Chapter 1232

Lucian's reply surprised Roxanne. She hadn't expected him to allow Essie to stay, or even to ask her to decide.

Immediately after receiving her father's approval, Estella turned to Roxanne. "Ms. Jarvis..."

The boys approached. "Please let Essie stay, Mommy!"

Roxanne hesitated, seeing the anticipation in their eyes. Ultimately, she couldn't refuse.

"Fine. If Essie wants to stay, she can."

Delight brightened the children's faces as they cheered. Roxanne grinned.

Lucian's expression softened as he looked at her. She tensed, her face momentarily frozen under his gaze.

"Since you don't mind, I'll be counting on you to take care of Essie for the next few days, Ms. Jarvis," Lucian said.

Roxanne pursed her lips, then smiled.

Before leaving, he added, "I'll arrive at the research institute at two in the afternoon."

She nodded. "I'll let Dr. Galloway know and ask him to arrive earlier."

After their conversation, Lucian departed. Roxanne and the children watched his car leave before returning to the mansion.

It was nearly two o'clock, so she quickly called Colby. He had just left the surveillance room, having spent the entire night erasing traces of his misconduct. After Roxanne's morning call, informing him of Lucian's impending investigation, he had meticulously reviewed all the surveillance footage. Only after finding no anomalies did he leave, exhausted.

To his surprise, Roxanne called again. "Mr. Farwell will be arriving at two," she said. "You may need to be there a little earlier."

Colby's heart sank. He knew Lucian's arrival was inevitable, but not this soon. Still, he agreed. "Understood. I'm at the institute now; he's free to come whenever."

It was almost two when he ended the call. He immediately returned to the surveillance room to re-check the footage. As he did so, a knock sounded on the door.

"Mr. Farwell has arrived, Dr. Galloway," the receptionist announced, Lucian standing beside her.

Colby's expression changed drastically before he quickly composed himself. He turned to the entrance with a polite smile. "You should have called ahead, Mr. Farwell. I could have greeted you at the entrance."

Lucian's gaze fell on the surveillance footage. "What is this, Dr. Galloway?" he asked.

"I felt something was amiss about yesterday's events," Colby replied. "So I checked the footage hoping to find something unusual. Since you're also investigating yesterday's incident, perhaps we can examine it together?"

Lucian silently regarded him for a few seconds. Colby's heart pounded, but he stifled his anxiety, maintaining a calm façade.