Chapter 891: Stay

To her surprise, Catalina saw no one on the intercom screen. "Who's there?" she asked, confused. After a moment, a sweet voice chirped, "Hi, Ms. Catalina. We're Archie and Benny. Can we come in to see Essie?"

As the words ended, Archie and Benny stood on tiptoe, their eyes visible on the screen. Catalina recognized them instantly; she'd cared for them before. Her heart softened at the sound of their voices, but she still turned to Lucian for permission.

Seeing Catalina's hesitation, Archie and Benny added, "It's just us. Mommy isn't here!"

Lucian and Estella heard clearly. Lucian frowned slightly, then nodded at Catalina, granting permission. Estella, however, looked slightly gloomy. I thought Ms. Jarvis would be here too. Since Archie and Benny are here, why didn't Ms. Jarvis come to see me?

As the manor gates slowly opened, Archie and Benny's eyes lit up; they breathed a sigh of relief. They'd feared Lucian wouldn't let them in. Luckily, Daddy let us in!

Holding hands, they ran toward the main entrance, where Catalina already opened the door. Bursting into the living room, they saw Estella sitting on Lucian's lap.

Suppressing their immediate impulse to rush to Estella, they greeted politely, "Hi, Mr. Farwell."

Lucian glanced toward the entrance behind them, but Roxanne wasn't there. He retracted his gaze, nodding indifferently at the boys. In a deep voice, he asked, "How did you get here?"

Archie and Benny exchanged glances before replying evasively, "We took a taxi! The driver was very kind." They were telling the truth; the driver had charged them less because they were children, even waiting until they were inside before leaving.

Lucian's brow furrowed. "Does your mommy know you're here?" he rephrased.

Feigning guilt, they asked timidly, "Is that okay? We were very worried about Essie." They looked at Estella, sitting on Lucian's lap.

Estella, relieved to learn Roxanne had sent them, turned to Lucian, grabbing his arm. "Daddy, I want to play with Archie and Benny!"

Lucian patted her head. "Since your mommy knows you're here, stay and have fun." He set Estella down.

She immediately ran to Archie and Benny. Seeing Estella's reddened eyes, they felt a pang of sympathy. Essie must have cried a lot. Otherwise, why are her eyes swollen?

Unaware of their thoughts, Estella took their hands. "Let's play upstairs!"

Archie and Benny nodded, politely seeking Lucian's permission. He nodded in response, and they went upstairs with Estella.