Chapter 10 - Confronting Shadows

Lucian furrowed his brows, and a look of annoyance flashed through his eyes.Am I seeing things again? I wouldn't bother about it if it's just once or twice, but this has been going on for two days straight. I've been seeing her figure in different places. But the silhouette only flashes past my eyes without leaving any traces behind.He could not help but snort coldly before retracting his gaze.I must be going mad. That's why I'm thinking of her again.Meanwhile, Cayden had been waiting by the side for some time. Seeing Lucian not moving his feet, he asked carefully, "Mr. Farwell, our client has been waiting for a long time. Aren't we going in?"Lucian shut his eyes for a while and recollected himself before replying calmly, "Let's go."With that, he strode into the building with his long legs.Cayden followed closely behind him.When Roxanne and Colby arrived in the private room, all the employees of the research institute were already there.Colby let her sit in the main seat, while he took the one beside her. After getting themselves settled, he introduced her to the crowd, "I'm sure many of you have met Dr. Jarvis today, but I'd still like to introduce her to all of you."Everyone turned to look at Roxanne, who nodded as a form of greeting."This is Roxanne Jarvis. You may address her as Dr. Jarvis. Perhaps you might not be familiar with this name, but I'm sure everyone is familiar with the name she used abroad. She's Professor Lambert's greatest student, Janet."Everyone in the room was stunned to hear the name. It took them a while to come back to their senses, and their eyes were instantly filled with respect.Janet was a name everyone in the medical industry was aware of. In fact, it would be safe to say that her name was well known abroad.After all, she possessed great medical skills from a young age. Rumor had it that she inherited eighty percent of Harvey's skills. She was basically a role model for the younger generation.All that while, the employees thought Janet was a serious-looking, bespectacled academician with short hair.To their surprise, she was a beautiful woman.After returning to their senses, some of her admirers quickly stood up."Are you really Janet? I really admire you. I've read every thesis you wrote when you were abroad. You're really my idol!""It's our honor to be colleagues with you, Janet!"The crowd started giving compliments, all of them looking extremely sincere.After exchanging glances with everyone, Roxanne smiled. "Thank you for the compliments, everyone. Here's to a fruitful collaboration."With that, she raised her gla*s.The others, too, raised theirs and downed their drinks in one go.Roxanne acted extremely friendly without any arrogance, causing all the employees to admire her even more.It was a pleasant and cheerful meal.Many of them toasted Roxanne, and she accepted them all.She had a high alcohol tolerance, but there were too many people who approached her for a toast. Before she knew it, she was already feeling tipsy.Seeing the dinner was about to end, Roxanne excused herself to the toilet to wash her face and freshen up.As she walked out of the restroom and was on the way back to the private room, her phone vibrated.Roxanne glanced at her phone to find a message from her children, asking her when was she going home.Seeing the text put a heartwarming smile on her face. When she was about to stop in her tracks to reply to their text, someone bumped into her shoulder harshly, and her phone almost flew out of her hands.Roxanne gripped her phone tightly and apologized to the other person. "I'm sorry—"Before she could even finish, the man questioned angrily, "Are you blind? D*mn it. What a mood killer for such a night!"As he spoke, a stench of alcohol entered her nostrils.Roxanne knitted her brows and backed away discreetly, putting some distance between them.When the drunkard saw her face clearly, he stopped scolding her and gaped at her beautiful face.Roxanne put up her guard when she realized the man was a drunkard.Hoping to avoid unnecessary trouble, she apologized again, "I'm really sorry. Are you okay?"When she finished speaking, the man in front of her suddenly smiled maliciously. Even his voice sounded excited. "Hello, pretty babe... I'm fine. You'll find out after having a few drinks with me. I'll forgive you for today's matters once you make me happy."Roxanne frowned. She knew the person in front of her had lost all sense of rationality due to his drunkenness. Hence, she ignored him and lowered her head, wanting to walk past him.Just as she arrived beside the drunkard, his voice rang out again. "Don't leave, pretty babe. I'm really rich. If you agree to be with me, I promise you'll live comfortably for the rest of your life."He then let out a perverted laugh, scanning Roxanne from head to toe.This beauty has such a pretty and delicate face. And her body has all the right curves. She's so fair that even her skin glows under the light. I bet she must be satisfying to touch!The more he looked at her, the more excited he got. He reached out, wanting to touch her face.Seeing his hand nearing her, Roxanne put on a cold expression, took one step backward, and kicked him in the stomach.Since it was her first day at the research institute, she was dressed formally. Thanks to her heels, the kick was even more powerful.The person was so drunk that he was already swaying on his feet and was rather woozy. Before he could even react, he had already been given a hard kick in his stomach. His face paled, and he clutched his stomach, staggering backward and landing heavily on the ground."You little b*tch! How dare you disrespect me? You should be feeling honored that I'm attracted to you. How dare you kick me?" he yelled.After squirming on the ground for a long time, he gritted his teeth and lifted his head. His eyes were bloodshot.Roxanne cast him a disgusted glance before making her way past him.Suddenly, he roared into a corner, "Someone, get here! That woman attacked me! Get her into the private room now! I'd like to see how she can continue putting up that attitude with me tonight."Right after he finished speaking, two burly bodyguards dashed out from the corner. When they saw the drunkard in such a pathetic state, they hesitated for a moment. "Boss...""Don't bother about me! Just get her!" the drunkard roared.The bodyguards immediately walked toward Roxanne.When she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her from behind, her heart skipped a beat, and she reached into her bag to grab a bag of powder.If they get near me, I'll let them have a taste of this medicine.As she turned around with the bag in her hand, the bodyguard that was about to touch her suddenly screamed and flew past her.In the next second, the other bodyguard disappeared from her sight in the same manner.Roxanne was dumbfounded. It was only then that she realized there was another silhouette behind her.She turned around and spotted a slender figure standing a few steps away from her.Her heart sank, and she felt as if her mind was about to explode. She spun around instantly, wanting to flee from the scene.Lucian, who wore a grim expression, was dressed in a tailored suit. His sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, and a few buttons around his collar were unbuttoned. He stood in the corridor while looking at the woman in front of him with a burning gaze.In fact, he was in the middle of a social event. He found the air rather stuffy and decided to come out to get some fresh air.Never did he expect to meet Roxanne out there.It's really her!The longer he stared at her, the darker his gaze became. He wanted to say something before seeing the woman attempting to flee.Frowning, he dashed forward and grabbed her wrist.Meanwhile, Roxanne was so nervous that she could hear her heart pounding. She had no idea when he managed to catch up to her, and his grip caught her off guard. She froze on the spot, and all kinds of thoughts raced through her mind."Roxanne!" The man's furious voice rang out beside her ears. "Stop hiding from me!"Roxanne finally came to her senses and struggled subconsciously.Sensing her movements, Lucian exerted more force into his grip."Let me go!"Roxanne gave up struggling and turned around stubbornly, meeting his gaze."Let go?"Lucian's words sounded as if they were forced out of his gritted teeth. He stared at her intently with his dark eyes.It had been six years since they last met. Roxanne's face had traces of maturity, yet she looked as beautiful as ever.However, she was no longer the obedient and gentle person he remembered. Unlike in the past, when she was submissive to him, she was currently more imposing and fiercer.There was even a distant look in her eyes.Anger brewed in Lucian's heart when he realized all that. He stared coldly into Roxanne's eyes and enunciated each syllable clearly as he spoke. "Do you think I'll let you escape again?"Roxanne's heart trembled. She wanted to say something, but Lucian would not give her the chance to do so. His voice had a dangerous tone when he instructed Cayden, who stood behind him, "Get rid of all these scums!"Without giving Roxanne time to react, he grabbed her by the arm and marched into the private room beside them.Roxanne had a sense of uneasiness, but she could not break free, no matter what she did. Just like that, she was dragged into the room, stumbling along the way.