Lucian’s frown deepened when he saw them averting their eyes. “Head back into the house first, Essie. I need to talk to your brothers.”
Estella strode toward the living room obediently, leaving her father and brothers in the garden. “Can you tell me now? I promise to keep it among us three.” Lucian bent down and assured his sons patiently.
The more gentle and casual his approach, the more aggrieved the two boys felt. Above all else, they were extremely worried.
Lucian caressed their heads. “Mommy and I will be very concerned about you if you insist on not saying anything. Do you boys want us to be worried all the time?”
The boys pursed their lips in response. Then Archie looked Lucian in the eye as he stretched out his finger and asked for a pinky promise. “Daddy, could you promise us you won’t argue with Grandma about this?”
Mom did something to the boys! Lucian’s expression turned dark as a disturbing thought crept up on him. He quickly hooked his finger with Archie’s. It was then that Benny blurted everything.
“Grandma brought us to the amusement park and let us play alone. We thought she would come back and get us, but she didn’t show up even though we waited for her for a very long time. In the end, we came home by ourselves.”
Seconds later, he added softly, “Daddy, you promised not to be angry at Grandma. See, Archie and I are fine. You don’t need to worry about us.”
Archie nodded and chimed in, “Most importantly, Essie is all right. Benny and I can take care of ourselves since we’re used to traveling around on our own.”
Lucian felt so sorry for the boys when he heard that. The place where Archie and Benny had traveled to alone was their current residence.
He recalled an incident where the boys had nearly been beaten up by some older children when they came looking for Estella. That made him resent Sonya even more.
They are only so young! Even if Mom doesn’t want to acknowledge them as her grandchildren, they’re still Essie’s best friends. How could she be so cruel as to dump them at the amusement park? Thank God nothing untoward happened, but what if it did? How would I face Roxanne? Lucian shuddered at that thought.
“We’re clever boys, and we met a very kind taxi driver. He didn’t want to accept our money for the ride.” Knowing that Lucian was enraged, Archie attempted to assure him in a cute voice. Lucian knew well that his sons were trying to defend his mother. He pulled them into his arms.
“I’m sorry for not taking good care of you. Grandma was too much! If she takes you out again, call me immediately, and I’ll see to it.”
The boys quieted down and bobbed their heads obediently as Lucian comforted them with his warm embrace.
He patted their backs and praised, “Both of you did very well today for protecting yourselves and not revealing this matter to Mommy. This is now a secret among us. Don’t tell Mommy, okay? Mommy’s very tired these days.”
The boys smiled gleefully upon hearing those nice words. “We know what to do, and we won’t worry Mommy about this.”
Lucian inclined his head and released them from his arms. “Go play with your sister now. I need to head out for a bit.”
His words brought a frown to the boys’ faces. They grabbed his sleeve and reminded him, “Daddy, don’t be mad at Grandma. You promised us just now!”
Lucian did not expect the kids to be so sensitive. “Oh, I’m not going to Grandma’s. There’s something at the office that I need to deal with.”
As an experienced businessman, coming up with an excuse to pacify the little ones was a piece of cake for him. Archie and Benny scrutinized him for a bit before releasing their grips on his arm. “Okay, then…”
Lucian flashed them a smile and walked toward the living room. Right then, Roxanne had just finished her phone call with Jonathan and returned to keep Estella company. She was surprised to see him getting ready to head out. “What happened? Where are you going at this hour?”
Lucian replied, “I need to take care of some matters. I’ll be right back real soon.” Then he swiftly strode toward the gate and out of the mansion before she had a chance to ask more questions.
Roxanne observed his hasty moves and felt something did not add up. Shortly after, Archie and Benny walked in, and she shifted her focus to them. “How did your outing go this afternoon? Did Grandma give you a hard time?”
Finally, Roxanne could put forth those questions to the boys in Lucian’s absence. “Nope. We had a ton of fun today!” the boys exclaimed. Having been able to share the incident with Lucian and get it completely off their chests earlier, they no longer feel upset. about it.
Then Roxanne tried to verify the information with Estella. Estella had been crying the entire afternoon. She did not have an enjoyable time at all.
However, she went along with it and nodded her head cooperatively before squirming into her mother’s arms. Roxanne knitted her brows together and looked at them skeptically.
Meanwhile, Lucian pulled his car into the driveway of the Farwell main residence. The butler was quick to welcome him politely. “Mr. Farewell.”
“Where’s my mom?” Lucian asked in an icy tone. The butler answered, “Mrs. Farwell has just finished her dinner, and she’s now enjoying coffee in the living room.”
Lucian nodded and gestured to the butler not to trail behind him as he went inside. He walked in to see his mother seated on the couch and sipping coffee while watching television.
“What brings you here?” Sonya turned around when she heard footsteps approaching from the door. The moment she saw Lucian, a strange look flashed across her eyes. She knew the boys must have complained about her to their father.
Lucian stormed toward her, grabbed the remote control, and turned off the television. Sonya’s face darkened instantly. “So, are you here to interrogate me?”
“Why did you leave Archie and Benny at the amusement park this afternoon?” Lucian asked expressionlessly.
Frowning, Sonya defended herself assertively. “It’s a safe place! No one can enter the amusement park without a ticket. With plenty of staff everywhere, nothing can happen. The boys and Essie have completely different interests. Do you expect me to clone myself to accompany each of them?”
Lucian was not pleased with her attitude. “You said that only because they returned home safe and sound.”
Sonya stiffened, not knowing how to reply to that. Lucian looked at her sternly. “The kids are so young. How could you leave them alone? Have you forgotten what it was like when Essie went missing?”
“How are these two incidents the same? Essie is a child of the Farwell family. Who are those two?”
“They are children of the Farwell family, too!” Lucian bellowed. “If something bad were to happen to them today, how should I explain myself to Roxanne?”
Sonya snorted. “Aren’t they back in one piece now? All I did was let them play at the amusement park. How would I know they would go back by themselves?”
In other words, Sonya was putting the blame on the boys. Lucian could not believe his ears. He roared, “What makes you think that you’re without any fault? How is your action any different from those traffickers?”
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.