Lucian strode into the kindergarten, late and unaware of the boys in the car. He immediately saw two figures by the slide: Estella, clinging to Roxanne.
"Mr. Farwell, you're here!" the teacher greeted respectfully.
Lucian nodded, approached them, glanced at his daughter, and stared coldly at Roxanne. "Why are you here?"
Roxanne, sensing his hostility, frowned in confusion. The teacher, surprised, asked, "Do you know each other?" She'd assumed Roxanne didn't know Estella, but Estella's dependence on Roxanne made it less surprising.
Roxanne nodded at the teacher without answering and then addressed Lucian. "I came to pick up my boys. Your daughter refused to let go of my clothes, forcing me to stay."
Lucian's expression darkened at the words "your daughter." How can she say such a thing in front of her daughter? What a heartless woman! he thought.
Roxanne, unaware of her offense, noticed the change in Lucian's expression as he turned to Estella. "Come here," he said grimly, extending a hand.
Estella glanced at his hand, then gave Roxanne a reluctant, pitiful look. Just when I finally got to be with her, why does Daddy have to be so fierce? she thought.
Lucian's expression grew darker as Estella refused to release Roxanne. Finally, Roxanne tousled Estella's hair. "Your daddy's here, and I have to go. You should go home with him."
Roxanne stood, ready to leave, but Estella clung to her, pleading. She inexplicably loved being with Roxanne and wanted to go home with her.
The tension escalated. Before the teacher could intervene, Lucian approached Estella. "Estella Farwell, let go and come home with me," he commanded authoritatively.
Shaken, Estella tightened her grip on Roxanne and leaned closer. Standing near the edge of the slide, she lost her balance while shifting her legs, and Roxanne quickly caught her. Estella refused to let go, so Roxanne hugged her.
Calming Estella, Roxanne frowned. "Lucian, if you're upset with me, take it out on me, not the child."
Lucian, having seen the incident, hadn't reached Estella in time. He retorted, "How I treat my daughter is none of your business. Don't think her liking you gives you the right to interfere."
The tension was explosive. Roxanne's expression darkened, anger welling within her.
I removed the extraneous promotional text. I also corrected grammatical errors, improved sentence structure, and tightened the prose for better flow. The italicized text represents Lucian's internal thoughts.