Chapter 146 Disappointment
Meanwhile, Benny, who had something to say, swallowed his words after his brother’s tirade.
I have almost forgotten that Daddy is a villain, and we were supposed to ignore him!
Lucian frowned when he sensed the unhappiness in the boys. Realizing that he had asked an inappropriate question, he apologized, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up your painful past.”
Despite opening his mouth, no words came out after that, for he didn’t know how else to comfort them.
Archie lowered his head and pretended to focus on his food. “It’s all right. We have gotten used to it, anyway,” he said.
At that moment, the atmosphere at the table grew tense.
Unable to restrain himself after eating in silence, Benny raised a teary-eyed gaze at Lucian. “Mr. Farwell, do you like children?”
Lucian was dumbstruck by the look on Benny’s face.
Benny continued with his soliloquy. “I suppose you do, as I can see that you treat Essie very well. Since you don’t hate children, why do you dislike us then?”
While speaking, Benny looked at Lucian with puppy eyes.
It’s clear that you don’t hate kids, so why did you abandon us, Daddy?
He was on the brink of vocalizing the question in his mind.
Startled by his brother’s words, Archie was well aware of what the former wanted to ask. Hence, he preempted the question by serving him some food. “Didn’t you say that you were hungry? Here, eat up.”
Despite the sadness within him, he didn’t want to show it in front of Lucian.
Furthermore, he knew that Roxanne didn’t want Lucian to know their identity.
Having been reminded by his brother, Benny pouted and continued to eat the food on his plate. However, he no longer took any extras.
In the end, Lucian had no answers to Benny’s questions. In fact, he was intrigued about the actual genesis of the questions.
Subsequently, the tension at the table intensified with no one saying another word until dinner was over.
When Estella, who didn’t speak anyway, saw the somber mood the brothers were in, she felt equally glum.
As the only adult at the table, Lucian tried to liven up the atmosphere with new topics but failed when the brothers just refused to talk.
Once dinner was over, he sent the children back to Roxanne’s house.
As Roxanne wasn’t back yet, Catalina, who was feeling worried, was relieved to see Lucian and the children.
Instead of leaving right away, Lucian stayed to make small talk with Catalina while watching the children play in the living room.
It wasn’t until around eight o’clock that Roxanne finally returned from work.
However, the children only threw her a glance and didn’t rush to welcome her like they usually did.
From their response, Roxanne could sense that something was amiss with their mood.
Since Lucian was still around, she went over and asked, “What has gotten into them? Were they bullied in school?”
Furrowing his brows slightly, Lucian gave her an apologetic look. “They became like that after I inquired about their father during dinner. I’m sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Roxanne was startled by his words. After she regained her composure, her expression was a bit dark. “What did you ask them such a question for?”
Unable to figure out the reason for it, Lucian was momentarily speechless.
Roxanne suppressed the panic within her and gave him a stern warning. “Both of them grew up without a father and don’t like others bringing it up. Therefore, Mr. Farwell, please do not ask them such questions ever again.”
