The next day, Roxanne was so busy working at the research institute that it was already seven in the evening when she got home. Upon entering the house, she froze in surprise when she saw Lucian standing in the living room
I remember agreeing to rehearse the stage play after the kids got off school, but I didn’t think he’d just let himself in without informing me beforehand…
“Mommy!” Archie and Benny called out to her excitedly when they realized she was home. They then gave Estella’s hand a gentle tug, prompting her to turn around.
Estella had a disappointed expression on her face at first, but her eyes lit up the moment she saw Roxanne:
“Ms. Jarvis!” Estella shouted as she ran over and threw herself at Roxanne before Archie and Benny could.
Suppressing her discomfort, Roxanne patted Estella on the head and asked, “When did you come over, Essie?”
“She came home together with us!” Archie and Benny replied before Estella could.
Noticing the frown on Roxanne’s face, they continued explaining, “Essie really wanted to see you, so we let her come home with us, but she got a little unhappy because of how late you came home, Mommy.”.
Estella was so happy to see her that she didn’t even hear what Archie and Benny were saying
Roxanne’s heart softened up when she saw Estella staring at her like that. “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting because of work, Essie.”
Estella shook her head.
She was happy as long as she got to see Roxanne.
She only got unhappy earlier because she thought Roxanne was avoiding her again.
After a few minutes of watching them have fun, Lucian made his way over to them with a blank look on his face.
The smile on Roxanne’s face was frozen in place when she noticed him approaching. She then met his gaze with a distant look in her eyes. “Mr. Farwell.”
Lucian nodded slightly and asked, “Essie came looking for you in a hurry right after school was over, so she hasn’t eaten anything yet. Could you please prepare a set of utensils for her?”.
Naturally, Roxanne wouldn’t refuse a request like that.
Feeling excited that Roxanne was going to let Estella join them for dinner, Archie and Benny grabbed Estella’s hand and ran into the dining room.
Roxanne simply shook her head and smiled when she saw their reaction.
I’ve never seen them run toward the dining room so eagerly… They must be really happy, huh?
The smile on her face slowly vanished when she recalled that Lucian was still standing next to her.
Just like that, the living room fell into an awkward silence.
Even after she changed into her slippers, Lucian was still standing there with an emotionless look on his face.
Roxanne then glanced at the kids and nodded at him before making her way into the dining room.
The kids stopped playing when they saw her coming and just sat there staring at her.
Noticing that Archie and Benny had reserved a seat for her next to Estella, Roxanne sat down beside her. She then instinctively glanced at the living room and saw Lucian sitting on the couch all by himself.
Because he had his side facing them, she couldn’t get a clear view of his facial expression.
As if he had detected her gaze, Lucian turned his head and looked in her direction.
