After Roxanne was done tending to Estella, Archie and Benny returned downstairs while carrying Estella's gifts.
They each had a strange-looking stuffed toy in their hands and walked up to the little girl. "We bought these with our pocket money. You can have them." The dolls looked adorable yet hideous at the same time and didn't seem to suit Estella at all.
However, this was the girl's first-time receiving gifts from peers her age whom she liked very much.
Thus, she joyously accepted the stuffed toys and hugged them more tightly than she did her previous doll. After a long while, Estella finally put the toys
down and scribbled a massive word of thanks on her notebook, showing her writing to Archie and Benny.
This was the boys' first time seeing her beam like that. They used to avoid her because she was a child their father had with another woman. But after they saw how adorable she looked, their hearts skipped a beat as they exchanged glances and scratched their heads sheepishly.
She's such a cute half-sister! I don't want to hate her anymore. Meanwhile, Roxanne's heart softened as she saw the three children interacting with each other. "Why don't you play with Essie for a while?" she suggested to her sons while stroking Estella's head. "I have to call the research institute and let them know I'll only be heading over a bit later. I just applied some ointment on Essie's hand, so be careful."
The boys nodded obediently. Then, Roxanne went upstairs to make the phone call. "Shall we play some Lego?" The boys didn't know what girls enjoyed playing, so they could only invite her to play with their usual toys.
Even so, a bright-eyed Estella readily nodded in agreement. I was right to come here today.
I got to have Ms. Jarvis tend to my wound, and Archie and Benny are now asking me to play with them! Both Archie and Benny's intelligence far
exceeded that of a normal child, so Roxanne would buy them Legos for adults, which could usually be stacked into huge models.
Their current project was about halfway done. "If you don't know how to do this, you can watch us first," Archie said kindly.
Estella nodded and solemnly watched them connect several Lego bricks. It wasn't long until she picked up a few pieces and began doing the same. Seeing that, Archie and Benny stopped and prepared to guide her, only to realise that the girl seemed to be catching on quickly, Soon, she began to match their speed – at a high level of accuracy too: The boys were dumbfounded momentarily.
Their mother had bought them these because they were highly intelligent, but now, Estella was doing as well as they were. Is it because we share the same father? Just as astonishment filled them, the doorbell to the mansion suddenly rang.
The boys glanced at one another as they thought of the same person. "I'll go get the door. Keep Essie company," Archie instructed while getting up and heading toward the entrance. He then opened the door to see a tall man dressed in an elegant suit – the man who was his father in name. "Hello," Archie greeted politely, albeit with a hint of detachment. A frosty-looking Lucian had thought it was Roxanne who would open the door for him, and he frowned upon realising it was a child. He must be Roxanne's kid.
For some reason, the boy seemed to harbour some feelings of enmity toward him. "Estella's here with us. Come on in." Archie shot the man a glance
before turning around and walking back into the house coldly.