The boys instantly grew wary at the mention of their mother.
"Why are you asking about her?" Archie demanded, glaring at the man like a puppy that could strike any time. He didn't have much strength, but he was still adamant about putting on a vicious front.
Noticing the boys' hostility and caution, Lucian felt curious and amused at the same time but paid no attention to it. "Well, you all watched over Essie twice now, so it's only natural that I give your mother a word of thanks."
Archie sighed internally as he heard that, but his expression remained tense. "There's no need for that. My mommy's in the middle of a phone call. She doesn't need your thanks anyway." Then, he dragged Benny back to the carpet and turned to Estella.
"Your daddy's here now, so you should go with him. My mommy will be leaving for work soon. She won't have time to keep you company anymore." Estella, who was initially still jubilant from how the boys backed her up, slowly returned to her senses after hearing that.
Although she didn't want to leave, she eventually nodded upon learning that Roxanne had to work.
A panic-stricken Roxanne quickly made her way down the stairs, her expression nothing but frantic.