Chapter 2004: Had It Coming

Back in the living room, Roxanne chatted with the children about names for their future siblings.

“If it’s a girl, can we call her Dawn? I’m Essie, so I want my little sister to be called Dawnie,” Estella suggested.

Archie and Benny found the name too simple, preferring something more meaningful.

“Mommy, Archie and Benny’s names are too simple, too. Why did you choose those names for them?” Estella asked, puzzled.

Benny quickly replied, “Isn’t it obvious? Mommy gave us names that are easy to remember, to make us more memorable, the same way Daddy left an unforgettable impression on Mommy.”

“That’s clearly not the case,” Archie countered. He offered a guess. “Mommy, did you draw inspiration from one of your favorite shows?”

Roxanne was taken aback by their questions. She simply felt the names were catchy and hadn't given them much thought.

Hearing their conversation, Lucian found their discussion interesting and interjected, “Essie’s name was chosen by your great-grandfather. He said he wanted you to shine bright like a star.”

“Daddy, what do you think our future siblings’ names should be?”

The three children looked at their father expectantly.

Lucian furrowed his brows, several ideas popping into his mind. He hesitated, unsure which was best. Ultimately, he returned the question to the children. “How about this? You guys each come up with two names, one for a boy and one for a girl. Once you’ve decided, we’ll have the whole family, including your grandparents, vote on them. Then, we’ll adopt the name with the most votes. What do you think?”

The children liked the fair voting method and readily agreed.

“I’ll look up names in poetry!” Archie hurried upstairs.

“I’ll search classic literature books!” Benny followed close behind.

“I-I’ll find names in storybooks!” Estella, unwilling to be left out, immediately followed them.

The living room fell silent. Lucian sat down, and Roxanne poured him a cup of coffee.

“How is he? Has he left?” she asked impassively. She no longer wished to concern herself with Grant’s fate; her only hope was that he wouldn’t disturb her current happiness.

“He didn’t leave. He fainted. I had the bodyguards watch him.” Lucian took a sip of coffee, wondering if he should tell his wife about Grant’s confession. Roxanne was a renowned doctor; she could easily determine if he genuinely suffered from a terminal illness. If Grant was lying, he was truly an appalling sinner. Subconsciously, Lucian believed Grant was being honest.

Roxanne frowned. “You could have asked someone to send him to the hospital if he fainted. Did he admit to taking money from the Crawford family’s scion?”

Lucian nodded and decided to be frank with Roxanne.

“If he’s just pretending, I’ll kick him out immediately. However, he told me he has a terminal illness and doesn’t have much longer to live. Therefore, he wanted to see you and apologize in person,” Lucian said gently.

Roxanne was stunned, falling into a momentary daze. Doubt filled her eyes, but her lips quivered.

“Is that true? Huh. I never thought his retribution would come so soon. He’s only in his early fifties.” Roxanne let out a long, internal sigh. This sigh is for my mother. Back then, that man abandoned his wife and daughter, brought a mistress into our house, and ruined our once-happy family. He had it coming.