Chapter 1144

Roxanne felt utterly helpless. Lucian's rejection of her call was unexpected, especially given his anger towards her. Pamela's words forced Roxanne to reluctantly put Estella down. The child immediately clung to Roxanne's leg, refusing to be separated.

"Essie, come here," Pamela said, crouching and extending her arms. But Estella remained fixated on Roxanne, ignoring Pamela completely. The situation left Pamela awkwardly questioning Roxanne's relationship with Estella.

Roxanne patted Estella's head. "Be a good girl and go to your teacher, Essie."

Estella shook her head vehemently, showing Roxanne her injured hand. "My hand hurts," she whined.

The red mark on Estella's hand pained Roxanne. Gently stroking it, she told Pamela, "Please help Essie apply some medication. Her hand was stepped on earlier."

Pamela, unaware of the incident, quickly examined Estella's hand. Seeing the mark, her face fell. "Essie, what happened? Who bullied you?" Horrified, she realized she'd been oblivious to the injury sustained in her classroom.

Estella remained silent, her lips pursed.

Roxanne explained, "It was the children earlier. I've already dealt with them, but please keep a closer eye on Essie. She's not very sociable and shouldn't be bullied."

Pamela nodded vigorously, increasingly convinced of Roxanne's close connection to Estella. Unsure of Roxanne's shifting explanations, Pamela turned to Estella. "Essie, who is this lady to you?" Adding a warning, she said, "If you don't tell me, I'll have to call the police."

Estella's response was immediate: "Mommy!"

Pamela felt a cold sweat break out. First, the woman claimed to be Estella's mother, then her aunt, and now, Essie called her "Mommy."

Pamela abruptly stood, retrieving her phone. Assuming a police report was imminent, Roxanne didn't intervene. She knew her identity was questionable, lacking any concrete proof.

The call connected. Instead of the police, Pamela said, "Mr. Farwell."

Roxanne froze. Already emotionally drained from her earlier call with Lucian, she was completely unprepared for this. Pamela's call, and Lucian's swift answer, were both shocking. He had just hung up on her...

Lucian spoke to Pamela, who explained, "A lady came to the kindergarten looking for Essie, and they seem close. The problem is, this lady first claimed to be Essie's mother, then her aunt. I couldn't verify her identity, so I called you."

Hearing Pamela recount her earlier claim of being Estella's mother sent a fresh wave of cold sweat over Roxanne.