novelraw Chapter 552: Great-grandma says that if sand gets in your eyes, a kiss from Benjamin will make it all better.
Chapter 552: Great-grandma says that if sand gets in your eyes, a kiss from Benjamin will make it all better.
Cassius Turner saw her pale as snow, her fingernails deeply embedded in the back of her own hand, her whole body trembling slightly. He quickly supported her and asked in a low voice, "Delphine, what’s wrong?"
Delphine shook her head, lowering her gaze to the little girl in pink standing next to Nicholas Carter. The little girl looked like a delicate porcelain doll, with big eyes, a small mouth, soft and tender, shy yet adorable—she was flesh of her flesh.
"Benjamin." She crouched down, her voice hoarse, her eyes red and moist. She worked hard to calm herself—she didn’t want to frighten the child.
"Mommy Carter, did some sand get into your eyes?" Benjamin Leclair noticed she was on the verge of tears. The tiny figure leaned forward and kissed her cheek. In a soft and sweet voice, she said, "Great-grandma told me that when sand gets into your eyes, Benjamin can kiss it away."
Delphine suddenly held the little girl tightly in her arms, tears streaming down. She lowered her gaze, her fingertips trembling—this was her precious baby, the one she’d longed for over the past three years.
After the euphoria came a bone-deep chill of piercing pain.
Delphine stood up, looking down as she said hoarsely, "Professor Turner, could you please take Benjamin back? I just really love this child. I’ve always wanted to give Nicholas a little sister."
Her words were incoherent as she clung tightly to Benjamin, unwilling to let go.
Cassius Turner saw her swinging between utter despair and ecstatic joy, sensing there must be a reason behind it. Yet the man chose not to speak of it. Instead, he smiled and said, "Then I’ll take Benjamin Leclair back for now. Benjamin and Nicholas are classmates, so they’ll have plenty of chances to meet in the future. If you like Benjamin, you can see her often."
Delphine felt a cold sweat all over her body. How had she not thought of this possibility? If she could see Benjamin so easily, then Ignatius Leclair could also find her firstborn.
She would never allow the Leclair Family or the Howard Family to discover her firstborn.
Ignatius Leclair’s Bentley came to a halt outside the narrow alley of the old residential area; it couldn’t fit through.
The man stepped out of the car, his tall and imposing figure standing by the car door. As he looked toward the narrow and oppressive alleyway, his brows furrowed deeply.
"Mr. Leclair, isn’t that Miss Benjamin up ahead?" Maximilian noticed the little girl in the pink dress within the alley. He was so overcome with emotion that he nearly shed a tear.
Ignatius narrowed his phoenix-like eyes. Sure enough, he saw a refined, fair-skinned man leading Benjamin Leclair out. Benjamin looked visibly unhappy, tugging persistently at the bow on her dress.
"Benjamin Leclair." The man’s voice rang out, somber and resonant, his cold features hard as marble. He uttered each word distinctly, his tone betraying a hint of gritted teeth.
Benjamin, already in a bad mood, heard the terrifyingly stern tone of her father at this moment. Her little mouth trembled, and she immediately let out a loud "Waaah" as she cried, all the while murmuring pitifully, "I want to go to great-grandma’s house. Daddy is going to hit me."
The little girl quickly hid behind Cassius Turner.
The three men present wore different expressions.
Ignatius Leclair looked livid, Maximilian was utterly stunned, while Cassius Turner frowned in displeasure and said, "Mr. Leclair, I’m Cassius Turner, the second son of the Land Family. Benjamin was merely visiting her classmate’s house today. I’ve already informed the Howard Family and was planning to take her back soon. But for a four-year-old child, being so strict—aren’t you worried it might leave psychological scars?"
"How I educate my child is my business. Mr. Turner, taking someone else’s child without the parents’ consent—is this the renowned upbringing of the Land Family?" Ignatius Leclair spoke coldly, his tone dark and disdainful.
One being a scholarly professor from a family of intellect, the other an heir to an illustrious aristocratic lineage—their first meeting sparked immediate dislike. And now, at the narrow and oppressive alley entrance, they were locked in a tense standoff.