Ch. 71..80
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 71
Meanwhile, everyone in Pearson Group had been working nonstop because of the virus.
Aubree had been hanging around in the technical department. Every now and then, she would spew some insults.
“Mr. Pearson.” Charles’ voice rang out beside her ears.
Hearing that, Aubree quickly composed herself and lowered her eyes. “Dad, why are you here?” she greeted the person who had just entered.
Samuel Pearson had a serious look on his square face. “What’s going on? Are you guys still not done with the virus?”
The manager of the technical department, who had been scolded by Aubree the entire morning, was drenched in a cold sweat. He nodded while bending over, apologizing, “Mr. Pearson, we’ve really done our best, but this virus is just too powerful. Every time we’re close to cracking it, another difficult problem will appear. It’s like a never-ending,”
“So you’re saying you can’t solve it?” Samuel questioned, frowning.
The manager nodded guiltily.
“Idiots!” Samuel roared. He then turned around to look at his daughter. “In that case, we can only contact Lucian’s company right away and ask if they have any solutions.”
Farwell Group had many talented employees, and their network system was the best in the world. On top of that, they had the world’s second-best computer genius working for them.
If Farwell Group, too, could not solve Pearson Group’s problem, then the company was done for:
“No way!” Aubree rejected it instantly and glanced at the image on the screen with a scowl.
If we get someone from Farwell Group to solve this, then Lucian will definitely see this. I’d be utterly humiliated if that happened.
Samuel lectured coldly, “If you’re worried about being humiliated, then why did you mess with people without knowing their background? And now, they’re getting back at you. Do you know how much our company will lose if this isn’t dealt with right now? Which one is more important now? Your reputation or the company?”
Aubree bit her lip. In the end, she had no choice but to give in.
Samuel shot her a glare and dialed Lucian’s number, asking the latter to send some men over to solve the problem.
Upon receiving the news, Lucian merely asked Cayden to pick someone randomly from the technical department and send him to Pearson Group.
The employee sent by Lucian was clearly more skilled than the ones at Pearson Group.
The employees of Pearson Group were powerless against the virus for the entire morning, yet Lucian’s employee took only one glance before he started tapping away on the keyboard.
Those who were in the same industry could easily see that the virus had almost been cracked by Farwell Group’s employee.
Meanwhile, Roxanne returned to the study after making sure that Archie and Benny were fine.
Archie returned his gaze to the laptop screen and studied the stock prices.
After he studied it for some time, a series of codes appeared on the screen.
“Benny, look!” Archie immediately called out to Benny.
Benny’s eyes lit up when he saw the codes that popped on the screen.
It was a program he had designed. When someone had cracked the core sequence of the virus, the window would automatically pop up.
I thought this virus wouldn’t be cracked today. Looks like the other party is a professional.
Benny got more excited at that thought. He took the laptop from Archie and started tapping away on the keyboard, battling against the person on the other side.
Half an hour later, Benny stopped typing.
“What is it?” Archie asked in puzzlement.
Benny smiled excitedly. “It’s been craoked.”
Hearing that, Archie looked at his brother strangely. “Why are you still smiling so happily?”
Benny nodded indifferently. “That person is really incredible. That fight with him just now was quite interesting. But I’m sure he’s not from Pearson Group. He’s way stronger than those idiots.”
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Though Archie was not as skilled as Benny in terms of technology, he understood what was going on.
Pearson Group made zero progress the entire morning. Now that Benny has lost all of a sudden, surely the opponent is an expert, and they are not someone from Pearson Group. The whole morning should be enough for Pearson Group to seek help from someone else
“It might be… someone from Farwell Group.” That was the only possible answer Archie could think of.
Farwell Group’s technical team is well known for being excellent at their job. Besides, if that woman is really Essie’s mommy, there’s no reason for Pearson Group not to get help from Farwell Group.
Upon hearing that, Benny frowned and pursed his lips. He was furious.
Though he knew that the woman was Estella’s mother, she was also the woman who bullied his mother. He could not believe that Lucian had helped Aubree.
No way. I must teach them a lesson.
At that thought, Benny picked up the laptop again, looking serious, his fingers gliding across the keyboard.
At the same time, the employees of the technical department of Pearson Group stood at their supervisor’s workstation and watched the genius at work.
All they saw were the series of codes constantly appearing on the screen. It did not take long for the cartoon on the computer screens to disappear one by one.
“Is it done?” Aubree stood up excitedly. The moment she wanted to thank her savior, the latter’s expression stiffened.
Aubree’s heart, too, sank instantly.
“It is, supposedly. But,” The person frowned, and he watched a code appearing automatically on the screen.
It was simpler than the virus earlier.
A row of words appeared, which read: Are you from Farwell Group?
The hacker is actually talking to me.
The employee hesitated for a moment before replying: Yes.
A series of codes appeared on the screen again. It wrote: How dare you help that evil woman? I’m angry now!
Immediately after that, the conversation on the screen disappeared and was replaced by an attack
more complicated than the virus just now.
What’s going on? Who exactly is this?” Aubree’s face turned purple with rage after she read their conversation.
Caught off guard by the attack, the employee ignored her and started battling the hacker,
However, he could not help but feel that something was off with the conversation earlier.
The hacker has incredible skills, but they sounded a little childish…
In the afternoon, seeing that the person he sent had yet to return to the company, Cayden asked hesitantly, “Mr. Farwell, the person we sent to Pearson Group isn’t back yet. Should we send another person over?”
“We’ll wait for the people from Pearson Group to come to us first,” Lucian said calmly
After all, every time Pearson Group made a request would mean that they owed Lucian a favor.
Cayden hummed in response and changed the topic. “The executive meeting in the afternoon will be starting in ten minutes. Would you like to go over now?”
Lucian nodded and went to the conference room, with Cayden following closely behind him.
Along the way, Cayden noticed Lucian occasionally taking his phone out to glance at it.
In fact, Lucian, who rarely placed his phone beside him during meetings, had been glancing at his phone from the corner of his eye during the meeting.
Cayden was perplexed, but he held back his curiosity until the meeting ended.
“Mr. Farwell, do you have anything important happening today?” he asked cautiously.
As soon as he finished his sentence, he saw Lucian furrow his brows and look rather annoyed.
“No,” Lucian answered coldly.
He whipped out his phone and glanced at the screen again. Still, there were no incoming calls.
Seeing that, Lucian put his phone away, his heart filled with displeasure.
I’ve instructed the kindergarten to expel the two children. That woman should’ve known about the news today, but why is she not doing anything?
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Lucian waited until the evening. Yet, he did not receive any calls from Roxanne.
He suppressed his displeasure and rushed to the kindergarten to pick Estella up.
I should be able to find out what’s going on once I’m at the kindergarten.
By the time he arrived, most of the children had left.
Lucian spotted his daughter standing in the corner at a glance.
She was hanging her head low and holding her schoolbag with both hands, looking utterly dispirited.
Lucian frowned slightly and went forward to pat her head. “Why are you upset? Is it because I’m late? I’m so-”
Before he could finish, Estella pursed her lips and snorted, walking straight past him.
Lucian’s hand hung in the air, and his voice stopped abruptly as he turned around helplessly to watch his daughter reach the car.
He watched her climb into the car before retracting his gaze and scanning the remaining children.
Even so, there were no signs of the twins.
“Mr. Farwell…” One teacher noticed he seemed to be looking for someone. Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurried over cautiously.
Lucian shifted his gaze and stared at the person in front of him expressionlessly. “Where are the twins? Have they been expelled?”
The teacher lowered her head guiltily. “Not yet. I wanted to tell them about the news when they came to school. But Ms. Jarvis called me this morning, saying the boys were feeling unwell, so I didn’t get to tell—”
“Okay,” Lucian said curtly and strode to the car without waiting for the teacher to react.
In the car, Estella hugged her schoolbag and rested her head on it, her eyes downcast. She looked as if she was pondering something.
Seeing Lucian entering the car, she scooted to the side without lifting her head, putting a distance between them.
Lucian sat beside her and instructed the driver to drive. After that, he gave her a concerned look, asking, “Can you tell me why you are angry today?”
Estella turned her head to one side upon hearing his voice, looking completely reluctant to communicate with him.
Lucian understood the signs right away. I’m the culprit for making her angry again.
As for the reason, he had a rough guess, but he had no intentions of solving it at that moment unless Roxanne contacted him personally.
Despite that, Estella clearly wanted him to bring up the topic. She made some gestures during the journey home, wanting to attract his attention.
However, Lucian feigned ignorance.
Upon reaching home, a red-eyed Estella shot him a glare before storming back to her room and slamming the door shut. She everflocked the door from the inside.
Catalina, who was watching the pair’s cold war from downstairs, cast Lucian a concerned gaze. “Mr. Farwell, what’s wrong with”
“Let her be.” Lucian knitted his brows. “She’ll be fine after a while.”
Catalina had no choice but to ignore the matter.
However, when it was time for dinner, Estella still did not go downstairs.
Catalina looked at Lucian, who sat at the dining table without digging in. She sighed inwardly and rushed upstairs to bring Estella down.
Unfortunately, no one came to open the door after she knocked on it for some time.
“Ms. Estella, please come down to have—”Before she could finish her words, a muffled sound could suddenly be heard. It sounded as if something had collapsed to the floor.
Catalina’s heart sank. Just as she was about to go downstairs to get Lucian, she spun around and found him already standing behind her..
“Mr. Farwell, you know what Ms. Estella’s character is like. She’s always been unsociable, and she doesn’t know how to speak. Please be more patient with her. How will things work out if you don’t communicate with her properly? Ms. Estella is different from other children. Aren’t you worried that her condition might worsen?” Catalina asked.
The sound of something crashing onto the ground in the room made Catalina extremely – anxious. She was so worried that her eyes reddened when she uttered the last sentence.
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Lucian frowned.
He never thought the child would be so mad.
After listening to Catalina, he nodded and went forward to knock on the door. “Essie, open the door. Daddy wants to speak to you.”
When he finished, a muffled thump sounded on the door.
Clearly, Estella was throwing something against the door to show her rejection of him.
Lucian froze momentarily. He spoke once again in a gentler tone. “What do you want me to do? Can you open the door and tell me? We’ll talk about it, okay?”
A faint thump sounded on the door again.
It was also Catalina’s first time witnessing Estella acting that way. The thought of the latter’s condition caused a fear to rise in Catalina’s heart. Worried that something might happen to Estella, she said hurriedly, “Mr. Farwell, I think we should just go in. I’m worried Ms. Estella might…”
Lucian hesitated for a moment, but he nodded in agreement.
Soon, Catalina brought a spare key, opened the door, and they entered the room.
They were instantly taken aback by the mess inside.
The dolls Estella always treasured were scattered all over the floor. There were also a few exquisite-looking music boxes by the door, and two of them had cracks on them.
Evidently, the items that were thrown at the door were the two music boxes.
Among the mess was Estella curled in the corner. She was staring blankly at the ground as tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably. Sitting beside her were two relatively ugly dolls the adults had never seen before.
Noticing the adults entering her room, she backed away subconsciously and lowered her head to avoid meeting their gaze.
Lucian’s heart ached when he saw the state of the girl. Feeling regretful, he stepped forward, wanting to pull her into his embrace.
Sensing that he was approaching her, Estella raised her head immediately, her eyes filled with resistance. With her hands on the ground, she scurried backward frantically.
Lucian paused when he saw her reactions. “Don’t… be afraid. I know I was wrong.”
Estella did not seem to hear his words. Finally, she leaned against the wall and turned her body sideways to avoid his gaze. She hugged her knees and buried her head inside.
The adults could not see her expression. All they saw were the heaving motioris of Estella’s body when she sobbed.
Lucian fell silent instantly.
Feeling heartbroken, Catalina stepped forward. “Mr. Farwell, why don’t I give it a go?”
With that, she carefully approached Estella and extended her arms toward the little girl.
This time, Estella did not avoid it.
Catalina let out a sigh of relief and hugged Estella gently, patting the latter on the back. “What’s wrong, Ms. Estella? Can you tell me about it? Were you bullicd by your classmates in school?”
Estella merely continued sobbing, showing no response whatsoever.
Catalina had no choice but to coax Estella in her embrace.
“Is it because the twins didn’t go to school?” Lucian asked grimly. Estella’s eyes lit up a little, and she turned her head aside with a sob.
Noticing her slight reaction, Catalina quickly hinted at Lucian with a look to console Estella.
· Lucian sighed. He did not expect Estella to be so dependent on the twins.
Could they be somewhat attracted to each other because they’re siblings from another mother?
“Okay. I won’t make them leave the kindergarten.”
It was only then that Estella looked at him, looking extremely aggrieved.
His daughter’s state left Lucian no choice but to give in. “I promise you. I won’t chase them away again.”
Estella still stared at him with a gaze filled with accusations.
Understanding the meaning of her gaze, Lucian said gently, “They didn’t go to school today because they took a sick leave. The teacher hasn’t told them about their expulsion.”
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Estella blinked, and her sobs reduced. Still in disbelief, she pursed her lips.
She had heard Lucian talking to her teacher with her own cars, and the two boys were absent from kindergarten that day.
How could there be such a coincidence?
Lucian sensed her doubt, which made him feel even more helpless. “There’s no need for me to lie to you. They didn’t go to school today because they were unwell. You’ll see them tomorrow.”
Estella continued to purse her lips aggrievedly. Suspicion was written all over her face.
Lucian was at a loss for what to do. “How should I make you believe me?”
Never did he expect Archie and Benny to have such an important place in Estella’s heart. They were so important to the point that she did not believe his words.
Estella hesitated for a moment and let Catalina put her down. She then picked up a small notebook from the pile of mess and scribbled something while sobbing. Her squiggly writing read: Confirm!
She wanted to hear the boys tell her that they were not expelled and that she would still see them in kindergarten in the future.
Lucian understood what she meant. She wanted to go to Roxanne’s house and confirm with the boys. The thought of it made his head hurt.
Seeing there was no response from Lucian, Estella pursed her lips and gripped her notebook tightly in her hands. She looked as if she was about to burst into tears again.
When Lucian recalled how miserably Estella had cried just now, he relaxed his brows helplessly and said, “Okay. I’ll bring you to them now.”
Estella froze instantly, blinking to confirm what she had heard.
Lucian nodded.
She quickly turned around and packed her bag, then carried it on her back and walked toward him, still sniffling since she had cried too hard earlier.
Lucian felt speechless when he saw how fast Estella’s attitude changed. Given no choice, he brought her out to look for Roxanne.
Roxanne was having dinner with Archie and Benny when the doorbell rang. Thinking it was Madilyn coming for a free meal, Roxanne opened the door right away.
Her eyes widened in disbelief when she saw the people at the door.
“Are you two… Essie, are you here to play with Archie and Benny?” That was the only possibility she could think of.
A tall and slender Lucian stood in front of the door, holding Estella’s hand. He was only dressed in a shirt with the sleeves slightly rolled up.
Estella lified her head. Roxanne could not help but wonder if it was the breeze that caused Estella’s eyes and nose to be red because the latter looked rather pitiful.
When she saw that Roxanne had seen her, all the sadness Estella had been feeling the entire night rose in her heart. She sniffed and pursed her lips, having the urge to cry again.
Lucian noticed the change in his daughter’s behavior. However, he did not know how to answer Roxanne’s question.
What am I supposed to say? My daughter got angry because I told the kindergarten to expel your sons? And now, she insists on confirming the reason for their absence?
He did not find it necessary to bring it up again since he had already dismissed the idea.
At that moment, the atmosphere at the door was rather awkward.
Roxanne eyed the pair in front of her who did not seem to have any intentions of speaking. Feeling puzzled, she lowered her head to look at Estella. “Essie, is something the matter? It’s quite late already.”
Pursing her lips, Estella nodded and broke free from Lucian’s hand.
He had no choice but to let her be.
In the next second, tears rolled down Estella’s cheeks again, and she approached Roxanne, extending her arm. Estella wanted a hug.
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At first, Roxanne was stunned by Estella’s actions. But after that, her heart ached for the latter. She instinctively lowered herself and pulled Estella into her embrace, patting her on the back.
Estella tugged at the hem of Roxanne’s clothes, sobbing uncontrollably.
A look of helplessness flashed past Lucian’s eyes as he watched the scene before him.
When we were at home a while ago, all Estella did was avoid me. Now that Roxanne’s here, this girl actually reached out without hesitation to ask for a hug. Are children naturally dependent on their mothers?
“Okay. Stop crying. Can you tell me what’s wrong?” Roxanne consoled Estella, feeling worried.
Naturally, Estella did not know how to speak.
Finally, Lucian cleared his throat and said nonchalantly, “She went to kindergarten today and did not see your boys, so she thought they stopped going. She went home and cried the entire night, asking to come here to confirm their reason for absence.”.
Roxanne sighed inwardly upon hearing that. This little girl is really clingy to my boys, eh?
Realizing that, Roxanne said in a softer tone, “There, there. Don’t cry. The boys were having an upset stomach today, so I helped them to apply for a leave of absence. They’ll be going back to school to play with you tomorrow.”
When she heard Roxanne saying the same words as Lucian, Estella finally believed it. Slowly, she stopped sobbing and removed herself from Roxanne’s embrace. And carefully, she peeped into the house, wanting to see the two boys.
However, it was impossible to view the dining room from the entrance. When she did not see the twins, she started feeling uneasy again.
Roxanne noticed Estella’s cautious looks, and her heart melted. Patting Estella’s head, she asked, “Do you want to play with them? I can take you to them.”
With that, she smiled and carried Estella. Just as she was about to walk into the house, Estella
suddenly leaned back.
It was at that moment Roxanne recalled that the man was still standing at the door.
On top of that, he would not enter the house without her invitation.
At that thought, she turned around to look at the man.
As the night breeze blew, Lucian’s shirt clung to his body, and he stared impassively at the girls.
Looks like he was rushing to bring Essie here that he forgot to put on a coat.
Thanks to Estella, who was in her arms, Roxanne felt bad for him, and she said calmly, “Have a seat inside, Mr. Farwell.”
Lucian entered the house as soon as she spoke.
The boys are having their dinner. Let me bring you over to them.” Roxanne walked slowly, comforting Estella along the way.
Soon, three of them arrived in the dining room.
Archie and Benny were enjoying their food when they saw them walking in. They swallowed the food in their mouths, a puzzled look on their faces. “What is Essie doing here?”
Roxanne placed Estella between them and said softly, “Essie got worried when both of you didn’t go to kindergarten today. She cried, wanting to look for you. Go on. Talk to her.”
As if to confirm Roxanne’s words, Estella interlaced her fingers nervously on her dress and looked unblinkingly at Archie and Benny with her large eyes. The tip of her nose was slightly pink, making her look like a doll.
Archie and Benny exchanged gazes when they saw Estella in such a state. They found her cute yet pitiful at the same time.
“We weren’t feeling well this morning. We’re much better now. Don’t worry,” Archie reassured earnestly.
Benny turned to Essie and made a face. “Look at you, all scared like that. We’re just taking a day off. Can’t you be away from us for just a day? You little minion.”
A sense of relief washed over Estella when she heard their words, and she broke into a smile.
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Lucian, who was standing at the entrance of the dining room, looked conflicted when he saw Estella finally smiling,
It took me so long to coax hcr, yet it was nothing compared to the trio’s words. Not only did she stop crying. she even smiled.
After standing there for some time and watching the boys making Estella grin from ear to car, he stepped into the room, wanting to take her home.
They had only come over because Estella wanted to confirm things with her own eyes. Now that it was done, it was time for them to go home.
As soon as he reached Estella’s side, he heard her stomach growl.
Roxanne frowned. “Have you not had dinner?”
Estella pursed her lips and nodded.
Seeing that, Roxanne turned to look at Lucien with a reprimanding gaze.
Lucian glanced at her emotionlessly. “I’ve tried talking to her. She’s been crying all night. She locked herself in the room as soon as she got back without eating or drinking anything. It was only when I promised to bring her here that she finally stopped. We didn’t manage to have dinner yet.”
Roxanne scanned his thin shirt and withdrew her gaze.
At the side, Archie looked at Estella concernedly. “We’ve just started eating. Do you want to join us?”
Estella’s eyes lit up, and she nodded fervently. It was at that moment that she finally remembered to ask her father for permission
Lucian hesitated for a few seconds and glanced at Roxanne. “If it’s not too much of a trouble, could you prepare something for her?”
“Do you want to sit between the boys?” Roxanne suggested.
Estella beamed instantly.
Archie and Benny quickly moved their chairs, making some space so Estella could sit between them.
Lucian frowned as he watched Estella sit between the twins.
From his point of view, they looked like a family, while he looked more like a stranger.
After helping Estella to settle down and serving her some food, Roxanne looked at the three children sitting side by side and was all smiles.
However, the gaze of the man beside her sent chills down her spine.
She stopped smiling and turned around to look at Lucian.
As he met her gaze, Lucian composed himself and put on a calm expression.
“What about you?” Roxanne asked casually, repressing her feelings.
Upon hearing that, Lucian put on a look of confusion.
Roxanne averted her gaze and glanced at the dishes on the table. “Have you eaten?”
If Essie made a fuss without having dinner, then he must’ve been busy coaxing her the entire night.
Stunned, Lucian stared at her for some time before narrowing his eyes indifferently. Sounding distant, he answered, “I’m fine. There’s dinner at home. I’ll just heat it up when I get back. It’s just that Essie likes spending time with them. Sorry for troubling you. I’ll just wait in the living room and not disturb you guys.”
With that, he cast the three joyful children a final glance before walking out.
When Roxanne heard his words and noticed he was about to leave on an empty stomach, shecould not help but purse her lips. “There’s enough food for all of us. Besides, Essie will definitely· feel uneasy if her daddy’s not here.”
Estella lifted her head, her eyes filled with nervousness when she saw Lucian walking out.
Without waiting for Lucian’s reply, Roxanne served him a plate of food and placed it on the table. “Come and join us if you don’t mind.”
Archie frowned slightly at the scene, but he said nothing.
Benny, on the other hand, continued eating while secretly glancing at the man in the distance, feeling excited.
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In the past, it had always been the three of them-Roxanne, Archie, Benny-having meals together, occasionally with Madilyn joining in.
However, it was a first for them to have their meal with Lucian.
At that moment, various emotions rose in Archie’s and Benny’s hearts.
Lucian stopped in his tracks and turned around to meet Estella’s glistening eyes. He then shifted his gaze to the seat beside them, which had utensils placed on the table near it. His eyes immediately glinted with emotion.
As the matter of fact, the four of them were indeed a family.
It would seem odd if he were to sit there.
Though that thought passed through his mind, he had already taken his seat by the table before even realizing it.
For some reason, the atmosphere that was originally jolly had become tense. He could not help but wonder if he was the reason for the change.
Archie and Benny fell silent and lowered their heads to eat their food.
Since the boys were not talking to her anymore, Estella lost her appetite. She held her utensils and took tiny bites out of her food.
“Essie, is there something you dislike?” Roxanne asked gently, noticing the change in her behavior.
Hearing that, Estella hurriedly shook her head.
She liked everything Roxanne made.
She just wasn’t in the mood to eat.
Benny knew Estella could not talk. Thus, he put down his utensils and answered on her behalf, “Essie is just like us. She doesn’t like carrots and peppers. She always picks these out in the kindergarten.”
Roxanne smiled kindly. “I’ll help you pick them out, okay?”
A smile reappeared on Estella’s face, and she nodded obediently.
Seeing her response, Roxanne walked over to Estella, picked out the carrots and peppers from the latter’s plate, and placed them on her own. She then watched Estella picking up her spoon again.
Just as Estella was about to continue eating, something tugged the back of her hand, which made her tear up in pain. She stopped moving her arm. lifted her head, and looked at Roxanne pilluny for help.
Noticing the expression on Estella’s face, Roxanne put down her utensils right away. “What’s wrong?”
Estella bit her lip, trying her best to stop herself from crying as she turned over her hand to let Roxanne examine it.
Everyone was stunned as soon as they saw the back of her hand.
Estella had extremely fair skin. As the light shone on the back of her hand, a horrifying red mark could be seen visibly.
Roxanne frowned and asked worriedly, “What happened?”
Estella bit her lip without saying anything.
Roxanne had no choice but to glance at Lucian, who was sitting beside her.
Lucian felt a pang of guilt when he met her questioning gaze. Despite that, he looked as calm as ever. “Did you hurt yourself when you were throwing things just now?”
The worry in Roxanne’s eyes intensified. “Throwing things?”
Lucian said, “Essie doesn’t know how to vent her emotions. Sometimes, when she gets really angry, she’ll throw things to vent it out.”
He could not bring himself to utter the word “autism.”
On top of that, he did not know what her reaction would be once she found out about it.
Surprise flashed through Roxanne’s eyes as she turned to look at Estella to confirm the fact. “Did you hurt yourself?”
Estella hesitated momentarily before nodding gently.
Seeing her admitting to it, Lucian frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Estella shuddered and inched closer to Roxanne, feeling frightened.
Roxanne cast Lucian another displeased glance when she saw Estella’s reaction.
The kid’s injured. How could he still speak to her in such a tone?
“Does it hurt a lot?” Retracting her gaze, Roxanne held Estella’s hand and massaged it gently.
Estella pursed her lips and nodded.
“You’ll be fine. I’ll help you to apply medicine. It won’t hurt in a while.” Roxanne gently released Estella’s hand and instructed her boys, “Keep her company. I’ll get the medical kit.”
The boys nodded immediately and started taking turns telling Estella some interesting things..
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Soon. Roxanne returned with the medical kit, and she carefully applied some medicinal cream
onto Estella’s hand.
Estella was well-behaved throughout the entire process. When it hurt, she would only shrink away a little and would quickly place her hand back.
It made Roxanne’s heart melt incredibly.
After applying the medicine to Estella’s hand, Roxanne immediately occupied the seat beside her.
Archie gave up his seat obediently and carried his plate to sit beside Lucian.
“Is it okay if I feed you?” Roxanne asked Estella for her permission.
Naturally, Estella would not reject it. She nodded with a look of anticipation.
Roxanne picked up Estella’s plate with a smile and started feeding her.
With Roxanne feeding her, Estella’s appetite improved tremendously. She fixed her eyes on Roxanne, opening her mouth to eat anything she fed.
Roxanne’s smile grew wider when she saw how well-behaved Estella was while eating.
Lucian watched their interaction from the opposite end.
Every time Estella’s lips were stained, Roxanne would help her wipe them right away. Even her feeding speed was just right.
Estella’s eyes crinkled as she ate.
For a moment, a mix of emotions flashed through Lucian’s eyes.
Meanwhile, Archie and Benny had been watching everything in silence. They merely thought that Estella looked cute when she ate instead of feeling jealous of her.
When they looked away from her, they glanced at Lucian at the same time.
The next second, they exchanged suspicious glances with each other.
If we’re not mistaken, Daddy has been staring at Mommy. Besides, there doesn’t seem to be any hate in his gaze. Instead, it looks a little… affectionate.
Archie frowned and put down his fork. He picked up the ladle by the side and served Lucian some food while looking at him innocently. “Mr. Farwell, why aren’t you eating? Do eat more!”
Hearing that, Lucian snapped back to his senses and thanked Archie subconsciously, “Thanks.
As soon as he said that and saw the vegetable on his plate, his gaze darkened.
Coincidentally, the vegetable Archie chose was celery.
Lucian looked up and scanned the dishes on the table to find the plate of celery placed quite far from Archie’s reach. It looked as if the latter had served him celery on purpose.
When Archie finished his words, he buried his head in his plate and eyed Lucian from the corner of his eye.
He remembered that celery was the vegetable Lucian hated the most the last time he and Benny looked into his background.
I don’t know why he abandoned Mommy in the past and was looking at her with such a gaze just now. But since he abandoned Mommy, he must be punished. This bit of celery is nothing.
Lucian picked up his fork, looking meaningfully at the boy who served him the vegetable.
Sensing his gaze, Archie lifted his head and met Lucian’s gaze fearlessly.
Lucian raised his brow. For some reason, he sensed that Archie was challenging him.
However, Lucian could not figure out what was the reason for the challenge. Thus, he did not think much about it.,
“Do you dislike celery, Mr. Farwell?” Archie looked at Lucian innocently. His words seemed to be urging the latter.
· Lucian smiled and replied, “No.”
With that, he put the celery into his mouth impassively.
From a certain angle, Archie could not see the look of disgust that flashed through Lucian’s eyes as he swallowed the celery.
Roxanne watched the man put the celery into his mouth. It was too late when he turned away; she saw the look of disgust in his eyes. Suddenly, she felt as if she had returned to the days six years ago.
“You can put it aside if you don’t want to eat it.” Roxanne retracted her gaze and lowered her eyes to conceal her emotions.
The man’s calm voice rang out. “I didn’t say I’m not eating it.”
A mix of emotions swirled within Roxanne, and she kept silent.
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 80
Benny’s eves brightened. Emboldened by Lucian’s acceptance of Archie’s gesture, he tentatively attempted the same.
Taking the plunge, he placed a roast potato on the man’s plate and stared at him expectantly.
The boy’s thoughtful gesture stunned Lucian, as he thought the former would complicate things for him. He offered a grateful smile upon regaining his composure. “Thank you. Have some more potatoes yourself.”
As he spoke, Lucian reciprocated the gesture.
Having remembered the vegetables the boy mentioned not liking earlier, he deliberately avoided those.
Benny’s eyes widened in surprise. “Thank you, Mr. Farwell! I will!”
Daddy gave me food!
Meanwhile, Archie pouted in disdain as he observed their interaction.
Benny is such an idiot. He can’t even see such an obvious ploy of Daddy currying his favor! I won’t be that easily fooled!
The rest of dinner passed with that strange atmosphere hanging over them. Roxanne got up to clear the table when they finished.
Lucian silently helped her put the silverware back in the kitchen drawer out of politeness. Upon completing that task, he stood around hesitantly, as he was unsure what to do next.
Though it stood to reason that he should return with Estella, he thought it would seem inappropriate to just leave after putting Roxanne through the trouble of hosting dinner.
“I can manage on my own,” Roxanne asserted when she noticed his discomfort. “Could you keep an eye on the children?”
Lucian nodded and headed to the living room.
Estella was working with the boys on the final stages of a Lego project they had been working on together.
Having already assembled a section, the children were struggling with the height of where it was supposed to be attached. Roxanne was usually close by to lend a hand after the preliminary assembly was completed on the ground.
As she was busy with the dishes at that moment, the children stood around, figuring out how to circumvent that obstacle.
After a glance around, Archie decided to bring a chair from the dining table.
“Here, let me.” Taking pity on the children, Lucian softened his expression to the best of his
ability and offered Archie a hand.
Archie hesitated for several seconds before handing the assembled part in his hands to the man
Following Archie’s instructions, Lucian took it and snapped it in place.
“Thank you,” Archie said gruffly.
Lucian nodded noncommittally. With one hand in his pocket, he mostly watched the three children amuse themselves with the toy bricks and occasionally lent a hand with the assembly.
In the kitchen, Roxanne was distracted. Instead of the chore at hand, her attention was stubbornly fixed on the group in her living room. She was beginning to regret allowing Lucian to stay after dinner.
Archie and Benny had already revealed too much when they confronted Lucian the last time, so Roxanne felt deeply uneasy about them being alone together.
The way they got along, especially, bothered her a lot.
She was even more afraid that the boys would say something they were not supposed to.
If Lucian finds out that the boys are his…
· Roxanne felt a panic rising in her chest at that very thought.
She could not guarantee that Lucian would not take them away from her.
Given her current status, it would be easy for him to rob her of her sons.
She could not imagine how she would feel then. It was hard enough to conceive of a future without the two boys.
Roxanne began to feel truly frightened.
The bowl slipped through her fingers and fell to the ground before she could react. The crisp sound of shattering glass shook her out of her reverie.
Startled, the four in the living room looked toward the kitchen as one.