“Hello there.”
Seeing how polite and cute the children were, Jack gentled his tone. The two children straightened themselves and looked curiously at Jack, unsure of who he was.
With a smile, Roxanne said, “This is Mr. Damaris, a colleague of mine.” The introduction seemed to put the boys at ease as they sweetly greeted Jack with another hello.
Jack reached out to pat the boys on their heads. “I’m in a rush and never thought I’d run into you both today. I should’ve brought you some gifts! There’s always next time, I suppose. I’ll get you both something nice.”
The children nodded obediently and chimed, “Thank you, Mr. Damaris.”
Jack smiled at the boys before looking at Roxanne, signaling that they had to leave.
Roxanne acquiesced and turned to the boys again. “I’ll be off now. Why don’t you both go back inside?”
Having said that, Roxanne and Jack got into the car.
Archie and Benny waited until Jack’s car completely disappeared from their line of sight before shuffling back into the mansion.
“Archie, I think that Mr. Damaris looks quite handsome,” said Benny while rubbing his eyes. He had suddenly become more alert.
Hearing his brother say so, Archie raised a brow as he recalled the man from earlier.
He is handsome and has a style similar to Daddy’s, but he’s also more gentle than Daddy.
Moreover, if I understood Mommy correctly, he’s the man from the Damaris family who she was yearning for. He must be quite capable.
Benny then murmured, “Is that man pursuing Mommy too? If that’s the case, it’ll be even harder for Daddy to pursue her!”
Roxanne already held a grudge against Lucian. If there was another competitor for her heart, Benny and Archie could only worry for their father.
Archie could not help but ask, “If that’s true, then it only proves that Mommy is a good person. That’s why so many people like her!”
“But what about Daddy?” asked Benny, furrowing his brows out of concern. “I prefer Daddy. Should we remind him?”
Although Lucian was taking his time to win Roxanne over, she still did not trust him. The children could see that their father was putting in a lot of effort, and coupled with the existence of Estella, the boys were definitely biased toward Lucian.
Archie and Bennie looked at each other, their expressions conflicted.
Did they need to warn their father? What if they did not and Jack stole their mother away?
But how were they going to do it, if this was the plan?
This conundrum proved to be too much for the two gifted children. For the first time, Archie and Benny finally got a taste of why people experienced a headache when trying to solve problems.
A sullen-looking Archie then remarked, “If Daddy wants to pursue Mommy, then he will definitely notice that someone else wants to steal her away! This is a grown-up problem. If we talk to Daddy about it, he might feel embarrassed. I think it’s best that we say nothing.”
Benny nodded solemnly. “That’s right. Daddy’s great, and he’ll definitely win Mommy over! For all we know, he might have figured this out much sooner than we did!”
Archie and Benny could not tell if they were guessing or actually trying to convince themselves with all this chatter.
In the end, they both arrived at the conclusion that no matter how many people tried to pursue their mother, the person to emerge victorious would definitely be Lucian.
Although they both used to have prejudices against Lucian, they became convinced of his sincerity toward Roxanne after bonding with him for some time.
With sincerity, looks, and capability all in one package, they refused to believe that Roxanne would not choose Lucian.
Archie and Benny were fairly independent boys, having gotten used to Roxanne’s long work hours.
After a short discussion about Jack and Lucian, the boys quickly washed up and warmed some milk and bread for breakfast.
The doorbell suddenly rang just as they finished eating.
Archie and Benny exchanged a wary glance. When they switched on the video intercom, they saw Estella waving sweetly at the camera.
The boys instantly smiled and opened the door for their precious Essie.
Outside, Lucian stood beside Estella and held her hand.
Benny could not help but feel sheepish when he spotted the subject of his discussion.
To his credit, Archie remained calm and greeted Lucian politely. “Good morning, Mr. Farwell and Essie.”
“Good morning, Archie and Benny!” Estella was thrilled to meet the boys early in the morning, and she had a radiant smile to show for it.
After greeting the boys, she looked into the house expectantly, hoping to see Roxanne.
Alas, Roxanne was nowhere to be seen.
Estella tugged on her father’s hand in agitation, and Lucian immediately understood her anxiety.
He looked over the boys’ heads and surveyed the house, only to confirm Roxanne’s absence.
Lucian frowned in confusion and asked, “Where’s your mom?”
Roxanne should have been ready to send the boys to school at this hour, yet she was conspicuously absent.
His question caused Archie and Benny to cast furtive glances at each other. They simultaneously recalled what they had discussed earlier and hesitated about telling their father that a handsome man had fetched Roxanne to work.
Lucian sensed their hesitation, and his heart sank. “What’s wrong? Is she feeling unwell?”
He assumed Roxanne had caught a chill last night and was resting in bed.
After he spoke, he led Estella into the house, planning to head upstairs and check on Roxanne.
Realizing he was mistaken about the situation, the boys piped up, “No. Mommy, uh, went out.”
Lucian paused in his tracks and turned toward the boys with a frown. “Why did she go out without you? Isn’t she sending you to school?”
Archie and Benny paused and mulled over their reply.
Eventually, Benny stated, “A man brought Mommy away.” He immediately averted his gaze from Lucian guiltily after that.
Lucian’s frown deepened after he heard Benny’s explanation. Larry and Jack’s faces immediately surfaced in his mind.
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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