They had caught sight of Benny observing their performance, and the latter had been staring intently at the drum set.
The members of the band thought Benny was adorable, and they were merely putting on a casual performance that day, so they invited Benny up on the stage to be their drummer.
Assuming Benny was just keen to try out the drums in curiosity, the band members had already mentally prepared themselves to be embarrassed.
Unexpectedly, Benny was able to keep up with their tempo. Although there were some minor errors, his standards far surpassed the band members’ expectations.
Following a drum beat by Benny, the fireworks show officially began.
The colorful and dazzling fireworks emblazoned the sky. Everyone simultaneously quieted down and looked up at the scenic view of the night sky.
At that instant, only the music played by the band echoed on the beach. Seemingly to coordinate with the tranquil ambiance, the band members tacitly switched the song they were playing to a more relaxing piece.
Benny paused for a few seconds before slowly catching up with the band’s rhythm. Holding Archie’s hand, Roxanne gazed up at the bursting fireworks in the sky. Then she turned her attention back to Benny, who was playing the drums. A heartfelt grin spread across her face.
Beside Roxanne, Estella grasped her father’s hand and jumped on the spot, wanting to get a clearer view of the fireworks display.
Estella was too short. The horde of onlookers clouded her field of vision when she gazed up.
Lucian glanced downward at Estella before slightly bending down his body. Then, he carried her in his arm and placed her on his shoulder.
Estella’s eyes shone as she appreciated the beauty of the fireworks in the sky.
Meanwhile, Archie was unable to see the fireworks too. A hint of disappointment flashed across his eyes when he saw Estella sitting on Lucian’s shoulder.
If Daddy had not abandoned Mommy and us, perhaps Benny and I could also sit on his shoulder…
Roxanne sensed Archie’s dejection. She scanned her surroundings with a troubled look on her face. “Archie, can you not see the fireworks?”
Although Archie was crestfallen, he shook his head sensibly. “I can see some of it. It’s all right, Mommy.”
Roxanne was reminded of the anticipatory look on Archie’s petite face when he heard about the fireworks display in the afternoon. At the sight of his thoughtful and acquiescent demeanor at that moment, she could not help feeling pangs of heartache and guilt.
If it weren’t for my selfish decision, perhaps Archie and Benny would live a more blissful life
now.
Archie sensed Roxanne’s remorse. He grabbed her hand and comforted her, “We’ll come here again and watch the fireworks next time. I’m very happy that we can find Benny this time.”
With that, he curved his lips and beamed at his mother as if to prove that he was truly fine.
Roxanne’s feelings of guilt intensified.
“Come here. I’ll carry you.” Lucian’s deep voice sounded from atop.
Archie subconsciously gazed up and met Lucian’s eyes, which were brimming with tenderness.
Seeing that, Archie hesitated and turned to look at Roxanne to ask for her opinion.
Roxanne frowned and scrupled for a few moments before taking a step back to make way for Lucian. “Thank you, Mr. Farwell.”
She had caused Archie and Benny to be left out from indulging in fatherly affection for so many years. Although they had yet to realize their relationship with Lucian, Roxanne could not bring herself to deprive Archie and Benny of the opportunity to enjoy paternal love anymore.
Archie’s eyes gleamed when he saw his mother agreeing. Still, he hesitated when he looked at Lucian.
Archie knew Roxanne did not fancy Lucian, so he could not shake off the feeling that he was betraying his mother if he allowed Lucian to carry him.
“If you don’t hurry up, the fireworks display will end soon,” Lucian reminded with his brows raised after taking in Archie’s ambivalence.
Roxanne gave her son a reassuring look. “Let Mr. Farwell lift you so you can see the fireworks.”
Upon hearing that, Archie finally stretch out his hand in Lucian’s direction.
With one hand supporting Estella, who was sitting on one side of his shoulder, Lucian leaned sideways slightly and placed Archie on the other side of his shoulder effortlessly
That was the first time Archie had sat in such a high position. A look of pleasant surprise spread across his face as he gazed down and noticed a sea of heads covered in black hair.
He looked up again at the night sky when the sound of fireworks exploding rang beside his ears.
The brilliant lights of the fireworks seemed exceptionally mesmerizing when viewed from the reflections in the kids’ eyes. Roxanne stood carefully beside Lucian while gazing up at the night sky. Nevertheless, she constantly glanced at Archie and Estella from the corner of her eye, fearing they might fall from Lucian’s shoulders.
Fortunately, both of them were safe until the end of the fireworks show. Archie felt slightly reluctant to get down afterward because that was the first time he had sat on his father’s shoulder. However, he did not reveal his emotions. Instead, he submissively allowed Lucian to put him down on the floor and thanked the latter politely, “Thank you, Mr. Farwell.”.
Lucian merely nodded in response without saying a word. The crowd was still immersed in the romantic atmosphere of the fireworks show. Suddenly, the band onstage went silent.
Roxanne had been keeping an eye on Benny’s whereabouts, so she had instantaneously noticed the changes on the stage and shifted her gaze in that direction.
She saw Benny stepping out from behind the drum set and standing in the middle of the stage while holding a microphone.
As if to help Benny, the guitarist casually plucked the strings on his guitar to attract everyone’s attention to the stage.
“Ahem. Everyone, please listen to this little boy. He has a favor to ask from all of you.” The lead singer cleared his voice and requested for the audience to hear Benny out.
Hearing that, Roxanne and the others could already guess what Benny was about to say.
Staring at his solemn expression onstage, Roxanne felt contented and even teared up a little,
“Hello, everyone. My name is Benny.” The little boy’s childish voice magnified and resonated throughout the venue as he spoke into the microphone.
Benny did not appear nervous or afraid despite facing the huge crowd.
“I came here to watch the fireworks show with my mommy and brother, but I accidentally got lost because there were too many people just now. If anyone sees someone looking for a child, please help me inform my mommy that I’m here. My mommy is very pretty, so it will be easy to identify her!”
Benny contemplated briefly after saying that. Then, he added, “Perhaps there will be an uncle searching for me too. Everyone can also tell him that I’m here. He’s distinguishable too because he is very tall and handsome. There are also two children around my age beside them.”
Roxanne was amused by Benny’s description of them.
Even Lucian wore a faint smile as he listened to Benny’s speech.
Perhaps the four of them were too eye-catching. Soon, people were turning their heads in Roxanne, Lucian, and the two kids’ direction.
Benny also noticed them, and when he spotted Roxanne, he held the microphone and called out in excitement, “Mommy!”
The crowd made way for Roxanne and the others to reach Benny’s side.
“Mommy!”
Benny jogged over happily with the microphone in his hand when he saw Roxanne.
She bent down while beaming and pulled Benny into her embrace. “You scared me, Benny. Luckily, you’re so smart.”
Benny gently patted his mother’s back and said, “I’m sorry, Mommy. But don’t worry about me because I’m very smart. I will not follow the bad guys.”
When Benny realized he had gotten lost just now, he had immediately run toward the band, following the music, because he thought he would be safer there. He had planned on borrowing the microphone from the band to find Roxanne.
Fortunately, the band members were kind and friendly. After they had been made aware of Benny’s situation, they had agreed to his request with alacrity.
Benny turned on his heels and sensibly expressed his gratitude to the band members. “Thank you all.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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