The Abandoned Wife (Lucian) novel Chapter 143

Chapter 143 Picking Up The Children
After watching Roxanne drive away, Jonathan returned to the mansion.
Frieda, who was drinking coffee on the couch with a scowl on her face, gave him the side-eye before recovering her gaze.
Jonathan’s expression darkened when he caught her reaction. “Why are you behaving this way? What has Dr. Jarvis done to you for you to be so hostile to her? Don’t forget that she is Grandpa’s savior!”
Frieda looked at Jonathan and refuted, “Savior? It’s not like we didn’t offer her anything. We’re just getting what each of us needs out of it.”
Filled with displeasure, she inquired further, “Jonathan, why are you standing up for her? Has she tricked you too? In response to you asking me how she has offended me, I should be asking you if she has gotten in your head.”
Jonathan glared at her. “Stop spewing nonsense. Whatever is going on between Dr. Jarvis and Lucian is between the two of them. We have no right to question her. You better not bring it up again!”
Noticing Jonathan’s anger, Frieda kept her mouth shut despite the indignance she felt inside.
Even though Roxanne had no intention of taking Frieda’s words seriously, she couldn’t help being affected by them. Therefore, she still felt disheartened when she returned to the research institute.
After going on her rounds and realizing there wasn’t much to do, she decided to go home and rest so that she could collect her thoughts.
Just when she was about to leave, someone knocked on her door.
Opening it, she saw that it was one of the reputable professors of the research institute.
“Dr. Jarvis, thank goodness you’re still here. We have encountered a problem with our formulation during our experiments. We’ve been trying the entire morning, but we can’t seem to figure out what’s wrong with it. Can you take a look at it for us?”
With a solemn expression, Roxanne changed into her lab coat and followed him back to the lab.
After going through it, she realized that the issue was indeed a serious one. As it was related to an important project of the institute, she dived into the research without any delay.
Before she knew it, it was already the evening, and she had forgotten about the children at school.
“Dr. Jarvis, your phone is ringing,” someone meekly reminded her.
Jolted back to her senses, Roxanne picked up her phone from her lab pocket to check. When she saw the caller ID on the screen, her brows couldn’t help but knit together.
Ever since she started taking care of Estella, she had removed Lucian’s number from her blacklist.
Why is he calling me at this hour?
“What is it?” Roxanne answered after a brief hesitation.
Over at the other end, Lucian glanced at the time before asking in a deep voice, “Where are you now?”
Roxanne replied, “I’m at the research institute. We’re still figuring out a problem that we have encountered. What’s wrong?”
Lucian frowned at her answer. “I understand. The kindergarten just called and said that they couldn’t get you on the phone. Apparently, no one has picked up the children. Since you’re busy, I’ll collect them instead.”
Only then did Roxanne remember that the children were still at school.
With regard to the boys, they were used to her picking them up late when she was bogged down by work.
However, the concern was that Estella, who had just shown some progress, might be affected by it.
Holding that thought, Roxanne began to feel bad. “I’m sorry. I was too caught up with work and didn’t hear my phone. Why don’t I go and pick them up?”
Lucian was already on his way to the elevator with his jacket in his hand. “It’s fine. It doesn’t matter which of us does it. You should continue with your work.”
Just when Roxanne was about to say something, the call had already ended.