Chapter 857: Give Her A Call

Lucian felt helpless witnessing Estella's unperturbed reaction to his words. Since befriending Roxanne, she'd displayed favoritism, treating Roxanne better than him. Roxanne's actions the previous night were egregious, yet Estella forgave her. But Estella was angry at him for not appreciating Roxanne. She wouldn't even listen.

Had Lucian not known Roxanne was Estella's biological mother, the favoritism would have been harder to accept.

After a moment, Lucian suppressed his resentment and attempted to comfort her. “Didn’t you say you had something to tell me? I'm listening.”

Estella looked up, and Lucian’s heart sank at her expression. He initially assumed her silence stemmed from upset. But as she raised her head, he saw tears staining her cheeks. “Bad Daddy…” she sobbed, utterly distressed.

Lucian was stunned. Instead of further upsetting her, he nodded. “Yes, it’s all my fault.”

He reached for her, but she recoiled, as if avoiding a monster. His hand hung in the air. Her reaction instantly reminded him of her autistic past. Though she now conversed more freely, she was acting as she once had.

“I don’t want Daddy!” she cried. “I want Ms. Jarvis…”

Lucian’s eyes darkened.

Seeing Estella's continued distress, Catalina suggested, “Mr. Farwell, why don’t you call Mrs. Farwell?” She believed Roxanne's voice might help.

Lucian's gaze intensified at Catalina's reference to Roxanne, but he knew he had to calm Estella. After a pause, he called Roxanne.

Meanwhile, Roxanne arrived at the Herbscape Group entrance. Jack had informed Dean of their arrival; he awaited them in the lobby.

“Hello, Mr. Damaris. Nice to see you, Dr. Jarvis,” Dean greeted them respectfully.

Roxanne found the change in his demeanor ironic. Their previous encounter, at the Damaris-Herbscape agreement signing, had found Dean quite arrogant, considering himself Damaris Group's equal. That had changed drastically after yesterday's events.

Jack nodded curtly. Then, in a cold voice, he asked, “Are we ready?” Their interaction easily suggested Jack’s superiority.

Undeterred, Dean complied. “Yes, everything’s ready. You can collect the items after signing the document.” With a grateful look, he added, “Mr. Damaris, I want to thank you for what you did last night. And don’t worry. As long as Herbscape Group can overcome this crisis, we’ll follow your commands!”