Noticing that her father had given her no response, Estella pushed her plate forward and egged Lucian on.
Lucian finally snapped out of his surprise and put some veggies on Estella's plate.
She lowered her head and started to eat. Her appetite was obviously much better than before.
Estella finished her dinner and wiped her mouth clean before heading upstairs. Lucian called out her name, stopping Estella in her tracks.
“Essie.”
Estella stopped and turned around to look at Lucian in a puzzled manner.
Lucian met her gaze and could no longer restrain himself as he asked, “Did you go to Ms. Jarvis' place today?”
The little girl's lips pursed into a hard line after listening to her father. Then, she lowered her head and appeared reluctant to divulge anything to Lucian.
He got up from his seat and walked over to Estella's side. Lucian carried her to the couch and said, “I called Ms. Ward. She told me.”
Estella furrowed her brows and said, “I don't like Ms. Ward.”
She had promised Estella that she would not tell Lucian about this.
Lucian eased her furrowed brows and corrected her, “Ms. Ward was right. You are my daughter. I have the right to know about your whereabouts at school. Besides, Catalina told me that you came back on your own. I was worried, and I could only ask Ms. Ward what happened. She was surprised to hear what happened too.”
Estella looked guilty and uttered in a small voice, “Not on my own.”
Lucian had expected that reply.
Lucian patted her head and said, “I know. Ms. Jarvis must have sent you home. I explained it to Ms. Ward too.”
The tense expression on her face eased a little.
“Why can't you tell me about going to Ms. Jarvis' place?” Lucian asked softly. Of course, he already had an answer. However, he would not deign to admit it to himself.
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