Chapter 716: Did You Pick On Her?

Concerned by the adults' interaction, the children were in no mood to play. The moment they saw Roxanne, they swarmed her.

Roxanne smiled and patted their heads, but her expression was distracted. Estella, noticing this, tilted her head in puzzlement. She looked behind Roxanne, but Lucian was nowhere in sight.

"Did Daddy pick on you, Ms. Jarvis?" she asked cautiously.

Roxanne unconsciously frowned at the mention of Lucian. Feigning nonchalance, she shook her head and smiled. "Nope."

Estella eyed her suspiciously. "Where is he, then?"

Roxanne glanced toward the living room. "He just woke up. Perhaps... he's still on the couch." She quickly looked away, wanting to change the subject.

Estella, however, persisted. "Can you treat his insomnia, Ms. Jarvis?"

Roxanne choked. Lucian's sudden awakening and subsequent actions had prevented her from checking his pulse. She didn't know the cause of his insomnia, let alone how to treat it. The question left her speechless.

Seeing Roxanne's inability to answer, Estella stared at her for a long moment before declaring, "He picked on you, Ms. Jarvis!" Her reasoning was that Roxanne's hesitation indicated a recent argument. "Daddy is such a jerk!" she pouted.

Roxanne's initial embarrassment and anger dissipated, replaced by amusement. Estella, inexplicably biased in her favor, had immediately assumed Lucian had been unkind.

"Don't be angry, Ms. Jarvis. I'll avenge you!" Estella tugged at Roxanne's shirt.

Roxanne's smile became genuine. "I'm not angry, and your daddy didn't pick on me. Calm down, Essie." She stroked Estella's head.

Estella remained skeptical, scrutinizing her for a moment.

To reassure her, Roxanne added, "I'll check on his insomnia later. It shouldn't be a big problem."

Estella, somewhat convinced, finally seemed satisfied.

Roxanne chatted with the children until it grew late, then brought them back inside. Lucian was still on the couch, frowning over some work. He looked up as they entered.

Estella, surprisingly, released Roxanne's hand and went to her father. Lucian watched her curiously.

Estella climbed onto the couch and whispered in his ear, "Did you pick on Ms. Jarvis earlier?" She then pulled back, hands on her hips, and glared at him accusingly.