From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 132: Chapter 132

The kite soared into the air again, and Serena happily chased after it. Lately, she was really into bunny-themed clothes, and she kept asking Paisley to buy her a few different colors.
Today, she was wearing a soft pink one with big bunny ears, which bobbed up and down as she ran.
While running, she got so excited that she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. She clumsily tripped over her own feet and fell onto the grass.
Fortunately, the grass here was soft, and she didn't hit the ground directly. Serena lay on the ground, her thoughts racing.
She was deciding whether to get up on her own or wait for an adult to come pick her up.
If she got up by herself, Max and Maria would praise her. But if she waited for them to pick her up, she could take the chance to act cute and ask for something yummy.
She was debating whether to get praise or snacks when she got unexpectedly lifted up. Right as she was about to put on a pitiful act and seek solace, her big, round eyes became motionless in shock.
It was not Maria or Max who picked her up, but a scary-looking man. Serena blinked, clearly reluctant. She didn't want to act cute with Dominick. He had that stern face, which scared her. It was a shame that he was actually very handsome.
Dominick looked down at Serena, his brows furrowed. "Why were you running so fast? Did it hurt?"
Serena pouted, her eyes looking at Dominick's stern face, and she felt like crying.
"Where's your mom? Why did she let you run around by yourself?" Dominick scolded.
He thought, 'Paisley is so irresponsible, letting such a small child run around like that while she is nowhere to be seen.'
When Max walked over, he saw Serena being held by a tall man. The man's face was stern, and Serena was on the verge of tears, looking like she might cry any second.
Max's gaze darkened, and he quickly walked over, reaching out to take Serena.
Dominick noticed someone coming over for the kid and instinctively moved his body to block Serena, then looked coldly at Max. Seeing that it was a stranger, his expression grew even more serious.
"Who are you?" he asked coldly.
Max met his cold gaze and responded, "I should be asking you that; why are you holding someone else's child?"
Dominick's eyes widened, his voice slightly trembling. "Is this child yours?"
"Why else would I come?" Max reached out to Serena, calling, "Rena, come here."
Wanting to get out of Dominick's arms, Serena eagerly reached out her little hands and tried to wiggle her way to Max.
Dominick saw how Serena reacted. She clearly knew him, otherwise, she wouldn't be so eager. He finally let go, allowing Max to take her.
Max furrowed his brows, looking at Dominick before softly asking Serena, who looked so pitiful in his arms, "Rena, do you know him?"
Serena nodded. "Yeah, he's a scary man. He's Grayson's dad."
Max looked over in the direction Serena was pointing, and sure enough, he saw a boy about six or seven years old, followed by a young woman.
So, they knew each other. Max relaxed a little and gave Dominick a slight nod. "Thank you. I won't interrupt your family time." With that, he turned and walked away, holding Serena in his arms.
Dominick watched the man walk away with Paisley's daughter.
Max asked her as they walked, "Did it hurt? Do you still want to fly the kite? Do you want to go get something yummy?"
It wasn't until Paisley's nanny came over and said something to Max that she took the kite and followed him as they all left.
Dominick continued to watch them, his gaze following the three of them as they left the grassy area. Two cars were parked on the side of the road, with a few bodyguard-like figures standing by.
When they saw Max and Serena, they opened the car doors.
Max climbed into one of the cars with Serena, and once the car slowly drove off, Dominick finally took his eyes off them.
"Daddy." Grayson walked over, also gazing in the direction where Serena had disappeared. "Is that man Rena's dad?"
Hearing Grayson's question, Dominick suddenly felt scared. A rare wave of unease gripped him, something he had never felt before.
Before this, Paisley had always denied that Serena was his. She had even presented blood type evidence to prove there was no biological connection between him and Serena.
As long as he had never actually seen the Serena's real father, he could continue deceiving himself and pretend none of this mattered. But now, it seemed like he no longer had that luxury.
"Daddy." Grayson withdrew his gaze and looked up at Dominick. "I don't think that guy is as handsome as you."
Dominick let out a small chuckle, but there was a trace of bitterness in it.
Inside the car, Max glanced sideways, observing Dominick and Grayson on the lawn. His deep eyes darkened slightly, reflecting his shifting thoughts.
Paisley had been busy all day. It wasn't until late at night that she finally had time to check her phone, when she noticed a message from Maria sent earlier that afternoon.
In the picture, under a blue sky with fluffy white clouds, Serena looked like a little pink rabbit, chasing a kite with joy.
[She looks so cute!] Paisley replied to Maria and then began gathering her things to head home.
Not long after, Maria sent another message: [You only noticed your daughter?]
Paisley thought for a moment before responding: [The scenery is beautiful. Thanks, Maria, for taking care of her.]
A few moments later, another message arrived. Paisley frowned. She thought, 'What was Maria trying to say? Whatever it is, couldn't it wait until I get home?'
Still, she opened the message: [Didn't you notice the person flying the kite?]
Only then did Paisley realize—at the corner of the photo, the man holding the kite string was Max, their neighbor.
She thought, 'Why is Max with Maria and Serena?'
Maria quickly sent an explanation: [Serena was really upset. So, I took her out to fly kites, and we ran into Max. Rena insisted on playing with him, and Max didn't seem to mind—he played with her for quite a while. Then, he even treated us to dinner.]
Maria continued with a long string of details, telling Paisley everything that had happened. Paisley was genuinely surprised. She hadn't expected Max to be so good with kids.
By the time she got home, night had completely fallen. As she pulled into the driveway, she noticed several cars parked outside Max's house. The doors were wide open, and a few men stood around the vehicles.
A few moments later, Max stepped out of the house. When he saw Paisley's car, he paused and looked in her direction.
Remembering Maria's messages, Paisley felt she should personally thank Max. So, she got out of the car.
"Heading out?" she asked.
"Yeah." Max nodded. "I found some new leads about my sister. I'm going to check them out personally."
"Oh, I see. Then I won't keep you." Paisley instinctively took a step back, ready to leave, but Max's voice stopped her, "It's fine. A few minutes won't make a difference."
Paisley hesitated, then returned with a smile. "I just wanted to thank you for spending time with Rena today. I ditched her, and she was really upset. I appreciate you keeping her company."
"No need to thank me," Max smiled politely. "Oh, by the way, while I was flying the kite with Rena today, we ran into someone. She called him a scary man and said he was Grayson's father."