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.”
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!”
Daddy gave me food!
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.
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.