Early in the morning that weekend, Roxanne had just woken up when she heard a knock at the door. She didn’t think much about it and thought it was Archie and Benny who had come to wake her up. She rubbed her eyes and let them in.Unexpectedly, when the door opened, she saw the three of them, Estella and the boys, standing at the door. Estella was wearing a pink skirt and carrying a small bag, looking particularly adorable.Roxanne was caught off guard when she saw her. She thought she was hallucinating because she didn’t sleep well the night before.The night before this, Roxanne had been brooding over the fact that she was about to go on the hot spring vacation with Lucian. She didn’t even know when she finally fell asleep.Although she had fallen asleep, she didn’t sleep well and felt as if she was constantly in a dream.Her mind was still a little hazy at that moment.“Ms. Jarvis!” Estella greeted her from the door in her piping voice.Roxanne finally returned to her senses and co
On the way, the three cheerful children were constantly chatting in the backseat. At first, Roxanne was a little restrained. However, after listening to the joyful voices of the children, she slowly put on a smile on her face.Once they arrived at the hotel, Roxanne got out of the car first and carried the children out of the backseat one by one.The children held each other’s hands and obediently followed the two adults into the hotel.The hotel lobby was decorated magnificently. A fish tank in the corner caught their attention as soon as they walked into the hotel.“It’s beautiful!” Estella’s eyes sparkled.Roxanne followed her gaze, only to see a few tropical fish swimming in a colorful and eye-catching fish tank.“Let’s go and have a look!” Archie and Benny wanted to satisfy Estella’s wish, so they led her to the fish tank.Looking at the children running around happily, Roxanne lifted her head to look at the man at the side.Lucian frowned and said in a deep voice, “You go with
Lucian knew Roxanne was uneasy about his presence, so he went straight to the couch and quietly read his emails right after he entered the room. Roxanne was playing with the children when a few knocks on the door grabbed her attention. She got up and went to get the door.When she pulled the door open, she saw two waiters pushing a cart, and beside them stood a man who seemed to be the manager. The man was looking at her respectfully.Roxanne was puzzled about the crowd outside her door since they did not order any room service. She instinctively turned to glance at the man sitting quietly on the couch.“Good afternoon. I’m the manager of the hotel, and this is the lunch included in your vouchers. Enjoy your meal,” the manager said with a courteous smile.Comprehension dawned on Roxanne. She immediately thanked the manager and stood aside to let the waiters push the cart into the room.Roxanne called the children over to have lunch after the waiters had set up the table.Lucian, howe
At the side, Roxanne had also heard Benny’s screams, but by the time she turned, it was too late. The boy had already sought refuge behind Lucian. The sight of the smile on that man’s face while the two of them were together left Roxanne with mixed feelings.As much as she had done for the children, certain forms of security were something only a father could provide.Oblivious to her sentiments, the boy excitedly tugged at her as he wanted her to admire the fish alongside him.Out of nowhere, a mermaid dove from above and waved at them through the gla*s.Wide-eyed, the boys asked Roxanne, “Is this real, Mommy?”Amused by their innocence, Roxanne patted them on the head. “Of course not, but she does look pretty, though.”“Could you dress up like a mermaid too, Mommy?” Benny looked at Roxanne in anticipation.Taken by surprise at first, Roxanne then went on to explain smilingly, “Well, I could, but I think that’d be a paid program.”When the children heard her saying that she could, t
After dinner, the lot of them headed directly to the beach to await the commencement of the fireworks display. Illuminated by the light of the moon, the ripples upon the surface of the sea sparkled like glitter—a picture of perfect tranquility.Although the beach was quite packed, there was not much noise.Immersed in such a setting, the ma*ses sat around and indulged themselves in infrequent bits of quiet conversations.With one hand holding Estella and the other on Benny, Roxanne weaved her way through the crowd while Lucian followed behind them.Being surrounded by so many bodies, Roxanne could not help but worry about the little ones and was hoping to find a more secluded spot where they could stay.As the beach grew increasingly populated, it drew a frown from Lucian who called out to the quartet ahead of him. “Come to Daddy, Essie.”He was wary of Roxanne’s way of herding the children and was afraid that Benny, who was occupying the fringes, would get lost in the crowd.Estella
Meanwhile, Roxanne was getting impatient after waiting for a long time with Archie and Estella. However, she had no choice but to wait in distress because she was worried about Archie and Estella whenever she recalled Lucian’s words.Suddenly, her phone vibrated.Roxanne frowned and instantly picked up the call without hesitation.“We found Benny. He’s watching the band’s performance. I’ve already instructed someone to keep an eye on him. Come over.” Lucian’s deep voice sounded.Roxanne felt relieved after hearing that. She immediately expressed her gratitude. “Thank you. I’ll be there immediately.”On the other end of the line, Lucian grunted in response before hanging up the call and hurrying to Benny’s location first.“Have they found Benny?” Archie asked carefully after taking in his mother’s expression.Roxanne nodded slightly and flashed a rea*suring smile at him.Archie appeared more agitated than his mother. “Let’s hurry up and find Benny! He’s alone. He must be scared out of
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 m
“I’m sorry, Benny,” Archie apologized to his brother when the crowd shifted their attention away from them. “It was my fault for not holding your hand tightly enough that you got lost in the crowd.” Benny gazed at his brother and said casually, “It wasn’t your fault, Archie; it’s too crowded here. Besides, I wasn’t lost, and it was fun playing the drums, anyway!”Archie frowned for several seconds before nodding slowly. “I will hold your hand tightly next time,” he promised, “and never allow something like this to happen again.”Benny nodded vigorously as he squeezed his brother’s hand.Estella came over to join the fun. “Me too! I’ll hold both your hands!”The little girl clutched Benny’s hand as she spoke.Touched to see the three children walking hand in hand with similarly solemn expressions, Roxanne smiled gratefully. “Come, Benny,” she said gently. “Thank Mr. Farwell.”Benny appeared to be surprised by her words.“Mr. Farwell was the one who found you,” Roxanne said.The boy gl