Roxanne turned to look at him with an awful expression on her face. “I had my eyes on them just now. Benny was still there before I engaged the vendor,” Lucian said.
That might suggest that Benny could not have gone very far. “I’ll go take a look around,” a frowning Roxanne said in distress. “I’ll come too!” Archie quickly chimed in.
Feeling responsible for losing sight of his own brother, he thus felt obliged to help locate him.
Seeing that Archie and Roxanne were so agitated, Estella promptly said, “I want to come along too!”
Without time to overthink it, Roxanne intended to lead the children out on a search.
They had only taken two steps when Lucian stopped them. “Take the kids and wait outside. I’ll look around here.”
Roxanne wanted to reject that proposal.
“Benny has already gone missing, and it’s crowded here. Surely you don’t want Archie and Essie to get lost as well, do you?” Lucian regarded her in earnest.
Hearing that made Roxanne hesitate.
With his deep voice, Lucian offered some words of consolation, “It’s quite costly to holiday at this resort, so you can be sure that no one here will harbor designs on your boy. We need only to worry about whether Benny will be able to take care of himself.”
Roxanne lowered her gaze in a bid to calm herself before she gave Lucian an affirmative nod. “Please help me find him.”
Lucian acknowledged her before turning around to wade into the crowd, whereas Roxanne squeezed her way out with the children in tow.
“Does Benny have his watch on, Mommy?” reminded Archie when they arrived somewhere with fewer people around.
Roxanne lowered her eyes to regard the boy who pointed at the watch around his own wrist.
Those watches that each brother possessed could pinpoint their own location via GPS.
Roxanne became deeply annoyed with herself that in her disquietude, she had allowed such an important matter to slip her mind.
When she recovered her composure, she immediately pulled out her phone to track her younger son’s position.
After a series of operations, she saw that the positional marker indicated that the watch was inside the hotel and had not moved an inch since.
Benny did not put it on when we came out today because he was apparently too lazy.
”
Staring at the red marker on the screen, Roxanne could not prevent her own eyes from reddening
It was the first time something of that sort had happened since Benny was raised in her care.
Despite Lucian’s assurances that there would not likely be anyone with criminal intent against children present there, Roxanne could not repress her own worries.
Benny must be so afraid to be separated from us…
Seeing that his own mother was on the verge of tears, Archie bowed his head in contrite. “I’m so sorry, Mommy. It’s my fault for failing to take care of Benny…”
Looking down at Archie beside her, Roxanne suppressed the uneasiness she felt inside and patted the boy’s head reassuringly. “It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I’m the one who failed to take care of you guys.”
She would never have allowed the children to be brought into such a crowded area had she known any better. But at that point, it was too late for regrets.
Estella was very worried about Benny as well. Seeing Roxanne and Archie feeling so down, the girl blinked and lightly tugged at the corner of Roxanne’s top.
Roxanne turned to look, only to see a concerned-looking Estella stand with her arms spread wide. “Hug me, Ms. Jarvis!”
Roxanne felt her heart ache. She squatted down and pulled both kids into her arms, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Don’t be sad, Ms. Jarvis, Daddy will find Benny!” Estella did her utmost to try to comfort Roxanne.
Patting Estella on the head, Roxanne quietly nodded, for she feared that she might
sound nasal if she tried to speak.
