From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Serena was crying her heart out, her small body trembling in Paisley's arms. Paisley could only keep soothing Serena, hoping she'd calm down soon. But it seemed Dominic wasn't willing to wait.
"Paisley, who is the kid?" Dominick's voice came close, thick with emotion as he stared down at Serena, clearly trying to make sense of what he saw.
He'd felt something familiar about Serena the moment he laid eyes on her.
Now, hearing the girl called Paisley "Mommy" and knowing her name was Serena Sutton aroused some suspicions deep down his heart.
"Paisley, is she my..." Dominick continued to ask.
Paisley cut him off, her tone firm. "Mr. Vanderbilt, Rena is my daughter." She then tilted her chin toward the couch behind her and added, "Your kid's over there."
'So that's not my daughter?' Dominick thought with his brows furrowed deeply, his dark brown eyes locked on Paisley, trying to figure her out.
At the same time, Marissa, who'd been tense ever since Paisley walked in, finally let out a breath of relief.
Since Paisley said the kid wasn't Dominick's, then it couldn't be his. Marissa didn't think Paisley would lie about it.
After all, for the girl, being part of the Vanderbilt family would be a million times better than being with someone like Paisley.
Marissa thought to herself, 'At least Paisley's smart enough not to try passing off this girl as a Vanderbilt. If she had, the whole family wouldn't let her and the girl off.'
With the tension eased, Marissa shifted her focus back to Grayson. She noticed he was still clutching onto her shirt, his eyes red and fixed on Paisley.
Marissa's gaze turned slightly grim, and she gently cupped Grayson's face, subtly turning his head toward her chest to block his view of Paisley. "Sonny, you've had enough, huh? Come on, let's rest for a bit."
Only then did Michelle realize the two parents knew each other. She felt a bit more at ease, hoping to diffuse the situation. With a warm smile, she turned to Dominick and said, "Ah, so you know each other. Well, that makes things easier, right?"
With a poker face, Dominick was about to nod in agreement, but Paisley's voice cut through again, colder than before. "I'm not really familiar with Mr. Vanderbilt. We're practically strangers."
Dominick's lips pressed into a thin line, and his face was instantly clouded.
Paisley met his gaze head-on, unfazed by his warning look. "So, let's keep things fair and square."
A sharp edge crept into Dominick's eyes, and he muttered in his mind, 'Good for you, Paisley. You want to distance yourself from me, huh?'
He looked right at her, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Fine, fair enough. But mark my words, I'm going to get to the bottom of this. I want to know what kind of education leads to a kid who thinks it's okay to hit people."
"Er..." Michelle was taken aback, sensing that Paisley was being a bit uncooperative. She quickly glanced at Marissa, seeking her help.
Still holding Grayson's hand, Marissa stepped closer to Dominick and lightly tugged at his sleeve. Her smile was soft, but her eyes shone with affection as she spoke to him, "Dom, don't get upset. Ms. Sutton is probably just worried about her kid."
As she spoke, Marissa could feel Grayson's grip on her hand tightening. She looked down and glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Grayson's little face was a deep shade of red, and his eyes were burning with fury as he glared at Paisley.
Dominick's expression was no better. He was fuming and complained inside, 'What's wrong with her? Serena's her kid, then what about Grayson? She hasn't even looked at him since she walked in.'
Marissa kept her smile polished and sweet, but there was a hard edge to her voice. "I think we should just let it go. It's all kids' stuff, right? Let's not make a big deal out of it this time."
With that, Marissa reached out her hands with long nails, aiming to pinch Serena's cheek. However, Paisley swiftly buried Serena's face in her arms and gave Marissa a cold stare.
Not feeling embarrassed by Paisley's action, Marissa let her hand drop and added, "But just so you know, there better not be a next time. We can't bear our own kids being always picked on."
Paisley's eyes flicked over the three of them, and she couldn't help but regret ever letting Serena step foot in this school.
"That's so nice of you. Ms. Sutton, you'd better get to apologizing right now," Michelle chimed in again, trying to smooth things over.
He thought if Serena's mother apologized, the issue would be settled with no fuss.
Paisley shot back with a bitter laugh, "Why should we apologize? We still don't have the full picture here. Who's right and who's wrong is still up in the air."
She scoffed and added, "Or do you judge students based on the parents's identities?"
Those words hit Michelle like a slap, leaving her speechless. Michelle was furious but had nothing to counter with. Her gaze at Paisley turned cold and increasingly hostile.
Michelle scolded, "Ms. Sutton, this is clearly Serena's fault. She ran off and hurt the other kids. She's in the wrong here. The two parents aren't pressing charges, so a simple apology should settle it. But you're..."
Michelle trailed off, her frustration plain. She'd been about to say "ungrateful". Though she didn't voice it, her implication was crystal clear.
"I trust my daughter. She wouldn't hurt anyone for no reason. I want the school to investigate this and clear her name," Paisley said firmly. Her words rang with conviction, and there was no backing down.
Dominick was momentarily taken aback. For a brief second, he didn't recognize the woman in front of him. But then, it clicked. This was the same Paisley he remembered—strong, determined, never afraid to speak her mind.
Marissa noticed the way Dominick was looking at Paisley and felt a knot in her stomach. She pulled Stella over and said, "Now, Stella, tell us what happened again."
Stella had been ignored long enough and was pouting, clearly unhappy about the situation. But when her aunt spoke, she couldn't resist. She crossed her arms and added some extra drama to the retelling.
"Basically, this bad girl just came over and started bothering Sonny for no reason. Sonny ignored her, so she freaked out and started hitting him. Not just him, she hit me too," said Stella.
As she spoke, she held out her palm, showing a few red, raw spots where the skin had been scraped.
"Grayson, is that what happened?" Dominick turned to his son and asked.
Grayson hesitated for a second with guilt flashing in his eyes. But the moment he saw Paisley holding Serena, he pouted and gave a sharp nod. He pointed an accusing finger at Serena and replied, "Yeah, Stella's right. She's a total nutcase!"
Serena, who'd finally stopped crying, immediately started again when she heard Grayson call her a "nutcase". Serena protested, "Mommy, I'm not a nutcase."
Paisley's eyes flicked to Serena's hands and found the cuts weren't deep. She knew if they were from a normal child, the principal wouldn't have taken it so seriously.
The school made such a big fuss only because it was Dominick's son and Marissa's niece. They were afraid that the Vanderbilt family would get upset, and that was why they were making such a big deal out of this.
If she were any other parent, maybe she'd have been left to swallow the injustice quietly. After all, who would dare cross the school or its wealthy donors?
"No more talking," Paisley snapped. "Let's check the security footage. If the footage shows my daughter was wrong, I'll apologize. But if it doesn't, I expect an apology from them."