At noon the next day, Jonathan brought Frieda shopping. They bought a bunch of gifts before driving to the restaurant where they were supposed to meet Roxanne.
The restaurant was near the research institute. Due to the closeness of both locations, Roxanne thought she could head back to do some more work if their meeting ended early.
Something in the research institute held her up, so Jonathan and Frieda were already waiting in the private room by the time she arrived.
“I'm sorry, Dr. Jarvis. Did I interrupt your work?”
Despite addressing Roxanne by her name in front of Lucian, Jonathan was mindful of his behavior and addressed her politely when she was present.
Roxanne offered him a polite smile. Her gaze then landed on Frieda, and confusion crossed her eyes.
If I'm not mistaken, Frieda never liked me. So why is she here today?
Considering how busy she was handling various projects at the research institute, Roxanne did not want to be involved in any trouble.
Jonathan rose to his feet and pulled out the chair for her like the gentleman he was. “Frieda recognized the error of her ways, so she asked for my help to schedule a meeting with you. She wants to apologize to you personally.”
As he spoke, he swept his gaze across his sister.
Frieda obediently got to her feet while wearing a sincere smile. “Dr. Jarvis, I was too immature in the past. Because Aubree and I...”
There, she paused before continuing, “Aubree and I are good friends, so when I saw how close you were to Lucian, I immediately harbored prejudices against you. I now realize I was in the wrong. Hopefully, you won't hold it against me.”
Frieda implied that her horrible attitude toward Roxanne in the past was entirely due to Aubree's influence.
With that mere sentence, she had put the blame on Aubree.
Roxanne understood the implicit message in Frieda's words and felt slightly uncomfortable.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Leaving The Country After Divorce novel (Roxanne and Lucian)