Marrying the Man in the Dark

“Mom!”
The moment the servant who went to pick up the children opened the door, Serafina darted in. Following behind her was a
composed Alexis, and Soren, who was bringing up the rear, carried both his and his sister’s backpacks.
“Lucy’s here too!” Serafina dashed straight into Lucy’s arms. “Lucy, I missed you so much!”
“You say that every time, kiddo.” Lucy chuckled helplessly, retrieving three exquisitely wrapped chocolates from her bag. “I came
in a rush this time and didn’t bring any gifts. But here are the chocolates I received at the last academic conference. You can
have them.”
“Thank you, Lucy!” Serafina kissed Lucy’s cheek before running upstairs with chocolates in hand.
Soren smiled wryly as he watched his sister run away. Then, he approached Lucy and took his share of the chocolate. “Lucy, you
seem preoccupied.”
Lucy instinctively touched her face. “Is it that obvious?”
“No.” Soren shook his head, grinning. “But I can read between the lines, and I can tell you’re troubled. And can’t think straight!”
Lucy shot him a wry look. “You’re too perceptive for your own good.”
Cherise looked helplessly at her son. “That’s enough. Go upstairs and keep your sister company. Lucy and I need to talk to
Alexis.”
Soren pursed his lips and glanced at Alexis before heading upstairs with the chocolate and backpack in tow.
Lucy waited to hear Soren closing the door upstairs before smiling and waving over. “Come here.”
Alexis blushed as he approached Lucy and took the chocolate she offered. “Miss, why do you wish to talk to me?”
“Don’t call me Miss anymore,” Lucy chuckled. “From now on, call me Mom. Come on an adventure with me, and I’ll show you the
wonders of the world outside. How does that sound?”
Alexis’ big eyes lit up immediately. “Really?”
Then, he glanced at Cherise gratefully. “You weren’t lying after all!”

Cherise chuckled awkwardly. “Well, you see... I keep my promises.”
Lucy frowned at her.
Cherise cleared her throat, saying. “Actually... Alexis mentioned before that he really likes you. So, I promised him that the next
time I saw you, I would ask if you wanted to adopt him...”
She pinched Alexis’s cheek with her finger. “Since you like me and I like you, how about you pack your bags and follow me, your
new mom, on a fun adventure?”
Alexis nodded eagerly. “Okay!”
With that, he leaped out of Lucy’s embrace and hummed a tune as he happily went up the stairs.
Meanwhile, Lucy reclined into her seat and smiled faintly as she watched Alexis disappear from view.
At that moment, Lucy only knew that Alexis was an orphan Cherise adopted in Lermille. She was unaware of the truth about her
connection to the child.
Once Alexis went out of her sight, Lucy turned to Cherise. “By the way, when you regain your memory, remember to write me an
email and tell me the true story behind this child.
Cherise pursed her lips and nodded earnestly. “I will.”
Since Alexis had only been living in the Lenoir residence for a while, he naturally did not have many things.