The Abandoned Wife

Entwined Destinies: Echoes of Change

Thankfully, Lucian wasn't insistent and put his daughter down on the ground as she wanted. However, just as he was about to reach for Estella's hand, he realized she had already scampered away.For a moment, Lucian was stunned as he subconsciously turned to look behind him.To his surprise, he saw Roxanne and the rest smiling fondly at Estella, with the former even walking toward the little girl.It was a rare sight as Estella ran toward the school's entrance while waving wordlessly at Roxanne and the boys.Seeing that the little girl was too caught up in the excitement to care about road safety, Roxanne quickly rushed over to hold her hand. When she saw Lucian walking calmly toward them, she couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness.Estella grinned from ear to ear as she held Roxanne's hand. Once they stopped walking, she even hugged the latter's leg affectionately.Archie and Benny weren't jealous either and greeted Estella with big, friendly smiles.When Lucian finally came to stand beside them, Benny boldly tugged at his suit sleeve.Puzzled, the man lowered his head to look at the boy."Good morning, Mr. Farwell!" Benny exclaimed, flashing an innocent grin.Lucian raised his eyebrows slightly, but his surprise soon turned to gentleness. "Oh, good morning to you too."Having gotten his father's reply, Benny smiled even brighter.Archie, however, merely pursed his lips and gave Lucian a nod.Of course, Lucian returned the greeting in the same manner.Upon seeing how close the two families seemed, Pippa mused, "Wow, Ms. Jarvis, I suppose you must be on excellent terms with Estella. That's pretty rare, you know? I've taught her for so long, yet she's never been this clingy with me."Roxanne glanced at the little girl holding her leg and simply answered with a chuckle.Estella refused to leave Roxanne's side, but that didn't matter since it was still early, and not many children had arrived at the kindergarten.Thus, Roxanne and the kids decided to remain standing at the door to chat with Pippa.Fortunately, Lucian had called the kindergarten head the night before to scrap the twins' expulsion, so Pippa never once mentioned how close Archie and Benny had been to getting kicked out of school.Naturally, Roxanne continued to be kept in the dark.After the three kids held hands and walked into school together, Roxanne turned around to prepare to leave. Alas, she felt her heart skip a beat when she accidentally met Lucian's gaze.She had been chatting with Pippa for so long that she almost forgot that Lucian was standing quietly behind her.*If there's nothing else, I'll be off to work, Mr. Farwell," Roxanne uttered, striding off before Lucian could even say anything.As he watched her retreating figure, Lucian's gaze darkened.The sight of Roxanne and the three kids chatting with Pippa earlier had left him in a daze. To him, it felt as though they were a family.Only after Roxanne had sped off in her car did Lucian finally gather his thoughts and walk to his BentleyAfter leaving the kindergarten, Roxanne made a beeline for the research institute.Thanks to the Queen family's supply of herbs, the once-stagnant research gradually got back on track and continued to progress smoothly.Roxanne kept herself busy the entire morning, and by the time Jonathan called, it was already noon."Dr. Jarvis, what time will you be dropping by this afternoon? I'll wait for you at home."Hearing that, Roxanne suddenly recalled her appointment with Alfred for his treatment.Oh my gosh. I've been so busy this morning that if it weren't for Jonathan's reminder, I'd have forgotten something as important as this.Snapping herself out of it, Roxanne glanced at the work she had left and gave Jonathan a time.Despite that, she made it a point to arrive earlier before her appointment that afternoon.The Queens' butler was already acquainted with Roxanne and knew her treatment was working wonders for Alfred's health. As such, his attitude toward her underwent a one-eighty, and he now treated her with the utmost respect.Roxanne had only just stepped into the house when her brows furrowed at the person sitting on the couch."We meet again, Ms. Jarvis," Aubree piped up.Even though she was wearing a smile, there was no hiding the cold glint in her eyes.Roxanne quickly composed herself and shifted her gaze from Aubree to Jonathan.Sharp-eyed as usual, it didn't take long for Jonathan to notice the awkwardness between the two women. He casually approached Roxanne, making sure to block Aubree's line of sight as he did."Dr. Jarvis, my grandfather is already waiting for you upstairs. Shall we go up now?"Roxanne nodded.With that, Jonathan turned to Aubree to excuse himself and began walking toward the stairs with Roxanne in tow.As soon as the two of them got to the stairway, Aubree spoke up again. "Ms. Jarvis, I heard that your course of treatment has helped Old Mr. Queen a lot. I think I shall use this chance to visit him and see you work your magic."Right after saying that, Aubree followed behind them.Roxanne knitted her brows, clearly displeased. However, since Jonathan didn't object to it, she had no choice but to pretend that Aubree didn't exist.Under Roxanne's treatment, Alfred had recovered a fair bit, so much so that he was well enough to move back into his bedroom.When they got to his room, they found Alfred propped up in bed and looking like he was in good spirits."Grandpa, Dr. Jarvis is here," Jonathan announced as he led Roxanne to the bed.After hearing that, Alfred peered at Roxanne with a grateful smile. "Dr. Jarvis, thank you so much for treating me. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't still be alive today."Alfred had seen Roxanne during the previous treatments, but he had been so weak that he could barely talk. Now that he had recuperated for a couple of days, he finally found the energy to thank the latter personally."Don't mention it, Old Mr. Queen," Roxanne replied with a polite smile. "After all, I'm a doctor, and you're my patient. I feel just as happy and accomplished to see you on the road to recovery."Without further ado, she sat by the bed and began sterilizing her tools.Seeing how focused she was, Alfred's appreciation for her instantly grew beyond words.Of course, Aubree was upset at Alfred's reaction and quickly walked up to him to block his view of Roxanne. "Hello, Old Mr. Queen."Alfred finally noticed Aubree's presence and nodded at her. "Oh, Aubree, you're here too.""When I heard that you've woken up, I really wanted to visit you sooner," Aubree said as she sat beside Alfred. "But I've been so busy at work that I couldn't find the time to drop by. Thankfully, Imanaged to free up my schedule today, so I rushed here immediately."'The next second. Aubree glanced at Roxanne and added, "Lucian was supposed to come too, but he's swamped with work and told me to send you his regards. We're all just relieved to know that you've gotten better."Alfred beamed with gratitude. "You and Lucian are good kids. You're both busy with work, yet you still put in so much effort to find me a doctor.""There's no need to stand on ceremony with us, Old Mr. Queen," Aubree lightly chided. "You're like a grandfather to Lucian and me. It's only right that we do everything we can for you."Even as she was talking, Aubree's gaze lingered on Roxanne, her eyes full of pride and conceit.It was evident from the conversation that Alfred had already regarded Aubree and Lucian as a family. Rationally speaking, Roxanne knew their relationship had nothing to do with her. However, for some inexplicable reason, she just couldn't shrug off the strange feeling inside her.After sterilizing all her tools, Roxanne tamped down her emotions and walked toward Alfred and Aubree. "Please step aside, Ms. Pearson. I'm going to start the treatment now."Aubree was still happily chatting away with Alfred when Roxanne's voice had the latter turning his attention back to her.Left with no other choice, Aubree slowly put her smile away and stepped back with her teeth gritted.