Chapter 1431

Archie and Benny had barely finished reading the online discussion when Estella arrived, leaving them no time to celebrate.

“Archie, Benny! Ms. Linda’s here to take us to school!” she yelled, rapping firmly on the door. Estella, staying with them while Roxanne worked long hours, relied on the boys for companionship, eagerly anticipating their morning appearances. This morning, however, they were still upstairs even after Linda's arrival. Estella graciously offered to fetch them.

Hearing Estella's voice, they quickly closed the laptop, unable to conceal their grins.

“Why are you grinning?” Estella asked, though her own face mirrored theirs.

Benny patted her head and replied secretively, “I won’t tell you! You’ll find out soon enough.”

“I can’t believe Daddy released a statement saying we’re his children! Does that mean we don’t have to keep our identities secret from him soon?” Benny turned to Archie expectantly.

Archie, though smiling broadly, was less naive than Benny. He knew exactly what Benny was thinking. “It looks like we were right to change our minds about Daddy. He loves Mommy dearly! I can’t believe he did that to protect Mommy.”

Linda drove the children to kindergarten. During break, Benny dragged Archie to the restroom to avoid Estella. They whispered inside.

“Archie, how did Daddy find out about our identities?” Benny asked innocently, assuming Lucian had discovered the truth. But Archie seemed annoyed, not happy. Benny was baffled.

Seeing his brother's innocent expression, Archie said, “Daddy doesn’t know we’re his children yet.”

Benny frowned. “Seriously? But he must have released that statement! If he doesn’t know, why did he say that?”

Archie explained solemnly, “Because of Mommy! If he doesn’t acknowledge us, netizens will assume Mommy had us with another man and insult her.” He understood his father’s intentions perfectly. “By acknowledging us, Daddy’s protecting Mommy and us from hurtful online comments.”

Benny’s eyes widened. Only they, Mommy, and Aunt Madilyn knew they were Lucian's sons. Without confirmation from them, he would never know. Daddy had acted to protect Mommy.

Even so, the boys were satisfied. “At least we can be sure Daddy loves Mommy sincerely. They’ll end up together one day! I wonder if Mommy has seen the statement…”

Estella, however, remained puzzled by their all-day beaming.