From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 222: Chapter 222

And so, a group of grown men lined up to wash their hands in the first-floor living room bathroom. At Tyson's insistence, each of them was sprayed down with disinfectant afterward.
Serena was very curious about her biological grandfather. Right now, the two of them were sitting side by side on the couch.
She kept glancing at him, touching him here and there.
"Grandpa, why do we speak with different accents?" Serena launched into her endless stream of questions.
"Because I'm from Montera. I grew up in Montera." Tyson patiently answered in a slightly strained voice.
Ocean was stunned, thinking, 'Since when have I ever seen such a side of this Sir?'
Leo was much calmer than Ocean. After all, he had seen Max playing with Serena many times before, sometimes even mimicking her voice.
"Then, Grandpa, if you grew up in Montera, why did my mom grow up in Brightmoor? Aren't you her father? Why have I never seen you before?" Serena continued questioning.
She asked without a second thought, but Tyson felt a deep pang in his heart. "Because I made a mistake in the past and had to be separated from your mom."
Serena listened intently and asked seriously, "Did you do it on purpose?"
Tyson shook his head. "No."
If only he could have known. If only there had been a second chance.
Ever since he regained his memories, recalling the past felt like a thousand arrows piercing his heart—an unbearable regret.
"Then do you know your mistake? Have you admitted to it?" Serena pressed on.
Tyson nodded. "Grandpa knows he was wrong. I've admitted it."
"Then that's good." Serena grinned and patted her grandpa's shoulder like a little adult. "Admitting your mistakes and correcting them makes you a good child. That's what my mom says."
Tyson was deeply moved by the child's innocent words. With reddened eyes, he looked at Paisley. "Paisy, you've raised our daughter well. You're an excellent mother."
Serena giggled, looking proud. "Mm-hmm! My mom is the best mom in the whole world."
Paisley said nothing; she just watched quietly, feeling happy.
Max stood across from them, watching quietly as well.
But from his perspective, there were three people in the picture: his adoptive father, Rena, and... her.
Just then, Serena reached out toward Max, asking for a hug. "Max, you haven't hugged me yet!"
Hearing Serena call out to him, Max walked over.
Worried that lifting her by the armpits might strain her, he simply scooped her up in a princess carry.
Serena was overjoyed and demanded that Max spin her around.
Max spun her a few times before stopping. Then, he rubbed his slightly stubbly chin against her forehead. "Did you miss me?"
Serena giggled, "I did! I missed Max so much! When I was in the hospital, you didn't come to see me, and I was really upset!"
Hearing that, Max felt guilty. "I'm sorry, Rena. Something urgent came up at the time. What can I do to make it up to you?"
"Eh? Wait a minute!" Ocean's voice suddenly interrupted their moment. "Shouldn't the young miss be calling Max 'Uncle' instead?"
As soon as Ocean said that, the living room fell silent for a moment.
Tyson looked at Max with a complicated expression, as if he wanted to say something but ultimately held back.
In his eyes, the title "Uncle" carried a much deeper meaning for their family than just names.
Only when Ocean brought it up did Paisley fully realize that her relationship with Max had truly changed. They were no longer just neighbors. They had become siblings.
"That's right, Rena. From now on, call him Uncle," Paisley said to Serena, not noticing the fleeting emotion in Max's eyes.
Just then, Paisley's phone rang—it was a WhatsApp message from Nathaniel.
However, what surprised her even more was the news Nathaniel brought.
That night, the Beaumont family was hosting a grand banquet at the Beaumont estate to introduce Byron's long-lost niece—Nathaniel's grandaunt—to the public.
Nathaniel had told Paisley about this because he wanted to invite her as his date for the event.
After all, getting permission to return was no easy feat for him. He might be back today, but by tomorrow, he could be sent straight back to guard the factory.
This was his only chance to see Paisley. But Paisley had no time to bother with that now. She immediately informed Tyson and Max about the news.
"Don't tell me this is the reason you both came back?" she asked.
The Beaumont family hosting a reunion banquet that night was news to them as well.
"No," Max denied. "We came back because Director Wane called.
"The results of the hair and blood samples you sent for comparison are out—they match the traces left in our mother's fingernails back then. That means we can finally prove that the man who's trying to kill you now was directly involved in our mother's death."
Paisley's fingers trembled. Even though she had already expected this outcome, hearing it confirmed still sent a wave of uncontrollable emotion through her.
"Why wasn't I informed?" she asked.
"Because of what happened last time, Director Wane was worried about your mental state. He feared you might act impulsively and do something irreversible, so he told us first.
"The reason we came back immediately was because this matter can't be delayed any longer—it's time to bring it to an end," Max explained patiently.
"Paisy." Tyson took hold of her cold, trembling hand. "Don't worry. I'll make them pay. I'll make them understand what true despair feels like."
Paisley's eyes turned red as she stared straight ahead. She felt despair.
As night fell, the long-quiet Beaumont estate was now bustling with activity.
This banquet was the most extravagant and grand affair Harrowfell had seen in the past year. Yet, no one knew that from the moment the banquet was decided to its execution that night, only a single day had passed.
In all of Harrowfell, only the Beaumont family and the Vanderbilt family had the financial power and efficiency to pull this off.
There was still some time before the banquet officially began, but most of the guests had already arrived.
After all, it was an event hosted by the Beaumont family, and it was for a family reunion no less.
Every influential figure in attendance was curious, thinking, 'Who exactly is Byron's mysterious niece, and what does she look like?'