Chapter 80: Chapter 80
Chapter 80
Benny’s eves brightened. Emboldened by Lucian’s acceptance of Archie’s
gesture, he tentatively attempted the same.
Taking the plunge, he placed a roast potato on the man’s plate and stared at
him expectantly.
The boy’s thoughtful gesture stunned Lucian, as he thought the former would
complicate things for him. He offered a grateful smile upon regaining his
composure. “Thank you. Have some more potatoes yourself.” noveldrama
As he spoke, Lucian reciprocated the gesture.
Having remembered the vegetables the boy mentioned not liking earlier, he
deliberately avoided those.
Benny’s eyes widened in surprise. “Thank you, Mr. Farwell! I will!”O
Daddy gave me food!
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Meanwhile, Archie pouted in disdain as he observed their interaction.Benny is
such an idiot. He can’t even see such an obvious ploy of Daddy currying his
favor! I won’t be that easily fooled!
The rest of dinner passed with that strange atmosphere hanging over them.
Roxanne got up to clear the table when they finished.
Lucian silently helped her put the silverware back in the kitchen drawer out of
politeness. Upon completing that task, he stood around hesitantly, as he was
unsure what to do next.
O
W
IS UNS
Though it stood to reason that he should return with Estella, he thought it
would seem inappropriate to just leave after putting Roxanne through the
trouble of hosting dinner.
“I can manage on my own,” Roxanne asserted when she noticed his
discomfort. “Could you keep an eye on the children?”
Lucian nodded and headed to the living room.
Estella was working with the boys on the final stages of a Lego project they
had been working on together.
Having already assembled a section, the children were struggling with the
height of where it was supposed to be attached. Roxanne was usually close
by to lend a hand after the preliminary assembly was completed on the
ground.
As she was busy with the dishes at that moment, the children stood around,
figuring out how to circumvent that obstacle.
After a glance around, Archie decided to bring a chair from the dining table.
“Here, let me.” Taking pity on the children, Lucian softened his expression to
the best of his
ability and offered Archie a hand.Archie hesitated for several seconds before handing the assembled part in his
hands to the man
Following Archie’s instructions, Lucian took it and snapped it in place.
“Thank you,” Archie said gruffly.
Lucian nodded noncommittally. With one hand in his pocket, he mostly
watched the three children amuse themselves with the toy bricks and
occasionally lent a hand with the assembly.
In the kitchen, Roxanne was distracted. Instead of the chore at hand, her
attention was stubbornly fixed on the group in her living room. She was
beginning to regret allowing Lucian to stay after dinner.
Archie and Benny had already revealed too much when they confronted
Lucian the last time, so Roxanne felt deeply uneasy about them being alone
together.
The way they got along, especially, bothered her a lot.
She was even more afraid that the boys would say something they were not
supposed to.
If Lucian finds out that the boys are his…
· Roxanne felt a panic rising in her chest at that very thought.
She could not guarantee that Lucian would not take them away from her.
Given her current status, it would be easy for him to rob her of her sons.
She could not imagine how she would feel then. It was hard enough to
conceive of a future without the two boys.
Roxanne began to feel truly frightened.
The bowl slipped through her fingers and fell to the ground before she could
react. The crisp sound of shattering glass shook her out of her reverie.
Startled, the four in the living room looked toward the kitchen as one.