From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 270: Chapter 270

At the entrance of the hotel's first-floor buffet restaurant, Paisley walked out with Serena after finishing their meal.
Serena held her round little belly and looked up at Paisley. "Mommy, what are we going to do next?"
After leaving the police station, Paisley had taken Serena for a stroll around the area, visited some popular spots, and finally arrived at this hotel, which had the highest-rated buffet online.
Now that she was full and satisfied, Paisley just wanted to go back and rest. But Serena, still eager to play, looked like she hadn't had enough fun yet.
Paisley glanced at her phone. "We'll wait for your uncle to pick us up, and then we'll go home together."
Hearing that they were going home, Serena looked a little disappointed.
But when she saw how tired her mom was, her heart softened. "Okay, then we'll wait for Uncle and go home."
Paisley looked down at her daughter. She could tell Serena was only saying that because of her, so she thought for a moment. "How about this? When Uncle arrives, we'll ask him if there's anything fun nearby. We can stop by somewhere on the way home."
Serena's eyes lit up. "Okay, cool!"
She immediately started glancing toward the hotel entrance. "Why isn't Uncle here yet? Mommy, let's go outside and wait for him!"
"It's too cold outside." Paisley pulled Serena toward the hotel's lounge bar, ordered a cup of tea for herself and a small dessert for Serena, and then sat down to wait for Max.
Max had already messaged her, saying he was on his way.
Serena sat quietly on the sofa, staring out the window. Suddenly, she seemed to notice something. "Mommy, look! It's so noisy outside!"
She stretched out her little hand and pointed toward the hotel entrance.
Paisley was replying to work messages on her phone. Hearing Serena, she glanced up briefly. She saw a group of hotel staff gathered as if they were welcoming someone.
She wasn't interested and responded absentmindedly, "Mm."
Serena watched for a while, but from her angle, she could only see the backs of the staff. Finding it boring, she looked away.
Just then, the hotel doors opened, and someone was about to enter from outside.
Serena was about to get a clearer look when Paisley received Max's message—he was already waiting outside the hotel.
Paisley stood up and walked over to Serena, helping her put on her coat. "Rena, Uncle's here. Let's go."
As soon as she heard that, Serena immediately looked away, urging Paisley to hurry up. She wanted to go see Max.
Grayson, unable to resist, followed behind Dominick, crying so hard that he was gasping for air.
Since Dominick had just intimidated him with his words, Grayson only dared to sob quietly now.
Dominick walked ahead with a dark expression, his entire body radiating anger.
Noah followed beside him, thinking that Dominick's strict fatherly demeanor was deeply ingrained—he was even scarier than his own father.
Grayson's tear-filled eyes suddenly caught a glimpse of what seemed to be Serena. He stopped in his tracks, and just as he tried to get a clearer look, that figure was lifted into someone's arms and carried outside.
Wanting to confirm if it was really Serena, Grayson broke away from Dominick and ran toward the hotel entrance.
"Hey, Mr. Vanderbilt! Where are you going?" Some quick-eyed hotel staff at the back immediately noticed Grayson's sudden movement.
Grayson wanted to see if that child was really Serena and, more importantly, to see if the person carrying her was his mother Paisley.
But before he could take more than a few steps, he was stopped. He could only watch helplessly as that mother and daughter got into a man's car. That man had a bright smile and even patted Serena's head before they got in.
"Get out of my way! Don't block me!" Grayson pushed against the staff in front of him.
Just then, a stern voice came from behind. "Grayson."
Grayson stiffened. He was still afraid of Dominick and didn't dare to act out any further.
Dominick strode over, grabbed Grayson by the back of his neck, and turned him around. "No more nonsense!"
"But—" Grayson pointed toward the hotel entrance. Already crying, he was so anxious that he couldn't even speak properly. He could only watch as the car drove away.
In the end, he never got to confirm if that mother and daughter were really Rena and Paisley—he only saw a stranger's face.
The emotions he had been suppressing for so long erupted at that moment. He shut his eyes and burst into loud sobs.
Dominick felt more exhausted than ever. Without another word, he picked up Grayson and strode toward the elevator.
Even after they entered the presidential suite on the top floor, Grayson still hadn't stopped crying.
Dominick carried him straight into the bathroom. "Calm down properly, or you're not coming out."
Then, without giving Grayson a chance to protest, he shut the bathroom door.
Noah stood in the living room, feeling a bit lost. Even through the door, he could still hear Grayson crying.
He couldn't help but grumble inwardly. 'What a spoiled brat. Is the Vanderbilt family really going to be handed over to such a willful crybaby in the future?'
Just as he was thinking that, he saw Dominick come out, rubbing his temples with a tired expression. The first thing he did was apologize, "Sorry, Mr. Mason, for letting you witness this mess."
"It's fine, I understand you, Mr. Vanderbilt." Noah sat across from Dominick. "Men aren't really cut out to take care of kids. Honestly, raising children is best left to women."
The reason Noah said this was actually to bring up the topic of meeting Keeley.
However, for some reason, his words seemed to touch a nerve in Dominick, whose expression suddenly changed. There was regret, guilt, heartache, and sadness.
"Mr. Vanderbilt, what's wrong?" Noah asked cautiously.
Dominick lowered his gaze. After a long pause, he spoke softly, "So... she must have been this exhausted back then."
This was his first time taking Grayson out alone, his first time truly taking care of a child by himself. Yet, this was just the beginning, and he already felt overwhelmed.
In comparison, not only did Paisley have to take care of Sonny, but she also had to look after him and the entire Vanderbilt family.
A wave of deep guilt and remorse washed over him once again.