Chapter 569

Estella's persistence coaxed an awkward smile from Lucian. She extended her arm, wanting to hand him the conch. To her surprise, Lucian grasped her wrist and brought the conch to his ear. Roxanne's hand was so close to his face that her palm could almost touch him. Realizing this, Roxanne stiffened, clenching her teeth as she carefully held her wrist at a certain angle.

A moment passed before he released her hand. "How was it? Did you hear anything?" Estella asked expectantly.

Lucian gave Roxanne an unfathomable gaze, raising a brow. "Yep. I heard it."

Estella squealed with delight at her father's confirmation. Roxanne noticed his earlier glance, feeling an electric current surge through her veins. After a moment, she smiled at the children as if nothing had happened. "All right. Let's go find some more, or the boys will get them all."

Taking the conch from Roxanne, Estella nodded, took her hand, and walked forward. Meanwhile, Archie and Benny, having heard the sound, dashed off eagerly to find their own conchs.

Roxanne, walking behind the boys with Estella, occasionally glanced back to ensure their safety. Suddenly, the boys stopped, squatting down; their eyes fixed on something. Curious, Roxanne hurried over with Estella.

"Mommy, look!" The boys pointed at a tiny crab on the beach. A thumb-sized crab, timidly crawling into a milky white conch, came into view. As if startled by their presence, the crab covered its eyes with its pincers and continued crawling inside.

"How can we make it come out!" Benny eyed the conch with frustration. Finding a conch hadn't been easy, and now a crab was inside.

Roxanne shook her head. "That's a hermit crab. The conch is its home. Let's not disturb it and look for another one."

Hearing this, the boys stared curiously at the conch for a long time, gently tapping it. In sweet voices, they said, "Hey, little hermit crab. Let's play together!"

Their actions startled the hermit crab, causing it to quickly scurry out of the conch and flee. Seeing the creature leave, the children looked at Roxanne guiltily. They'd only wanted to play, but hadn't anticipated frightening the crab.

Roxanne smiled reassuringly. "Let's go. Maybe it'll come back when we're gone."

The children nodded and walked on, constantly turning back to see if the hermit crab would return. Alas, there was no sign of it, even after they'd lost sight of the conch. Their initial upset quickly faded, replaced by another distraction.

As Roxanne walked with the children, she occasionally squatted to pick up seashells, planning to make a necklace for Estella. Lucian followed at a moderate distance, a rare, warm gaze following them from behind.