Aubree hadn't taken her eyes off Lucian. When she saw him glance at Roxanne regarding the marriage question, envy consumed her.

"There's no need to rush the wedding," Lucian replied, still staring at Roxanne.

Aubree thought, Ha! Let's see if she can remain so calm after this!

Although momentarily taken aback by Lucian's reply, Roxanne quickly regained her composure. She thought, So what if they aren't married yet? It's only a matter of time. Why should I be surprised? With that, she lowered her gaze and calmly resumed eating, as if the interaction hadn't affected her.

Aubree, however, found Lucian's reply surprising. She mused, How weird. When I last spoke to Lucian about the wedding, he hinted at wanting to call it off. Why would he change his mind now?

Alfred frowned, clearly displeased with Lucian's reply. Before he could speak, Aubree hastily interjected, "Lucian's right. In any case, I won't be running off anytime soon. There's no need to rush, Old Mr. Queen. We're doing just fine, aren't we? Besides, Lucian hasn't had much time to visit you, so let's focus on happier things!" She thought, If we continue this, Lucian might reveal his intention to end our engagement. I can't risk that in front of Roxanne; I'd be humiliated!

Jonathan, ever observant, noticed Aubree's reluctance and chimed in, "That's Lucian for you. He loves his job more than anything. Leave them be, Grandpa. I'm sure Lucian has his plans."

Alfred grumbled, "I don't deny work is important, but it's not right to keep postponing the wedding, is it? It's been so many years, and Estella still doesn't have a mother. I don't know what you're thinking, but my heart aches for her!"

Aubree gave a brief, vague response, flustered. Roxanne, too, felt a pang of sympathy for Estella. She thought, Ah, no wonder the child is always clinging to me—she lacks a mother.

Lost in thought, she was startled by Alfred's question: "What about you, Dr. Jarvis? Are you married?"

After a moment of stunned silence, Roxanne replied, "No. Not yet."

Alfred looked her over, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. "What do you think about Jonathan? Would you consider him?" He'd long admired Roxanne and hoped she would join the family as his granddaughter-in-law.

Roxanne was speechless. Frieda, however, scoffed, "Stop trying to play matchmaker, Grandpa. No matter how capable Dr. Jarvis is, she has children, and they aren't young. Given my brother's standing, how can you suggest he marry a divorcee with kids? I won't approve!"

"Is that so? I didn't know," Alfred said, genuinely surprised.

Roxanne admitted, "Yes, I've been divorced once. I don't think I'd be good enough for Mr. Queen."

Alfred frowned disapprovingly. "So what if you're a divorcee? With your talents, you have plenty of suitors. Don't talk nonsense about not being good enough. If you two fall in love, I'll be the first to approve!"

Touched, Roxanne chuckled. "Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Old Mr. Queen. Unfortunately, I don't think Mr. Queen and I are suited. Don't worry; I'll keep looking for a suitable partner."

Alfred nodded. "Yes. It must be tough being a single mother. Get married when you find the right person." Roxanne agreed.

As Lucian watched Alfred and Roxanne converse, his gaze darkened.

The final sentence is unchanged as it is already grammatically correct. The extraneous advertisement has been removed.