreetly with her free hand.
Archie soon arrived and knelt down beside Benny. Spotting Benny’s injured wrist, he exclaimed, “Ms. Smith, I think Benny’s wrist is fractured!”
The boys practically grew up in the research institute. They might not be skilled in medicine but had learned something from their time there.
It was rare to see Benny wailing loudly, so Archie was sure that his younger brother was seriously injured.
“Ms. Smith, let’s bring Benny to the doctor! He must be in pain!”
Ophelia pretended to agree. “Calm down. I’ll bring him to the doctor now!”
Despite saying that, she slowly removed Benny’s sneakers, taking the time to put them away in an obscure location before any of the other teachers arrived. She then brought Benny to the infirmary.
Benny didn’t stop bawling his eyes out during the entire journey.
Estella had never seen Benny crying hysterically before. She felt a stab of pain in her heart as she took Archie’s hand. “Is Benny seriously injured? I think he… I’m scared.”
Her eyes turned red as she urged, “Let’s call Mommy and ask her to come. I’m sure she’s capable enough of treating Benny!”
Archie was feeling quite flustered, but he managed to assure her calmly, “There’s no need to be scared. The doctor will look at Benny and assess his condition. If it turns out that something serious has happened, then we’ll call Mommy right away. She’s busy at work, so we shouldn’t disturb her unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
After hearing his comforting words, Estella calmed down a little. She stopped talking and clutched Archie’s clothes nervously.
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 1464-Jeffrey, Pippa, and Ophelia brought Benny to the infirmary while the other teachers stayed back to take care of the remaining children.
Benny was sobbing uncontrollably, so the atmosphere in the infirmary was incredibly tense.
“Doctor, how is he?” Jeffrey asked in a tight voice when the doctor completed the examination.
Never mind if this had happened in the past. Benny is now Mr. Farwell’s son. If something were to occur while he was under my watch in the kindergarten, I can’t bear the consequences!
Beside him, Archie and Estella lifted their heads to gaze at the doctor earnestly.
The doctor retrieved a medical kit to dress Benny’s scratches. “The abrasions aren’t concerning, but I believe he may have a bruised cartilage. It’s advisable to take him to the hospital for a comprehensive examination.”
Hearing that, Jeffrey’s vision swam, and he nearly stumbled on his feet.
Archie’s expression was grim as he led Estella out of the infirmary to call Roxanne.
He knew that Benny’s injury was serious as the doctor advised them to send him to the hospital.
Roxanne was immersed in her research for new medication in her laboratory when her phone suddenly lit up, indicating an incoming call. However, she was too busy to take it.
“Dr. Jarvis, it’s Archie,” someone told her.
Hearing that, Roxanne put a halt to her work and paused her experiment to answer the call.
As soon as the call was connected, Archie spoke in a rush without giving her a chance to say anything. “Mommy, Benny is hurt. I think he needs to go to the hospital. Are you free to come over now?”
Roxanne was stunned. Benny is hurt?
Archie’s voice sounded composed. “If you’re busy, I’ll call Mr. Farwell.”
“No. Wait for me. I’ll be there right away.” Roxanne snapped out of her reverie and asked sternly, “Is your teacher with you? Give the watch to her so I can talk to her.”
After learning that Roxanne would be there, Archie relaxed and obediently gave his watch to Pippa.
Roxanne asked which hospital they were sending Benny to before hanging up in a rush. She then informed Linda and left the research institute hastily.
She had no intention of snubbing Lucian by not wanting him to be present.
It was simply that she was a doctor and knew that her expertise was more beneficial than his in this situation.
In the infirmary, Pippa and Jeffrey prepared to send Benny to the hospital.
Ophelia pretended to ask, “Should we all go together? What about the other kids from the class? Should I tell the other teachers to take care of them?”
Pippa answered without hesitation, “It’s fine. I can manage, so you should go back to the class.”
Jeffrey wasn’t about to let her go to the hospital alone. “Ms. Ward and I will go together. You can leave now.”
Ophelia expressed her concern pretentiously before turning to leave.
When she returned to the field, the other kids had already started another game under their teachers’ lead.
Ophelia made sure no one saw her retrieving Benny’s shoes which she had hidden earlier. She worked diligently to rid the footwear of the oil stains and then arranged them alongside the other sneakers.
Once all that was done, she returned to the other children with a smile on her face.
The children gathered around Ophelia to inquire about Benny’s injury. Internally, Ophelia was elated, though on the outside she kept a worried expression.
“I’m not sure, but you must be careful to avoid getting hurt as Benny did.”
The children nodded readily.
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 1465-Roxanne’s heart was lodged in her throat as she made her way to the hospital. She floored the accelerator, on the verge of breaking the speed limit.
Archie and Benny might be independent since young, but it was the first time one of them had gotten hurt.
Roxanne felt a surge of anxiety wash over her.
Upon arrival, Roxanne parked her car hastily and strode into the hospital.
Pippa was considerate enough to text her the ward number after Benny was admitted to the hospital.
Thus, Roxanne found them without any difficulty.
“Mommy!”
Archie firmly grasped her hand, squeezing it with such force that it caused her pain.
Estella also clutched at the corner of her shirt.
Roxanne patted their heads comfortingly before turning to Pippa. “Ms. Ward, what happened?”
Pippa answered apologetically, “We’re not sure yet. The doctor at the infirmary said it might be a bruised cartilage. Benny is taking an X-ray inside.”
Roxanne felt a stab of pain in her heart after she heard the news.
“Ms. Jarvis, we’re really sorry. It was our fault that Benny got hurt as we didn’t take good care of him,” Jeffrey apologized profusely. “We had hoped that the sports day would help to strengthen the bond between the children, and we never anticipated that this would happen. I promise the children will no longer be allowed to participate in any activities that could put them at risk.”
Roxanne gazed at the kids, seeking their confirmation.
After Aubree had previously poisoned the children, she was extremely vigilant when it came to the wellbeing of the kids. She made sure to take every precaution possible and to be very mindful of their safety.
Estella’s eyes were red. The little girl was so overwhelmed that she couldn’t utter a word.
Archie remained composed as he nodded and clarified, “It was a game of hopping on one foot. Benny’s turn was behind us. I’m not sure why he suddenly stumbled and fell.”
Hearing his confirmation, Roxanne relaxed and turned to Jeffrey. “You don’t have to blame yourself. It’s normal for children to get bumps and bruises when they play around. As long as they’re not seriously hurt, everything should be okay.”
Right after she spoke, the doctor led Benny out.
Upon spotting her, Benny, who had managed to put an end to his weeping only moments ago, was overcome with emotion again. He burst into tears and leaped into her arms.
He sobbed, “Mommy, it hurts!”
Roxanne glanced at his wounded arm.
He had a long, noticeable scrape that extended from his wrist to his palm. His hand was already beginning to swell up in response to the injury.
Benny’s wrist was stiff. Roxanne couldn’t tell if it was due to the pain or some other cause.
Feeling bad for him, she gave him a comforting hug. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here, so you won’t feel the pain soon. Be a good boy, okay?”
She then brought him to see the doctor. “Doctor, how is he doing? Can I see the X-ray?”
Naturally, the doctor gave her the X-ray and explained, “He has a soft tissue injury. Children are not good at enduring pain, so I believe this injury will cause him to experience a long period of discomfort.”
Roxanne observed the X-ray carefully and furrowed her brows.
It was a serious injury, so she could imagine how abrupt Benny’s fall had been.
As she was a doctor herself, she had taught Archie and Benny from a young age how to minimize their risk of harm in the event that they ever encountered any difficulties.
Benny shouldn’t have forgotten her teachings unless it was a sudden situation.
Suspicion flashed across her eyes.
“I would suggest that he remain in the hospital for a few days of observation. If he is recovering satisfactorily, he can then be discharged,” the doctor added.
“I don’t want to stay in the hospital!” Benny wailed by her ear.
Roxanne patted Benny’s head and told the doctor, “No need. I’m a doctor, so I can take care of him myself. Thank you.”
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 1466-After getting the doctor’s permission, Roxanne brought the children back.
Meanwhile, Elias and Sonya were waiting outside the kindergarten after school hours, but they saw no signs of Estella.
Soon, most of the children had been picked up, but there were still no signs of their granddaughter.
The two of them wanted to ask the teacher about what was going on, but they belatedly realized that they rarely sent and picked up Estella, so they did not even know which class the girl was in.
“There’s no sign of Essie around. I thought he said we could pick her up,” Sonya grumbled.
Elias had a grimace on his face, and he immediately called Lucian to question, “Did you talk to Roxanne about this? We’re at the kindergarten entrance, but we don’t see Essie anywhere.”
Lucian was confused when he heard that. “Give me a second. I’m going to call Roxanne. She agreed to this yesterday, so maybe something popped up.”
Elias said nothing to that, and Lucian called Roxanne after ending the call with Elias.
Roxanne was treating Benny’s wound, so it took her a while before she could answer the call.
“Where’s Essie?” came Lucian’s voice. “Did something happen?”
It was only then Roxanne recalled that Elias and his wife were supposed to pick Estella up that afternoon.
Lowering her gaze to look at the girl, Roxanne then apologetically said to Lucian, “Something happened on my side, so I picked Essie up first. Please ask if your parents mind picking her up from my place. I can’t leave at the moment.”
Estella seemed to have heard Roxanne’s words, for her already-worried expression became even more obvious.
Roxanne reached out to pat her head reassuringly.
Lucian furrowed his brows and asked, “What happened?”
Perhaps his voice had a certain soothing quality to it as Roxanne did not realize she let some of her weariness seep into her tone.
“Benny was hurt this afternoon, and Archie and Essie accompanied him to the hospital. I wasn’t thinking clearly in my hurry, so I ended up taking Essie back as well.”
A solemn look appeared on Lucian’s face. “Is it bad? Do you need me there?”
Roxanne’s heart melted a little at that, but she chuckled and rejected him. “No, it’s fine. Do remember that I’m a doctor, so I can treat him. I just need to trouble you to talk to your parents. If they want to come over, I’ll be waiting for them.”
Lucian was worried, but he did not insist after hearing her reassurance.
After ending the call with her, he called his father to explain the situation.
Elias uttered no words of protest when he heard that it was because one of the boys was hurt. He was understanding, in fact. “I’m sure she’s very busy if he’s hurt. Let’s not disturb her, then. We’ll go another day.”
Lucian thanked his father on behalf of Roxanne and the children.
“How can this be so coincidental?” Sonya was upset. “She must have done this on purpose. She’s just lying to us; she doesn’t want us to take Essie away. In fact, she must be thinking of marrying into the Farwell family as Essie’s biological mother!”
After hanging up, Elias turned to look at his wife in exasperation. “We’ll know whether the kid is injured or not when we see him. Why would she make such a flimsy lie?”
“Who knows? You’re not even intending to go to her place. You must be on her side!” With that, Sonya whipped her head to the side, not wanting to look at him anymore.
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 1467-Elias knitted his brows when he saw his wife acting in that way. “I don’t remember any conflicts between the two of you six years ago. Why are you so biased against her?”
“Are you saying that I’m unreasonable?” Sonya snapped, turning around to glare at him.
The resignation on Elias’ face deepened. “I’m only stating facts. Why are you taking this so personally?”
“Then we’ll go to her place to check it out right now! We’ll see if the kid really is hurt! Didn’t she ask us to pick Essie up from her house? We’ll go right now!”
Elias knew that she was only saying that because she was furious, so he just drove them back to the Farwell main residence.
Sonya was even more irked when she realized where they were heading, and she kept grumbling on their way back.
Elias pretended not to hear anything she said.
He was already relenting much by accompanying her to pick Estella up from the kindergarten.
As Farwell Group’s chairman, he simply could not do something ludicrous like kicking up a fuss in another person’s house with her.
Even if his wife said it was for the Farwell family’s sake, Elias still thought that they had no need to do something that extreme.
Meanwhile, after Lucian conveyed the message to his father, he found himself fretting about Benny’s injury. Thus, he went to Roxanne’s place.
At the same time, Benny was staring at his mother and muttering, “Mommy, was that call from Mr. Farwell?”
As Roxanne treated his wound, she answered, “Mhm. I forgot that Essie was supposed to go home with her grandparents today.”
Benny did not care about that; he only cared about whether or not his father was coming. “Will Mr. Farwell be coming?”
He was hurt, and he wanted his father to give him words of encouragement.
However, Roxanne halted in her tracks and hesitantly started, “Mr. Farwell is a busy man…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of the doorbell rang out.
Thinking that it was Elias and Sonya, Roxanne rose to her feet and went over to open the door.
However, upon registering the face of the man by the entrance, she blinked in surprise.
“Why are you here? Didn’t you say…”
Lucian had been in a hurry to come, so he was only wearing a plain dress shirt and a tie. In a quiet voice, he said, “They said they’ll come and pick Essie up another day and asked you to take good care of Benny.”
Shock flashed across Roxanne’s eyes when she heard that.
“Where’s Benny? How is he? Is it bad?”
As if he had arrived at his own house, he easily navigated his way inside.
By the time Roxanne came back to her senses, the man was already in the living room.
Benny immediately forgot about his pain when he heard his father’s voice. He cried out, “I’m here!”
To access his wound easier, Roxanne had asked the boy to sit at the dining table.
She was only in the middle of applying medicine to his wound when Lucian arrived, so the boy still had iodine on his wrist.
Archie and Estella then walked over to Lucian as well.
When Lucian followed the two children into the dining room, he was greeted by the sight of Benny with reddened eyes.
His forehead creased.
It was his first time seeing the boy cry, and it even seemed like the boy had been bawling.
He guessed that it must have hurt quite a bit.
“I heard that you were injured. Does it hurt a lot?” Lucian said in heartache as he walked over to look at Benny’s injured wrist.
As he did not know the extent of Benny’s injury, he dared not simply touch the boy.
Nevertheless, Benny flashed him a smile and said, “It doesn’t hurt anymore! I’m really tough!”
“I wonder who was the one who started crying when he saw me,” Roxanne mercilessly pointed out as she entered the dining room.
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 1468-Benny frowned and corrected himself, “It only hurts a little!”
To emphasize his point, he even made a gesture of a pinching hand with his thumb and index finger.
Seeing how insistent the kid was, Roxanne couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Lucian, too, smiled and patted Benny on his head. “You’re a tough boy, Benny.”
Upon hearing his father’s compliment, Benny held his head high and beamed with pride.
Archie, on the contrary, felt a twinge of envy for his brother and glanced at his mother.
Argh. I wonder when Mommy will accept Daddy’s proposal. That way, I’ll also have a chance of being praised by Daddy in the future…
“How’s his injury? Is it serious?” Lucian asked as he turned to Roxanne, who was still treating Benny’s wound.
“I’ve developed a medicine recently to treat bruises, and it’s pretty effective,” she explained. “In the meantime, however, Benny will have to take extra care of his wrist. He can’t be as reckless as before.”
That was a reminder Benny had long heard from his mother, but even so, he couldn’t hold back from putting on a sad face in front of his father.
Lucian gently caressed the boy’s face and smiled. “There, there. Remember to be extra careful during this time. That way, you’ll recover faster.”
Having been comforted by his father, Benny nodded obediently in response.
A glint of exasperation flashed across Roxanne’s eyes when she realized her son was acting cute.
The nerve of this kid… He hasn’t known Lucian that long, yet he’s already clinging to him.
“By the way, I’ll bring more medicine over in a while. Take some with you when you leave,” Roxanne suddenly added.
Lucian promptly nodded without saying anything.
After tending to Benny’s injury, Roxanne still had a lot on her mind, so she told the kids to run along and play.
Soon, only she and Lucian were left in the dining room.
“What’s the matter?” the latter asked as soon he saw how distracted the woman was.
Roxanne furrowed her brows. “I had agreed to let them take Essie home, but in the end, I still took her back to mine. Will your parents think I’m not a woman of my word?”
Mrs. Farwell’s already prejudiced against me, and even though Lucian hasn’t said anything, I’m pretty sure this visit was her idea. I’m so worried that my mistake might ruin Mr. Farwell’s impression of me…
Naturally, Lucian understood her worries. “No. I’ve already explained things to my father. He won’t mind any of this.”
Despite the reassurance, Roxanne still found it impossible to dismiss all her concerns. As she turned to look at the three children playing outside, she unconsciously heaved a sigh.
Lucian instantly walked up and pulled her into his embrace. “Don’t worry. I’m still here. No matter what happens, I’ll always protect you and the kids.”
Feeling the comforting warmth from Lucian’s arms, Roxanne began to feel more at ease.
All of a sudden, the sound of Lucian’s phone ringing broke the peaceful silence in the dining room.
Lucian glanced at his phone screen, only to realize it was a call from the head of the kindergarten, Jeffrey.
Ah, yes. I instructed Jeffrey earlier to look into how Benny had gotten injured. I guess he’s calling to tell me the results of the investigation.
“Mr. Farwell, I’ve already gotten my men to conduct a thorough investigation. Not only did we examine Benny’s shoes and the venue, but we also checked the surveillance footage. There’s no problem at all,” Jeffrey said cautiously. “Benny was just careless…”
At that, the man quickly made a U-turn and shifted the blame onto himself and the kindergarten. “It’s all our fault for not putting enough safety measures in place! I take full responsibility for it. Don’t worry. I’ve reminded our teachers to pay extra attention in the future! Accidents like this won’t happen again!”
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 1469-Meanwhile, Ophelia stepped out of the kindergarten with a grim expression.
Thank goodness I handled the matter fast enough! Who’d have thought Mr. Bauer would launch an investigation as soon as he returned? Gosh. I almost blew my cover! Then again, this must mean that little b*stard’s injury was pretty bad…
With that thought in mind, Ophelia curled her lips into a smirk.
That b*tch Roxanne has ruined my chances of a happy and comfortable life! She deserves this little payback from me. Ha!
Naturally, Ophelia needed to inform Aubree about the incident, so she quickly got into her car and dialed the latter’s number.
Fortunately, the call got through after just a few rings.
“How did it go? Did you succeed?” Aubree asked urgently.
Argh. Life has been incredibly tough on me lately. I need some good news to cheer me up!
“I greased the shoes of that Benny boy, and he fell really hard!” Ophelia said with a smug chortle. “Mr. Bauer even made a big fuss out of it when he returned, so I’m sure that little b*stard was injured pretty badly!”
Upon hearing that, Aubree felt both gleeful and relieved. “Well done! I’m so thankful for your help. I wouldn’t have known who else to turn to if you hadn’t agreed.”
“Don’t mention it. Remember how much you helped me back then? I’m only too happy to be able to return the favor.”
Aubree, however, wasn’t willing to leave things just like that.
So what if I’m not as rich as before or no longer own many luxury items? Compared to me, Ophelia is still from a lower-class background. She’s helped me, and it’s only fair that I reward her.
After looking around and searching high and low in her room, Aubree spoke up again. “Oh, come on. You took such a huge risk to help me. How can I not thank you? Anyway, I have a handbag that would suit you well.”
In other words, Aubree wanted to reward Ophelia with the handbag, and the latter quickly caught on to it.
Having long gotten used to Aubree’s condescending tone, Ophelia pretended to turn her down. “I told you there’s no need for that! You’ve already helped me a lot in the past.”
That said, the woman truly wanted the handbag.
She had been with Aubree for so many years that she knew better than anyone else how rich and generous the latter was.
Even the tiniest amount of money from Aubree would be a lifetime of wealth to Ophelia.
Aubree may be down and out now, but she’s still far more powerful and wealthier than me. As for the handbag she just mentioned, I’m sure it’s one I’d never be able to afford in my entire life! Of course, I want it!
Thankfully Aubree was also very persistent in giving it away. “Are you looking down on me because the Pearson family isn’t what it used to be?” she grumbled as her face darkened. “I can still afford to gift a handbag!”
Stunned by Aubree’s outburst, Ophelia trembled and hastily explained, “No, that’s not what I meant—”
“In that case, meet me at Orange Moon tonight. I’ll bring the handbag along!” Aubree interrupted before ending the call.
As it turned out, Orange Moon was a bar that Aubree had recently been a loyal patron of.
It was a far cry from the high-end venues she used to frequent, but it was enough to impress someone like Ophelia.
Once she hung up the phone, Aubree began putting on her makeup and picking out her clothes. After what seemed like forever, she finally grabbed the handbag and left the house.
With how put-together Aubree was, there was no way anyone could tell from her outward appearance that the Pearson family had met its downfall.
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 1470-Since Aubree only told her where to meet that night but didn’t give her a specific time, Ophelia could only head there earlier to wait at the entrance.
It wasn’t until after eight o’clock that she finally saw Aubree.
“It’s been a while,” Aubree began as she waltzed toward Ophelia while giving the woman a once-over.
When Aubree saw that Ophelia wasn’t doing any better than herself, relief washed over her as the smug gleam in her eyes intensified.
Seemingly unfazed, Ophelia took a sidelong glance at the bag in Aubree’s hand and smiled. “Indeed. Seems like you’re the same as always and haven’t changed at all.”
What she said was the truth. Aubree was dressed to the nines, carrying a bag costing hundreds of thousands that she wouldn’t mind giving away.
If Aubree hadn’t told her about the dire situation in the Pearson family, Ophelia would have never guessed the woman was now living a miserable life.
Hearing the compliment, Aubree curled her lips in satisfaction and handed the bag to Ophelia before saying, “Here you go. It’s the gift I promised you. I only used the bag two or three times, so it’s almost brand new.”
Ophelia’s eyes lit up as she took the bag carefully.
Soon after, the two women went into a bar with Aubree in the lead. After booking a booth in the corner, they ordered two bottles of wine.
Upon settling down, the two started drinking while chatting.
“You did well this time. Have you tied up all the loose ends?” Aubree asked, her tone tinged with concern.
Ophelia flashed a smile. “Don’t worry. I made sure not to leave any traces. Jeffrey didn’t notice anything wrong, and he simply thought that it was the little b*stard himself who was careless.”
“That’s good to hear.” Aubree instantly felt more at ease.
Subsequently, a cold gleam settled in her eyes, and she added, “But doing this one time won’t be enough to alleviate the hatred in my heart!”
In her mind, Benny’s fall injury was just the tip of the iceberg of her revenge plan.
She would need a lot more to finally feel satisfied.
In fact, it would be for the best if those brats could suffer more. Only then will Roxanne be able to experience what it’s like to live in despair.
Seeing how infuriated she was, Ophelia reassured her, “As long as I am still working in the kindergarten, there will still be a chance to make a move. I was too hasty this time, but I’ll definitely make those b*stards pay the next time.”
Aubree raised her head to observe Ophelia when she heard those words and noticed that the latter was filled with as much hatred as she was.
Pleased with what she saw, she filled up a glass of wine and passed it over to Ophelia.
“I only have you to help me now. Don’t worry. I’ll remember everything you did for me, and as for the position I promised you at Pearson Group, I’ll keep that in mind as well. The moment the Pearson family makes a comeback, you shall become my right-hand woman!”
Seeing how confident Aubree was and the fact that she was still looking as glamorous as always, Ophelia became certain that the Pearson family was simply having a stroke of bad luck.
Filled with the hope that Aubree would make good on her promises, Ophelia raised her glass in a toast.
As they drank, they discussed what they would do with the three little brats.
When they came out of the bar, Ophelia was no longer able to stand straight. Even so, she still gave her word to Aubree, promising, “I’ll definitely help you. I’ll put those three b*stards and that wench in their rightful places.”
Seeing how the woman was still declaring her loyalty to her when drunk, a disdainful glint flashed across Aubree’s eyes.
The only reason I helped her back then was because it didn’t cost me anything. I never would have guessed that I would obtain such an obedient dog in the process. Regardless, all that money I spent on her was wasted as she’s still as gullible as ever.