Chapter 1154

Roxanne gave the two people before her cold looks. When Aubree met Roxanne's gaze, a strange sensation struck her, and she subconsciously clamped her mouth shut. Lucian, in contrast, scowled gloomily.

A while later, Roxanne curled her lips self-deprecatingly. "Don't worry, Ms. Pearson," she said, "I understand. I'll stay away from Essie from now on, but I hope you'll take good care of her and prevent this from happening again." She then left for her car without waiting for a response.

Lucian's brows furrowed as he watched her go. He wished she hadn't left so abruptly, but considering her earlier expression, he couldn't bring himself to ask her to stay.

Aubree hadn't expected Roxanne to rebuke her in front of Lucian before leaving. Her expression stiffened as she watched Roxanne's car disappear. She then turned to Lucian. "Lucian…"

Visibly impatient, Lucian retorted, "What else? You were responsible for Essie's school transport. Didn't her teacher tell you anything about her situation?"

Overwhelmed with guilt, Aubree lowered her gaze. "Ms. Yaxley mentioned Essie seemed down lately, but I didn't think much of it. I assumed it was her usual behavior. It never occurred to me something like this could happen."

"If Roxanne hadn't intervened," Lucian questioned coldly, "what do you think would have happened to Essie?"

Aubree hastily tried to deflect blame. "Lucian, I truly didn't know. You're aware of Essie's disposition; she's never very enthusiastic. Besides, something similar happened on her first day of kindergarten. Ms. Yaxley only said Essie wasn't engaged in class, so I thought…"

Lucian's expression darkened. He understood her implication—that Pamela hadn't investigated Estella's situation thoroughly. "When were you planning to tell me, if I hadn't asked?"

His sharp words left Aubree speechless. After a moment, she stammered, "I shouldn't have neglected it; I should have told you immediately." She quickly added, "Lucian, I truly care about Essie. I was in a meeting, but I rushed over as soon as I received Ms. Yaxley's message—"

Lucian cut her off irritably. "If Essie interferes with your work at Pearson Group, perhaps it's best I handle Essie's affairs myself from now on."

Aubree froze. Lucian's engagement proposal hinged on Estella's acceptance of her. If he excluded her from Estella's life, she'd have no way to gain the little girl's affection, jeopardizing their engagement.

"Lucian, please give me another chance! I won't let this happen again!" Aubree pleaded, reaching for his arm.

He evaded her touch. "If this happens again, I'll publicly announce the termination of our engagement."

Aubree's heart sank, but she soon realized he was giving her a second chance. Relieved, she sighed and nodded fervently.