The Abandoned Wife

Tangled Bonds: Echoes of the Past

Aubree, seated on the couch, leaped to her feet when she saw them crossing the threshold. She bent down and tried to touch Estella's head, which the latter did her best to avoid.Aubree's eyes flashed with displeasure, which she quickly hid by straightening up with a smile."What's the matter?" Lucian studied her intently. His tone remained indifferent.Aubree gave him a casual smile. "I want to thank you again for lending us someone today. You helped us out of a jam there, and Dad had me come over to offer our gratitude personally."She was going to add something else after a brief pause, but Lucian cut her off, "Is the matter resolved?"Aubree was momentarily dumbfounded by his bluntness. She nodded with a smile that now seemed rather forced. "Well, the little trouble we had kept us busy until the afternoon. I hope it didn't interfere with your business."Lucian nodded. "There are plenty of employees in Farwell Group, and the absence of one wouldn't make a difference. There's no need to thank me."Without waiting for her response, he strode past her with Estella.Aubree's features contorted with fury, but they softened again when she regained her senses a few moments later."Nevertheless, you have helped me resolve something huge. I didn't know what to get you, so I brought a little present for Estella instead. Don't worry. I didn't spend a fortune. Think of it as a token of my appreciation."As she spoke, she took out a limited edition doll from the bag on the couch. Its delicate packaging caused Lucian to recognize it as one in a set that Estella had in her room.Aware that his daughter loved those dolls, he stopped to see if she wanted to accept the gift.Unexpectedly, Essie did not even look up. Instead, she tightened her grip on her father's hand and edged closer to him.Lucian understood at once. He met Aubree's eves to decline her gift. "Thank you for the doll, but she already has this one. Besides, she's thrown a tantrum at me earlier. Forgive us for not being in the mood to entertain."Aubree's expression was a little stiff. She put away her things with a smile that looked more like a grimace before looking at Estella with concern. "What is she angry about this time?"Having hit multiple dead ends in trying to interact with the girl before, Aubree did not try very hard this time for fear that Lucian would see through her falsities. Instead, she directed her question toward him."Oh, something small," Lucian said curtly before looking away, plainly not intending to divulge specific details.Maybe he thinks it's not my place to be privy to such matters.Aubree's hand holding the gift bag clenched into a fist. Her nails sank deep into her flesh as she forced a smile. "Is that so? Did you return this late because you took her for a fun night out?"Lucian frowned. "It's getting late. You should leave if there isn't anything else I can do for you. Essie needs her sleep."Aubree opened her mouth again, but no excuse came to her lips. She could only watch Lucian lead Estella past her as they made their way upstairs.Aubree appeared unmistakably grim as she exited the mansion.Her bodyguard, also her driver, noticed her expression and decided to tread lightly. "Do you wish to return home, Ms. Pearson?"Aubree glared at him. "I want you to find out where Lucian was tonight with that little b*tch of his!"The bodyguard shuddered before obliging her hastily.The following morning, Aubree was having breakfast when her bodyguard called."Ms. Pearson, I've checked it out. Last night, Mr. Farwell took Ms. Estella to a woman surnamed Jarvis. They stayed at her place for almost three hours before leaving—"Alas, before the bodyguard could finish his sentence, the beeping of a disconnected call rang out from the other end.There was no doubt in Aubree's mind that the woman in question was Roxanne Jarvis.The more she pictured Lucian and Roxanne spending time together, the more her face twisted with anger.What could they have done in that three hours? I can't believe they had Estella with them too!A fresh swell of rage rose in Aubree as she stood up and flung her phone away, her eyes full of crazed fury.Samuel, who was eating his breakfast opposite her, looked up with a frown when he heard the commotion.To his surprise, he saw his daughter standing menacingly by the table while her phone lay on the floor, smashed to smithereens."What's going on?" Samuel asked sternly after setting his cutlery down.Aubree met her father's gaze and gritted her teeth. "Roxanne Jarvis is back, and Lucian has been keeping his distance from me recently! I think he has plans to reconcile with her!" she grumbled, sounding somewhat pitiful toward the end.Samuel's gaze darkened instantly. "Do Elias and Sonya know about this?"As far as he knew, Roxanne had run off without saying goodbye back then, leaving only a divorce agreement behind.For that reason, Elias and Sonya strongly resented her.Now that Roxanne had shamelessly returned to their son, one could only imagine how they'd react if they found out about it.Upon hearing her father's words, Aubree's brow twitched as a thought flashed through her mind."Find an opportunity to inform the Farwells about that woman's return," Samuel suggested, which helped to affirm Aubree's idea. "I'm sure they're very unhappy with her."With that, Aubree nodded and slowly went back to her seat.Seeing that his daughter had calmed down, Samuel knitted his brows and advised earnestly, . "That woman has only just come back, so we can't be sure what intentions Lucian has toward her. Don't get yourself all worked up over nothing. Besides, Elias and Sonya know how loyal you'vebeen to their son and how much you've done for him. Even if that woman comes into the picture, they'd still be on your side. You have nothing to fear."After hearing Samuel's reassuring words, Aubree felt a lot more at ease and visibly regained her composure. "Got it. I'll remember to keep my cool."Meanwhile, Roxanne had finished her breakfast and sent Archie and Benny to the kindergarten.When the teacher, Pippa Ward, saw the three of them, a concerned look crept across her face. "How are Archie and Benny? Are they feeling better?"Roxanne smiled and nodded. "Yes, they've recovered. Thanks for your concern."The two boys looked up at Pippa and greeted her politely, "Good morning, Ms. Ward!"Naturally, Pippa's eyes filled with adoration at how well-behaved and sensible the kids were.Amid their conversation, the sound of a car door opening and closing suddenly rang out.Everyone instantly turned to look, only to see a Bentley parked conspicuously on the street.Lucian had stepped out of the car and scooped Estella from the backseat into his arms.Even though he wanted to carry her to the entrance, Estella struggled to get down as soon as she saw Roxanne and her sons.