It was almost noon, but Jonathan had not been able to come up with a solution. He could only advise Lucian, “Whatever you say or do, remember to tone down your attitude. Don’t confront her head-on.”
Lucian frowned but acknowledged at once. After ending the call, Lucian went downstairs and drove to Roxanne’s research institute.
In the meantime, Roxanne got up, ready to depart to the café when most of her staff had left the building.
Before stepping out of the research institute, she stopped in her track as something popped up in her mind. She then returned to her office to retrieve the roses. I might as well give him back the flowers since I’m meeting him.
She was relieved that no one saw her walking with a bouquet of roses. When Roxanne was about to walk to the car park after leaving the research institute, she saw a Bentley at the entrance of the building.
Noticing her from a distance, the man immediately got out of the car and walked toward her.
Roxanne’s expression stiffened when she saw the man coming in her direction. Didn’t I tell him to meet me at the cafe? What on earth is he doing here? It’s as if he’s still unhappy with the damage done when he sent the bouquet over this morning!
“It’s noon now, so I feel we should have a proper meal instead. That’s why I came here to fetch you,” Lucian explained as if he knew what she was thinking.
Upon hearing that, Roxanne snapped back to reality. With a frown, she responded, “No thanks. Let’s just grab a quick coffee.”
She wanted to avoid having lunch with Lucian because she did not want to spend more time with him.
However, Lucian acted as if her words fell on deaf ears as he continued, “What would you like to eat? I’ll reserve a table now.”
Roxanne gave him a puzzled look.
She was unsure if her mind was playing tricks on her, but somehow, she felt Lucian looked slightly different from how he used to carry himself.
“That won’t be necessary. I don’t feel like eating. I’m asking you out so we can clear things up once and for all.” Roxanne reiterated her motive icily before giving him back the bouquet. “Your flowers. Please take it back.”
Lucian, who was busy scrolling through his phone, froze instantly. He lifted his eyes and looked over. A hard glint flashed across his eyes.
When he noticed her carrying the bouquet from a distance earlier, he had already expected her to return the flowers to him.
However, he intentionally diverted her attention so that she would forget about the flowers. Should that happen, he would be in a foul mood.
Yet, the woman was not going to give up easily. Inching closer, she placed the bouquet in front of him. “Here.”
After a stand-off, Lucian finally reached out his hand to retrieve the flowers with a deadpan expression. “I’m sad that you refused to accept the bouquet. To make it up to me, please have lunch with me.”
Roxanne studied his expression but did not see a hint of sadness on his face. “I’m sorry, I-”
When she was about to reject his offer, Lucian interrupted, “I didn’t have breakfast this morning. My stomach is growling now.”
He started frowning while playing the sympathy card. “You want me to drink coffee with you on an empty stomach, Ms. Jarvis?” As his words fell, Lucian gazed into the woman’s eyes.
He came out with the idea on the spot. According to Jonathan, resorting to tactics that could tug at her heartstrings might work.
In the past, Lucian would have looked down on such a dirty trick, but the woman’s attitude left him with no choice other than to resort to this tactic.
Upon hearing that, Roxanne hesitated for a moment. Swallowing her words, she sized the man up while knitting her brows.
