Lucian glared at Aubree silently for a few seconds. Aubree dug her nails into her palm, suppressing her emotions.

"You'd better not be lying," she said.

Lucian averted his gaze and turned to Cayden. "Did the police contact you?"

Cayden's voice was grim. "Not yet."

He glanced at Lucian carefully. "Could someone have kidnapped Ms. Estella?" Concern was evident in his voice. Estella was Lucian's beloved daughter, prominent in the Farwell family, making her a target for his rivals. She had been nearly kidnapped before. Now, she was missing, and the police couldn't find her. Cayden suspected the worst—kidnapping.

Lucian's gaze darkened. "Increase manpower and expand the search area. I want her found by the end of the day!"

"Got it!" Cayden responded loudly, feeling a chill as he sensed his employer's mounting fury.

Lucian spun to leave when his phone rang. He was about to reject the call from an unknown number when he remembered Cayden's words and answered.

A female voice said, "Hello."

Lucian narrowed his eyes suspiciously. The voice sounded familiar, reminding him of the figure he'd seen at the airport that afternoon.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Roxanne repeated after a moment.

Lucian replied curtly, "Yeah." His monosyllabic response was too brief for Roxanne to recognize him.

Roxanne sighed with relief. "Hello. I found a little girl who gave me your number. You must be her father. Are you free to pick her up now?"

Her voice was clear and resonant, but the colder Lucian's gaze became as she spoke. By the time she finished, his eyes were glacial. It was her! Roxanne Jarvis, and years hadn't changed his ability to recognize her.

Gritting his teeth, Lucian lowered his voice. "Where are you?"

"We're at Drunken Fairy. We'll wait here with her. Will you come?" Roxanne replied immediately.

"Yes. I'll be there soon," Lucian said, ending the call. "Get the car. We're going to Drunken Fairy."

Cayden, unaware of Lucian's sudden fury, hastily agreed.

Roxanne stared at her phone as the screen dimmed, feeling inexplicably nervous. The man's voice had been hoarse and familiar. Unable to solve the mystery, she stopped pondering it.

"Aren't you hungry?" Madilyn asked. "We've been waiting a while. I'm starving. Let's go in for dinner. We can bring her out when her father arrives."

Roxanne grinned. "All right. Let's go."

She squatted down to the little girl's level. "Are you hungry? Dinner? Your daddy's on his way. I'll bring you out when he arrives. Okay?"

The little girl hesitated.

"If you don't want to come in, I'll wait with you," Roxanne said patiently.

Archie and Benny chimed in, "We'll wait with you too, Mommy!"

Madilyn slapped her forehead. "Am I the only one starving? Little girl, we're not bad people. No bad person would treat you to an expensive meal! You must be hungry too. Come on in. No need to be stubborn."

Everyone looked at the girl. Archie and Benny, also hungry, stared expectantly.

Biting her lip, the little girl approached Roxanne, tugging at her sleeve, and nodded.

Roxanne, understanding the girl's hesitation, said gently, "You don't have to force yourself."

The little girl shook her head.

Roxanne patted her head affectionately, took her hand, and led her into the restaurant. Madilyn, holding the boys' hands, watched the little girl trot obediently beside Roxanne. "She was wary of us just now, but she's warmed up to you," she teased. "Good-looking people are always favored," she sighed.

Roxanne grinned, holding the little girl's hand tightly, ignoring Madilyn's teasing.

(Note: The final sentence about a website was removed as it was irrelevant to the text and possibly spam.)