After sitting in the living room for a while, Lucian instructed Catalina to get Estella down for dinner. Estella had been in her room, obediently thinking about Sonya's words. Anticipation filled her as she fantasized about Roxanne becoming her mother.

During dinner, she asked, "Daddy, are you going to marry Ms. Jarvis?" She gazed at him expectantly. Since returning, Estella had been unusually quiet, speaking only a few words at a time, despite her usual loquacity with him. This was the first time she'd spoken such a long sentence.

Lucian was taken aback. Realizing her question, and considering Estella's positive attitude toward Roxanne, he asked, "Do you like her?"

Estella nodded. "I like Ms. Jarvis the most!"

Seeing the joy on Estella's face, Lucian frowned slightly. "What do you like about her?" He was surprised by Estella's apparent dependence on Roxanne, who she seemed to favor even over him, considering their limited time together. He attributed it to a budding mother-daughter bond.

Estella, never having considered this before, tilted her head thoughtfully. After a pause, she counted on her fingers: "Ms. Jarvis is beautiful, gentle, cooks well, and she is very nice to me"

Lucian's response was a mixture of emotions. "But Ms. Jarvis has two sons. Do you want them to stay with us, too?" Archie and Benny's presence still troubled him. While he liked them and they were well-behaved, he felt sorry for them, considering their father's abandonment of them and their mother.

Estella, however, wore an innocent expression. Her eyes sparkled. "Archie and Benny are very nice to me, and I like them a lot, too! I like Ms. Jarvis, and I also like Archie and Benny!"

She then returned to her initial question, looking at Lucian expectantly. "So, are you going to marry Ms. Jarvis, Daddy? I want Ms. Jarvis to be my mommy!" She added, thoughtfully, "If not, why would Daddy ask me so many questions about Ms. Jarvis?" This fueled her hope that Roxanne would become her mother. "But why is Daddy taking so long to answer me?" Her anticipation waned, and confusion filled her eyes. "Daddy?" she urged cautiously.

Lucian, snapping back to reality, avoided her gaze. His expression darkened. "No," he said. "At least, not for the time being."

Estella, refusing to give up, frowned, remembering Sonya's words. "But Grandma said—" that Daddy wanted to marry Ms. Jarvis.

Before she could finish, Lucian interrupted in a low voice, "It was just a misunderstanding." He ended the conversation, filling Estella's plate. "Let's eat. Rest early afterward."

Estella's earlier excitement stemmed from her belief that Lucian would make Roxanne her mother. His answer deflated her. She dejectedly finished her food, then silently returned to her room.

Seeing her dejection, Lucian knitted his brows and fell silent.