Jonathan had been pondering a question ever since learning that Roxanne was Lucian's ex-wife, who had left without a word. He finally voiced it: "What's Dr. Jarvis's relationship with Essie? I've never seen Essie so reliant on anyone."

Lucian, though Jonathan didn't explicitly ask, understood his implication. He replied mildly, "Essie's her daughter."

Jonathan had suspected this, but hearing it confirmed from Lucian was impactful. It took him a moment to recover. Roxanne's departure date, Estella's age, and their close bond had led him to suspect Estella was Roxanne's daughter. However, Roxanne's seemingly ordinary interactions with Estella had prevented him from jumping to conclusions. Lucian's confirmation, therefore, was perplexing.

"So Dr. Jarvis doesn't know? She gave birth to the girl, but she has no idea?" Jonathan struggled to comprehend. He hesitantly asked, "Dr. Jarvis doesn't know, does she?"

Lucian nodded. "Something happened; neither Essie nor Roxanne knows."

The more Jonathan considered it, the more absurd it seemed. "Why don't you tell them?"

He reasoned, "If Dr. Jarvis knew Essie was her daughter, she might remarry Lucian for Essie's sake. Things wouldn't be so complicated." Lucian's gaze darkened. "She has two sons."

Initially, he'd hesitated because of her sons and because he'd believed Roxanne knew Estella was her daughter. Later, he realized a misunderstanding had occurred, but the opportunity to clarify had passed. Now Roxanne avoided him. Telling her would only cause more distress.

Jonathan knew Roxanne had two children but had never met them. He murmured, "We don't know what Dr. Jarvis has been through. I'm curious about her children's background."

Lucian remained silent, his gaze downcast. The children's history was still a mystery to him.

Jonathan, sensing Lucian's desire to end the conversation and having received his answer, changed the subject. "Regardless, Dr. Jarvis is Essie's biological mother. I'll help Essie; you can leave Dr. Jarvis to me."

Lucian visibly relaxed, nodding. "Thank you."

Jonathan smiled. "My thanks require a celebratory meal."

Lucian returned the smile and agreed.

It was late, and their discussion concluded. They left the restaurant. Downstairs, the server approached to settle the bill. Jonathan raised an eyebrow. "Put it on Mr. Farwell's tab."

The server looked at Lucian, who nodded. The server bowed respectfully before they departed.

Back at the Queen residence, Jonathan remembered his promise to help Roxanne. He contacted several herb suppliers in Horington, associated with and protected by Queen Group. After offering incentives and veiled threats, they agreed to consider working with the VR Research Institute.

The final two lines, advertising FindNovel.net, have been removed as they are irrelevant to the text itself.