Chapter 816 Earnest
After hearing what the kids had to say, Roxanne could not help but hesitate. Baking with the children meant that she could not avoid interacting with Lucian. But…
Roxanne looked at Lucian, who was seated across from her at the table. His expression seemed to be quite indifferent as if he did not really mind.
Seeing how bland his expression is now, I think it would be strange if I react too strongly or kick up a fuss. After some deliberation, Roxanne smiled at the kids and said, “All right then!”
Seeing that Roxanne was on board, the kids looked expectantly at Lucian. Lucian also nodded wordlessly. The children then let out triumphant cheers. “Yay! Let’s all bake together!”
In their haste and excitement, the children barely finished their breakfast. They took another two cursory bites before eagerly jumping off their chairs and looking at both adults.
Although Roxanne had agreed, she still felt awkward at the prospect of being in such close contact with Lucian. Subconsciously, she felt the urge to delay the activity.
Under the watchful and expectant eyes of all the children, Roxanne felt herself squirm in her seat. Finally, all she could do was get up and clear the table.
The kitchen was too small to accommodate so many people. After some thought, Roxanne decided to use the dining table instead.
The children graciously offered to help her with the dishes. When that was done, they eagerly went to the dining table and waited to start baking.
Roxanne brought out the utensils that were needed and laid them out neatly on the now-clean table.
Estella soon began to take charge as she divided the tasks between everyone present. “Daddy and Ms. Jarvis will make the actual cake. The rest of us will help to decorate it.”
Naturally, Roxanne had no objections. She soon began to work.
Lucian, on the other hand, knew nothing about baking. All he could do was stand in a corner, frowning while he watched Roxanne busy herself with the process.
“Daddy, go on! Help Ms. Jarvis!” Estella tugged at the hem of Lucian’s sleeve with disapproval written all over her face.
Lucian merely arched a brow at Estella, silently imploring that he tell her what to do.
With a deep, dramatic sigh, Estella pointed at the eggs inside the bowl, indicating that he should help Roxanne crack the eggs.
Lucian nodded in understanding, reaching out to lend a hand.
Roxanne was blissfully unaware of the interaction between Lucian and Estella. However, she had coincidentally reached the stage where they had to add eggs to the mixture. As she reached out to grab an egg from the bowl, her hand accidentally brushed against Lucian’s hand.
For a moment, the two of them froze.
A few seconds later, Roxanne quickly snapped back to her senses. She retracted her hand as if she’d felt an electric shock and forced herself to calm down. Struggling to stay calm, she said, “Go ahead.”
Lucian was aware that Roxanne was avoiding him. The look in his eyes darkened, and he continued with what he set out to do without saying another word.
Very quickly, the ingredients were mixed in the mixing bowl. All that was left now was to beat the mixture.
This was going to take some time.
Roxanne used the whisk for a while but soon noticed that her arm began to ache from the beating. She then slowed down, thinking of resting for a bit.
“I’ll do it,” came Lucian’s voice from behind her.
Roxanne was briefly startled. Before she had the time to react, Lucian had already taken the whisk from her.
She could only let go and take a few steps back while Lucian continued with the whisking.
Lucian’s sleeves were rolled up high to reveal his thin and strong forearms. His well-defined brows were furrowed in a slight frown, and his lips were pursed because he had not done this before. However, he did seem quite committed.
Roxanne fell into a slight daze when she saw Lucian’s demeanor.
That being said, this must have been the first time she had seen Lucian do something with such earnestness.
