From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 272: Chapter 272

Noah was still talking to himself when he suddenly looked up and saw Dominick's dark, stormy expression. "Mr. Vanderbilt, what's wrong?"
Noah thought, 'Have said something wrong? No, that couldn't be it.'
"Why must there be a live-in son-in-law? Can't the family business be handed directly to his daughter?" What Dominick really wanted to ask was—if it had to be a son-in-law, why did it have to be Max?
Although Noah didn't understand why Dominick was suddenly upset, he still explained, "Of course, it's because Tyson's daughter isn't capable enough."
"She isn't capable?" said Dominick, as he thought, 'How could Paisley not be capable?'
"Yeah," Noah nodded. "That's what people are saying. They're calling her an upstart, saying she's greedy and arrogant after suddenly coming into wealth—"
"Enough." Dominick's low, sharp voice startled Noah. "Huh? What? I was just repeating what I heard—"
Noah thought, 'What's up with Mr. Vanderbilt? Why is he suddenly so angry for no reason?'
Realizing he had lost his composure, Dominick took a moment to compose himself. He nodded slightly at Noah. "Apologies, Mr. Mason. See you at the Godard family's recognition banquet tomorrow."
With that, he stood up, clearly signaling that their conversation was over.
Noah could notice that Dominick was kicking him out. Though he felt a bit uneasy, he decided to let it go. "Alright then, Mr. Vanderbilt, get some rest. I'll arrange a car to pick you and Sonny up tomorrow night."
After Noah left, the crying from the bathroom gradually quieted down.
Dominick walked over, opened the door, and saw Grayson inside, his face streaked with tears and smudged like a little cat's. With a sigh of helplessness, he said, "Come out."
But Grayson stubbornly turned his head away, refusing to acknowledge Dominick.
Dominick took a deep breath, repeatedly reminding himself not to lose his temper.
But looking at Grayson's sulky expression, he really wanted to give him a smack. "I'm giving you one last chance. Are you coming out or not?"
Grayson's body trembled in fear. Sniffling, he looked up at Dominick's angry eyes and nodded pitifully. "I'll come out."
Dominick didn't say anything more and simply turned to leave.
Grayson, still sobbing, took small, hesitant steps out of the bathroom.
Looking at Dominick, who was sitting at the bar drinking water, Grayson tearfully called out, "Dad."
Dominick looked at Grayson and felt a deep sense of helplessness rising within him. "Grayson, you're a boy. Why don't you act like one? You're not little anymore—after Christmas, you'll be eight."
Dominick thought, 'Why does an eight-year-old boy cry the moment things don't go his way, running to Grandma or Lily for comfort?'
Back at home, Dominick hadn't noticed it as much. Most of the time, Grayson behaved decently when he saw him.
It was only on this father-son trip that Dominick realized how serious the problem was. From the moment they left the house until they arrived at the airport, Grayson's behavior had been poor.
When asked what was wrong, Grayson wouldn't say—he just made the adults guess. If they guessed wrong, he got upset and threw a tantrum.
After several rounds of this, Dominick finally lost his patience and scolded him. As a result, Grayson clammed up and sulked. That mood lasted all the way until they got off the plane.
By the time they reached the hotel, Dominick completely broke down. "Grayson, I'm not Grandma. I won't indulge you without limits. If you keep acting like this, I'll have someone send you back to Harrowfell."
Dominick looked at him seriously. "Do you really want to go back?"
Grayson flinched. Seeing that Dominick wasn't joking, he quickly shook his head. "No, I don't want to go back."
Dominick said they came to Montera so he could see Mom. He hadn't seen her yet—he didn't want to leave. Even though he had said earlier that he wanted to go back to Harrowfell, that was just out of anger.
If Grandma and Lily were here, they would've comforted him. Once they coaxed him, everything would be fine.
But Dominick didn't comfort him. Instead, he scolded him. That was why he said he wanted to go back to Harrowfell and find Grandma.
"Are you still going to act up?" Dominick asked in a deep voice.
Grayson felt wronged, but he still shook his head, indicating that he wouldn't cause trouble again.
Dominick took a deep breath. His tone softened slightly. "I don't want to see you run off again without saying a word, like you did before."
Grayson wanted to explain that the only reason he ran was because he had seen a child who looked like Rena.
He had wanted to check if that child was Rena and if the person holding her was Paisley. But he wasn't sure if Dominick would believe him, and he also couldn't be certain whether that child was really Rena.
His lips moved, but in the end, he didn't say anything. Instead, he looked up at Dominick with tear-filled eyes and asked, "Dad, when can I see Mom?"
Dominick thought for a moment. "Tomorrow."
At the Godard family's recognition banquet, Paisley, as the main guest, would definitely be there.
Grayson's eyes lit up. But that light quickly dimmed.
Wherever Paisley went, she always took Rena with her, yet she didn't even reply to his messages.
He thought, 'In Mom's heart, there's only Rena—never me.'
Earlier, Noah had asked Grayson when he had last been to Montera. He had answered, "When I was two."
It wasn't because he had a good memory—he didn't actually remember anything from when he was two. He only knew because he had seen photos of himself at that age. His mom had taken him to Montera back then.
They had visited the palace together, and she had even taken a picture of him dressed as an emperor.
Grayson thought, 'Mom has loved him once. She has taken me out to play before. So why wouldn't she even reply to my messages now? Is it because I once said I wanted Marissa to be my mom? But in the end, Marissa never became my mom.
'Marissa isn't good at all—she has even tried to kill me. Now, I only want my real mom. I have already apologized. So why is Mom still ignoring me?'
The more Grayson thought about it, the more wronged he felt. His small fists clenched tightly, and silent tears rolled down his cheeks.
Meanwhile, Noah went down to the hotel lobby. After instructing the hotel manager to take good care of Dominick and his son, he drove off alone. But not long after leaving, his phone rang—it was Josie.
As soon as he answered, Josie got straight to the point. "How's that favor I asked for—introducing me to Mr. Vanderbilt?"
Noah was cunning. He knew that if he made it sound too easy, Josie wouldn't owe him a favor.
So he hesitated for a moment before saying, "I asked, but Mr. Vanderbilt said he won't meet."
"Won't meet? Didn't you mention me to him?"
Josie was the third-largest shareholder of the Godard Group, she thought if she wanted to meet Dominick, Dominick would agree.