Sweet Love 2x: Miss Ruthless CEO for our Superstar Uncle-Chapter 42: Unsettled

Arianne waited for the twins to finish their dinner and their bedtime routine before discussing it with Franz. The twins were now tucked into their bed and had fallen asleep. The house felt unusually large in the absence of the children’s noise.

Since neither she nor Franz knew how to raise children, she asked Aunt Estella to join them. Arianne was already in the sitting room, waiting for Franz and Aunt Estella. She already filled out the forms the homeroom teacher had handed her.

When the two arrived, she immediately informed them of the issues Ms. Ruiz had told her about the twins.

Franz ran a hand over his face and sighed.

"Why didn’t I know about these?" he grumbled.

"You can’t possibly know everything, Franz." Aunt Estella commented.

She touched her cheek and considered how to handle the children.

"They are well-behaved at home. They probably didn’t want to cause trouble or were afraid they would be sent away," Aunt Estella pondered aloud.

Arianne remained silent, but she thought it was possible.

If she were in the twins’ shoes, she wouldn’t like to be abandoned after losing their parents.

"I thought we were close enough that they would tell me anything that bothers them," Franz murmured.

"You are their uncle, not their father, Franz," Arianne reminded him. "And since we now know what’s happening, we’ll be able to find ways to help them."

"Is this why Leo still refuses to talk?" Aunt Estella asked. "Is there anything else we could do?"

"I’ll ask Gio to find another doctor for a second opinion. This is just to make sure we’re not missing anything," Arianne replied.

Their discussion was suddenly put to a halt when a loud crying sound came from the twins’ room. Arianne and Franz rushed upstairs.

Arianne took the steps two at a time, stopping only when the door came into view. Franz opened the door and flipped the light switch on the wall.

They found Leo seated on the bed, his face red as he cried uncontrollably, his fists pressed against his eyes.

Blankets were draped at the side of the bed, while Leo’s favorite lion doll lay on the floor. The bedside lamp remained on, untouched, its light too soft to illuminate everything in the room.

Beside Leo, Lily knelt with a worried expression on her face. She rubbed Leo’s back in an attempt to help her brother calm down, but failed. She looked at Franz helplessly and was on the verge of crying as well.

Franz didn’t know what to do, leaving Arianne to pick up the young boy from the bed and hug him. She stepped away, putting some distance between herself and Franz and Lily.

Leo instinctively wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her shoulder. His body trembled as he continued to cry in her arms.

"Uncle..." Lily called after Franz. "He had another nightmare."

Franz hesitated only long enough to assess the room before adjusting his focus. He immediately held the girl and wiped her tears. He didn’t offer comforting words; instead, he allowed Lily to curl against him. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

He glanced at Arianne, worried that she wouldn’t be able to calm Leo, but he was surprised to see her murmuring soft words into Leo’s ear.

Minutes passed without conversation. Leo’s cries continued. He was inconsolable. His sobs filled the entire eastern wing.

It was the first time Arianne had witnessed firsthand the nightmares that had haunted Leo for weeks. It wasn’t that she hadn’t believed Lily when she mentioned it during their proposal, but she hadn’t expected it to be this severe.

When Aunt Estella arrived, she was holding two bottles of water. She handed one to Franz, who immediately gave it to Lily, while the other was left on the nightstand for Leo to drink later.

It took some time before Leo finally calmed down. His hold on Arianne remained tight, as if he were afraid she would leave.

The shoulder of Arianne’s dress shirt was wet with tears, but she didn’t mind at all.

Perhaps out of exhaustion, Leo fell asleep in Arianne’s arms. His fist slowly loosened, freeing her shirt from his grip.

Arianne adjusted her hold on Leo, allowing herself to see the boy’s tear-stricken face. She sighed and gently cleaned his face with her handkerchief.

Leo had shown no signs of distress throughout the day and had followed his twin sister in silence.

"It would be best if someone stayed with them tonight," Aunt Estella suggested. "Aria used to have nightmares too, when she was younger. She could only fall asleep with ease if someone was around."

Arianne glanced at Aunt Estella, surprised that she still remembered those old days.

"I’ll stay with the children tonight," she told Franz in a low voice, afraid Leo would wake and cry again.

"But Aria—"

Franz wanted to argue. He knew Arianne’s schedule the next day was full. Spending the night with the twins would force her to rearrange it.

"It’s fine. Didn’t you say you have a meeting with your manager tomorrow?" Arianne replied, already aware of Franz’s concern.

"I can ask Gio to bring the documents that need reviewing here. The twins need me here. They are our utmost priority," she reminded him..

Franz nodded and didn’t say another word.

He helped Lily readjust her pink pajamas and tucked her into bed. He gave Arianne one last look before leaving the bedroom with Aunt Estella.

Lily stared at Arianne, who stood at the center of the room with Leo in her arms. It had been a long time since someone had stayed with her and Leo.

When Arianne was certain Leo was deeply asleep, she moved to the bed with him and realized she would need to sleep between the children. As soon as she lay down, she felt Lily shift beside her and move closer, her small arm draping over Arianne’s midsection.

Silence filled the estate again.

Arianne remained still as the twins’ breathing evened out on either side of her.

She adjusted her position just enough to keep them from waking, then stopped moving altogether.