Chapter 292: A Clean Break

"You're right. All right, then. I'll go first. See you all," Lucian said, pausing and pursing his lips.

He had unilaterally broken off his engagement with Aubree, but the news wasn't public yet. He planned to tell Archie and Benny later.

Their surprise and disappointment at his ready agreement were palpable.

So, he's really marrying that woman. Does this mean he doesn't want us anymore?

The children's disgruntlement was evident as they curtly replied, "Goodbye, Mr. Farwell."

Lucian was puzzled by their sudden change of attitude. He wondered if he'd done something wrong, besides the Aubree engagement.

Earlier, he'd found Archie and Benny strangely distant, so he'd left them alone. However, his departure seemed to upset them. Seriously What's the matter? he wondered. He couldn't understand their behavior.

He gave up trying to decipher their reactions and reached for Estella's hand. Seeing him approach, she frowned and leaped off the couch. She'd been listening and knew he was taking her home.

He looked at his daughter, who'd dashed three meters away, with resignation.

I should have expected that. Essie is so clingy to Roxanne; there's no way she wants to leave. Besides, she's still traumatized by what happened. Sending the medication today is just an excuse to see Roxanne.

"Come on, Essie. It's time to go home. We'll see Ms. Jarvis another day," Lucian coaxed, his gaze fixed on her.

He'd learned from yesterday's incident not to be too harsh, lest she act rashly again. Despite his gentle pleas, she refused. "No!" she cried stubbornly. "I want to stay with Ms. Jarvis! She's the best!"

To the little girl, Roxanne was her dependable support, having saved her from distress. "If I have to have a mommy, it must be Ms. Jarvis! I don't want anyone else!"

As he suspected, it was all because of Roxanne. Since meeting her, Estella constantly emphasized Roxanne's importance, seemingly more than her own father who'd cared for her for years.

Archie and Benny felt sorry for Estella, understanding her behavior stemmed from recent events. However, they couldn't invite her to stay; Roxanne hadn't spoken.

They regretted hurrying Lucian away. Had they not, Estella could have stayed longer.

An awkward tension filled the living room as Lucian and Estella reached an impasse.

"Essie, I have to work tomorrow. What about I send you to Grandpa and Grandma?" Lucian suggested tenderly, rubbing his brows.

Again, she rejected him, running to Roxanne and clinging to her hand, clearly wanting to stay.

Roxanne's heart softened, but looking at Lucian, she knew she had to let Estella go. As Archie and Benny said, he was soon to be engaged to another woman. It's time we have a clean break.

Next Chapter

The repeated promotional sentence ("Search the FindNovel.net website on Google") has been removed as it's irrelevant to the story's content and disrupts the flow. The italicized sections are the character's internal thoughts, clarifying the narrative. Grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure have been corrected throughout.