Filed to story: Leaving the Country After Divorce Novel (Lucian & Roxanne)
The tree-planting activity started very early the next morning.
After waiting for the parents and children to finish breakfast, Pippa led them to the venue of the event.
The kindergarten had collaborated with a botanical garden to provide the kids with an empty spot to plant some trees.
There was quite a lot of staff standing by when they arrived.
As the kids were all born with silver spoons in their mouths, the staff made sure they were extra friendly with them.
Pippa then introduced the parents to the staff, split them into groups, and had them follow the staff to collect their saplings.
Estella stared reluctantly at Roxanne when she heard they would be split into groups.
She refused to budge even when the teacher called her name.
Lucian frowned when he saw that and shifted his gaze toward Roxanne, who was standing nearby.
After hearing the conversation between Lucian and Aubree last night, Roxanne instinctively tried to keep her distance from them.
She then took Archie and Benny by the hand and walked away when she heard the teacher calling out to Estella.
“Ms.Jarvis…” Estella lowered her gaze in disappointment as she stood rooted to the spot.
Lucian wasn’t expecting Roxanne to just leave Estella like that, so he didn’t know how to comfort her.
Noticing that Lucian and Estella were still standing there after everyone else had left, Pippa came over and asked worriedly, “What’s the matter, Essie? Do you not like planting trees?” Estella lowered her gaze and shook her head in silence.
Unsure of what she was thinking, Pippa turned toward Lucian and asked, “What has gotten into her, Mr.Farwell?” The look in Lucian’s eyes turned gloomy when he saw Estella’s disappointed expression and Roxanne returning with her sapling
Pippa didn’t dare press on any further when she saw his expression.
“Essie rarely participates in such events.
Since this is her first time, it’s normal for her to feel a little uncomfortable about it.
Maybe you should take her home so she can get some rest instead, Mr.Farwell.” Estella looked up at Pippa reluctantly and shook her head to indicate that she did not want to go back.
She wanted to spend more time with Roxanne, so going back meant she would have less time with her.
Pippa wasn’t sure of what to do as Estella simply shook her head without saying anything.
Right as she was racking her brain to come up with a solution, Lucian said, “Ms.Jarvis’ two kids are the only mends that ‘Essie has in this kindergarten, so it’s only natural that she wants to be with them.
She’s probably throwing a tantrum because she wasn’t placed in the same group as them.”
Estella nodded and said in an adorable voice, “I want Archie and Benny.” Since she rarely spoke.
Pippa’s heart melted when she heard that.
“I’m sorry.
I forgot to take this into consideration when I grouped everyone according to the total number of participants.
I’m sure you’ll have more fun if you participate in this event with the kids you’re close with, Essie.
In this case, you can join Archie and Benny’s group.” “Thanks,” Lucian said with a nod before leading Estella over.
Estella’s eyes lit up with joy when she heard she could be grouped with Roxanne.
She got so excited that she let go of Lucian’s hand and ran up to Roxanne on her own.
“Essie must really like Archie and Benny.
I rarely see her smile so happily like this,” Pippa exclaimed with a relieved smile when she saw how happy Estella looked.
Lucian simply nodded and made his way over without saying anything.
Roxanne had collected three saplings as she wanted to join her two kids in planting trees.
Archie and Benny were so excited about the event that they woke up really early that morning.
Naturally, Roxanne didn’t want to let them down after seeing their enthusiasm.
After receiving their saplings, the three of them followed the instructions of the staff and began digging at their designated spot.
Roxanne had deliberately put on a matching sports attire so she could join Archie and Benny in digging the holes.
With all three of them working together as a team, they were able to finish digging the first hole fairly quickly.
They were about to proceed with digging the second hole when a childish voice rang in their ears.
“Ms.Jarvis!” Estella shouted excitedly while standing next to Roxanne.
Roxanne paused and glanced at her in shock.
“Essie? What are you doing here?” If I remember it correctly, Essie’s spot should be on the opposite side…
“I’m on your team, Ms.Jarvis!” Estella replied with an innocent look on her face.
Roxanne had confusion written all over her face.
Huh? She’s on my team? What does that mean? Lucian interrupted her train of thought as he came over and said, “Essie couldn’t stand being away from you guys.
I told Ms.Ward about it earlier, and she allowed us to join your team.
Would that be okay with you, Ms.Jarvis?”
Roxanne frowned upon hearing that.
Of course not! Everyone is looking in our direction just because he’s standing next to me! I don’t want any more trouble from people like that woman from last night! The look in Estella’s eyes slowly turned gloomy when she got no response from her.
“Ms.Jarvis…” Roxanne’s heart softened when she saw how sad Estella looked.
“All right, Essie.
You can join Archie and Benny if you’d like,” she said while moving aside to make space for Estella.
Since she had collected three saplings, she let the three kids have one each.
The kids were quite excited as it was their first time participating in such an activity, and having Roxanne accompany them only elevated their mood even further.
As Archie and Benny were physically stronger, they were able to get the job done rather easily.
Estella, on the other hand, struggled with it and got herself all muddy in just a matter of minutes.
Even so, she didn’t seem bothered at all and continued digging with a smile on her face.
Roxanne chuckled in amusement when she saw how cute Estella looked.
She then stepped forward to lend her a hand and placed the sapling into the hole she dug.
After that, she helped them hold the saplings in place while they filled the holes up with soil.
Lucian borrowed a shovel from one of the staff and helped them fill up the holes.
As it was the kids’ first time using a shovel, they struggled a lot with it.
Due to how much their hands were shaking, there was barely any soil left on the shovel by the time it reached the hole.
Roxanne wasn’t too concerned as Lucian was around to help them out, but they were taking far too long to fill up the holes.
Upon glancing at Lucian out of curiosity, Roxanne nearly burst out laughing when she saw how awkward he looked when using the shovel.
Oh, right! I almost forgot! Someone of Lucian’s status would never use a shovel like this! Also, he’s probably the first person I’ve ever seen use a shovel while wearing a coat and leather shoes! Despite him being a grown man, he doesn’t seem to be doing any better than the kids.
The only advantage he has over them is being able to have more soil in his shovel due to its size.