Chapter 20: Her Relationship With That Man

Roxanne fled the room and hid in the stairwell. Leaning against the wall, she panted, touching her aching lips. The man's warmth still lingered.

A moment later, she lowered her eyes self-deprecatingly. Years had passed, and she'd believed her feelings for Lucian were gone. Yet, one meeting had reignited the turmoil in her mind.

After recomposing herself, Roxanne returned to the room. The workers were still partying, only quieting slightly at her entrance. Colby noticed her changed mood.

“Why were you gone so long? Did something happen? Something seems off.”

Roxanne offered a nonchalant smile. “Nothing. I called my son.” She sat down, preventing further questions.

She’d been gone quite a while. Shortly after her return, the party wound down. Unhappy, Roxanne decided to end it. They went downstairs together; everyone said goodbye to Roxanne and Colby.

Soon, only the two remained.

Colby said softly, “I’ll drive you home if you don’t mind. You’ve had quite a bit to drink, and I’m worried.”

Roxanne nodded. “Thank you.”

She hadn’t yet bought a car since returning to the country. I need to get a car soon, she thought.

“It’s my pleasure.”

Colby opened the car door for her. After thanking him again, Roxanne got in.

Meanwhile, at the restaurant entrance, Cayden nervously watched his employer. How coincidental! Roxanne is getting into another man’s car!

As the car drove away, Cayden cautiously observed Lucian’s expression. A grimace contorted his face as he stared at the departing vehicle. A moment later, he looked away, gritting out, “Find out who that man is and his relationship with her.”

Cayden quickly agreed.

By nine o'clock, Lucian returned to the Farwell residence. Estella was nowhere in sight. He frowned slightly. “Where’s Essie?”

Catalina, Estella’s caretaker, descended the stairs. “Mr. Farwell, Ms. Estella has finished her shower and is in her room. Would you like to see her?”

Lucian nodded and started toward the stairs.

Catalina hesitated. “Mr. Farwell, there’s something else… Ms. Estella had a bruise on her wrist when she came home. She wouldn’t tell me anything. I’m concerned she might have been bullied at kindergarten. You should look into it.”

Lucian narrowed his eyes. “I understand. I’ll go see her.”

He quickened his pace to Estella’s room and knocked. She opened the door, showing little reaction to his presence. After opening the door, she turned and went back to her previous activity.

Lucian followed. She returned to her table and drawing. He didn’t disturb her, noticing her focus. After waiting until she put down her pencil, he said, “Catalina said you’re hurt. Let me see.”

Changes Made:

• Chapter Title: Improved capitalization and formatting.
• Sentence Structure: Combined short, choppy sentences for better flow. Removed redundant phrases like "After a while of recomposing herself later."
• Word Choice: Replaced less formal words (e.g., "partying away") with more appropriate alternatives.
• Punctuation: Corrected inconsistent punctuation, particularly comma usage.
• Paragraphing: Improved paragraph breaks for better readability.
• Dialogue: Improved quotation marks and dialogue tags for clarity.
• Internal Thoughts: Italicized Cayden's and Roxanne's internal thoughts.
• Removed Advertisement: The promotional text was removed.

The revised passage is more polished and reads more smoothly.