Chapter 297 One Good Thing After Another
Unbeknownst to Roxanne, Aubree had begun to plot against her. She was too occupied with the research she had to do.
Her busyness was not entirely an excuse to send Estella home.
If the children had not insisted that she took a day off because of her injured wrist, she would not have taken a break from her research work.
Early the next morning, Roxanne was awakened by a call from her teammate. After a brief conversation, she rushed over to the research institute without even having the time to have a bite of breakfast.
The beginning and end phases of a research project were usually the hardest parts. At the start of the project, Roxanne had dedicated so much time to it that she would spend days at the research facility.
Since they were then at the final stage of the project, things were picking up again.
Colby, who was still assisting Roxanne on the project, was alarmed when he saw the injury on her wrist while they were conducting an experiment. “Dr. Jarvis… Your hand…”
Roxanne was so engrossed in her work she had forgotten about her injury. It was not until she trailed Colby’s gaze that she was reminded of it, and she smiled faintly, saying, “It’s no big deal. It’s just a scratch from an activity at my kids’ kindergarten.”
Colby was relieved to hear that it was not anything major. But still, he took over most parts of the experiment that he thought would be too physically demanding for Roxanne while she stood aside and gave him verbal instructions.
Their team dynamic was good, and they went on to carry out experiments for almost a week until they finally achieved the results they wanted.
The whole group in the lab was boisterous, and Roxanne was unequivocally glad that they got the results they intended.
Although she was already a practitioner of her own when she was abroad, most of the projects she participated in were under her professor. She was just a nominal independent researcher most of the time, but things were different this time.
That was the first ever research that she had directed on her own.
“Are you free tonight, Dr. Jarvis?” Colby inquired with a big smile as he walked toward her from the research facility.
The hesitation and the wariness in Roxanne’s eyes when she heard the question elicited a laugh on Colby’s face.
“What’s with that look? I bet you forgot that you promised you’ll treat all of us to a celebratory meal if the experiment goes well. Everyone is waiting for you to fulfill that promise,” he teased.
A smile broke out on Roxanne’s face. “Ah, all right. I’m sorry. I forgot about it. Tell everyone to meet at The Waterfront at eight tonight, then.”
Colby nodded and went back into the research facility after that.
Not long after he entered, a burst of cheer came from the inside.
It seemed that everyone was overjoyed.
To them, that was a day worth celebrating because one good thing happened after another. First, they scored a major breakthrough when they completed such a formidable project. Second, Roxanne had agreed to treat everyone to a celebration feast.
After Roxanne went back to her office, she asked her assistant to make a reservation for a private dining room at The Waterfront before calling Madilyn to request her help to take care of Archie and Benny that night.
Roxanne had promised the two boys the night before that she would go and pick them up after the project ended. They were elated and even mentioned Estella when they heard the news.
Roxanne suddenly felt a pang of guilt in her heart the moment she was reminded of the girl.
She was certain that her sons must have informed Estella of her return that night. She’s gonna be heartbroken now that I can’t go home tonight.
“By the way, Maddy, help me say sorry to Estella if you see her tonight. Tell her I still have something to do over here,” Roxanne added when she thought of the girl.
Madilyn was clueless about why Roxanne wanted to apologize, but she just agreed with a smile without probing further.
