From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 269: Chapter 269

The man who had come to pick up Dominick was Noah Mason, whose family owned a hotel chain. To successfully break into the Harrowfell market, he needed to collaborate with one of its big players—hence, his connection with Dominick.
When Noah heard that Dominick would be visiting Montera for Christmas, he saw it as the perfect opportunity to show his hospitality as both a business partner and a hotelier.
"Mr. Vanderbilt, when was the last time you came to Montera?" Noah asked while driving.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Dominick gazed out at the rapidly passing scenery. His voice was calm. "Two years ago."
Two years ago, he had come to Montera for an economic forum.
"Not much has changed in Montera these past two years," Noah said, trying to keep the conversation going. Seeing that Dominick was distracted, he decided to shift his focus.
Instead, he turned his attention to the boy in the backseat. "Sonny, have you been to Montera before?"
"When I was little," Grayson replied.
"Oh? When was that?" Noah thought he had found a way to continue the conversation.
Grayson didn't really want to answer the question. He frowned slightly, "When I was two."
"You can remember things from when you were two? As expected of the Vanderbilt family's young master—sharp memory must run in the genes," Noah praised, trying to build rapport.
But to his surprise, his words seemed to have the opposite effect.
Instead of being pleased, Grayson furrowed his brows even deeper.
In that moment, he looked strikingly similar to Dominick when he was upset.
"What's wrong? Why do you look so unhappy?" Noah, skilled at reading people, immediately noticed something was off.
Dominick glanced at the rearview mirror, catching sight of Grayson's sulky expression. His voice was low. "Ignore him. I don't know what kind of mood he's in."
Only then did Noah realize—since they had left the airport, Dominick and Grayson hadn't spoken a single word to each other.
Grayson had also looked reluctant the entire time, his demeanor listless.
At first, Noah assumed Grayson was simply tired from traveling.
But now, it was clear—father and son were in the middle of a silent standoff.
"Kids are all like that. Just coax him a little, and he'll be fine," Noah chuckled awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood.
However, his words did nothing to ease the tension. If anything, the vibe in the car grew even more strained.
In the backseat, Grayson frowned, pressing his lips together as he stared out the window. He had stopped talking—completely shutting down any attempt at communication.
Meanwhile, in the front passenger seat, Dominick also kept his gaze fixed on the scenery outside, his expression cold and distant.
At that moment, Noah felt like his presence in the car was a mistake. He shouldn't have insisted on personally driving them in an attempt to bond with Dominick and Grayson.
The real reason for his eagerness today wasn't just because Dominick was an important business partner. There was another crucial factor.
Josie had asked him for a favor—she wanted him to introduce Keeley to Dominick.
When Noah heard Josie's request, he immediately felt uneasy. He didn't know much about Dominick, but he did know Keeley.
With Josie as her sister-in-law, Keeley might not have been purely evil, but she was definitely an expert at stirring up trouble.
She restrained herself in front of the Godard family, but outside, relying on their power, she had done plenty of questionable things.
As a childhood friend, Noah believed he had a decent relationship with Josie and had subtly reminded her multiple times not to indulge Keeley too much.
However, Josie never seemed to take it seriously. She would only say that Keeley was indeed a little willful but treated her well as a sister-in-law.
Over time, Noah, as an outsider, felt it was no longer his place to comment.
Initially, Noah hadn't wanted to get involved in this matter. To him, it was a thankless task. If things went wrong, he could end up offending both sides and even anger Dominick, which might affect his business in Harrowfell.
But Josie offered the Yanshork Resort project as a reward, making it hard for Noah to refuse.
Coupled with the bond they shared from growing up together, Noah reluctantly agreed.
Still, he was cautious and didn't make any firm promises, only saying he would do his best.
He had originally planned to bring up the matter while chatting in the car, hoping to build a rapport with Grayson and ease into the topic.
But father and son had already fallen into a silent standoff, neither acknowledging the other.
As an outsider, this was the worst possible time for him to bring up such an issue.
The car remained silent the entire ride until they finally arrived at the hotel.
It was a top-tier luxury hotel owned by the Mason family, located in Montera's prime district. From the presidential suite on the top floor, one could overlook the entire city.
As soon as the car pulled up to the hotel entrance, the hotel's general manager, having received word in advance, was already waiting with the concierge team.
It was no joke—when the group president personally delivered esteemed guests, they had to take it seriously.
Dominick was the first to step out from the front passenger seat. A concierge opened the rear door, but when Dominick turned to look at Grayson sitting inside, the boy showed no intention of getting out. His strikingly handsome brows furrowed slightly. "Grayson, get out of the car."
It was clear he was exercising an immense amount of patience in speaking to Grayson.
But Grayson remained seated, deliberately looking away and refusing to acknowledge Dominick.
"I said, get out of the car." Dominick's voice rose slightly, his tone turning ice-cold.
Grayson's small body visibly flinched, clearly sensing his father's authority, but he still stubbornly crossed his arms and refused to budge.
Standing nearby, Noah felt his scalp tingle. This was exactly why he had been hesitant about marriage and children.
Even someone as powerful as Dominick was helpless when it came to his own son.
"Sonny, how about we get out of the car? I will take you to eat something delicious," Noah stepped in to mediate.
But Grayson wasn't having it. "I don't want to eat! I want to go home! I want to go back to Harrowfell!"
He didn't care about Montera. He wanted to go home—to Harrowfell.
Noah awkwardly smacked his lips, feeling like he had embarrassed himself.
Grayson was the son of the Vanderbilt family—he had seen the best food and entertainment. Noah couldn't bribe him with something so trivial.
"Grayson, my patience is limited. This is my final warning—get out of the car now." From his tone, it was obvious that Dominick's patience had reached its breaking point.
Grayson pouted. He wanted to keep resisting, but his father's overwhelming authority crushed his defiance. In the end, he couldn't hold back and burst into tears.
"Ahh! I want Grandma! I want to go back to Harrowfell! I don't want to be here!" He sobbed as he slowly climbed out of the car.
If they had been in Harrowfell, the moment he let out his first cry, Lauren would have rushed over to comfort him.
Even if Lauren wasn't around, Lily, who took care of him at home, would have arrived by now.
But this time, Dominick had brought no one else with him to Montera except Grayson.
In the middle of the public eye, Grayson cried his heart out, completely disregarding his surroundings.
Dominick's brows furrowed so tightly that they could have crushed a fly.
Around them, Noah watched helplessly, feeling utterly out of place. After being repeatedly ignored by Grayson, he decided it was best not to impose himself any further.
The other hotel staff exchanged glances, none daring to approach the little master.
As Dominick grew more frustrated, Paisley's past warning suddenly echoed in his mind.
Dominick said, "Grayson, don't make me slap you in front of all these people."
Noah and the surrounding staff all sucked in a sharp breath.
They thought, 'Could it be that even big shots discipline their kids in such a simple and direct way?'
Even Grayson was so shocked by Dominick's words that he let out a hiccup between his sobs and froze in place. Tears were still rolling down his face, but he no longer dared to wail.
This time, Dominick had proven with his actions that Paisley's way of disciplining was effective.