From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 282: Chapter 282

Dominick and Grayson sat in the car Noah had sent for them, smoothly making their way into the Godard estate.
Grayson looked around in amazement at the scenery, his curiosity piqued by everything.
His home was also large, with multiple buildings, vast lawns, and gardens. But the house in Harrowfell and this place had completely different styles.
"Dad, does Mom live here with Rena?" Grayson pressed his face against the car window as he asked.
He felt uneasy. The thought of his mother living here with only Rena, completely ignoring him, made him deeply upset.
Dominick nodded. "Yes."
He couldn't quite describe how he felt at that moment. His heart pounded wildly, as if it was about to leap out of his chest.
Meeting the Godard family this time felt completely different from when he had met the Sullivan family.
In short, he was both nervous and eager. On one hand, he was anxious about meeting Paisley's family as her ex-husband. At the same time, he desperately hoped to gain the Godard family's approval—approval for his desire to win Paisley back.
On the other hand, he was impatient to see Paisley, especially after hearing from Noah that Tyson seemed intent on marrying Max into the family as her live-in husband.
Whether that arrangement was real or not, one thing was certain—Max had feelings for Paisley.
He had to shatter Max's hopes before Paisley even became aware of them. More than anything, he simply missed Paisley.
Every day, every hour, every moment—every cell in his body, every pore, ached with longing for her.
He had already experienced this soul-consuming yearning once, four years ago.
As soon as the car came to a stop in the estate's parking area, the Godard family's servants were already waiting outside.
Upon seeing Dominick, one of them immediately stepped forward and respectfully asked, "Are you Mr. Vanderbilt?"
"Yes, that's me." Dominick nodded slightly, responding politely.
"Mr. Vanderbilt, you've finally arrived. We've been expecting you," The servant smiled.
After saying that, she stepped aside and gestured in a particular direction. "Please, this way, Mr. Vanderbilt, and your son."
Now that they had reached the Godard estate, Dominick didn't overthink it and simply followed the servant.
However, when they arrived at the banquet hall, the servant didn't take him to the first floor. Instead, she bypassed the entrance and led him directly up to the second floor.
Dominick frowned in confusion, "Why are we going upstairs?"
The servant smiled and explained, "Our young lady would like to meet you before the banquet begins."
Dominick instinctively thought of Paisley as the young lady. After all, the only young lady he knew in the Godard family was her.
"Alright." His eyes gleamed, and his low voice barely concealed the excitement in his heart.
When the servant turned back, she happened to meet Dominick's deep, striking gaze and was momentarily dazed. A sense of pity welled up within him.
'What a handsome man! And he's just going to end up with Keeley? If I weren't working for the Godard family, I would have loved to warn this man about what kind of person Keeley really is,' thought the servant.
But she couldn't afford to do that—not with her livelihood at stake.
So, after leading Dominick to the lounge Josie had prepared in advance for Keeley, the servant quietly left.
For some reason, Dominick felt that the servant's expression was somewhat intriguing. But he had no time to dwell on it. At this moment, his eagerness to see Paisley overrode everything else.
He tightened his grip on Grayson's hand and pushed the door open.
The moment he stepped inside, his eyes were met with a spacious, bright, and extravagantly decorated living room. Sitting properly on the sofa was a boy who appeared to be about the same age as Grayson.
Grayson had been excited, thinking he would see his mother right away.
He had even prepared to call out to her the moment he walked in. But just as he opened his mouth, before he could utter a sound, he saw the boy.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" Grayson frowned and questioned the boy impatiently.
Tommy wasn't the type to be easily intimidated, but he remembered his aunt's instructions. For the sake of the toy he wanted, he decided to endure it for now.
He stood up and walked toward Grayson. "You must be Mr. Vanderbilt, right?"
The fact that the boy knew his identity caught Grayson by surprise. Still, Grayson nodded. "Yeah, I am. So, who are you?"
"I'm Tommy. My aunt sent me to play with you." As he spoke, Tommy stepped forward, took Grayson's hand from Dominick, and pulled him along. "Come on, let's go play. I'll take good care of you."
Grayson resisted and yanked his hand back. "I'm not going. I still need to see my mom."
Tommy let out a mocking laugh. "How old are you? Still crying for your mom? Isn't that embarrassing?"
Grayson was caught off guard by the taunt, and his eyes turned red. He wanted to snap back, but he couldn't find the right words.
Back in Harrowfell, no one had ever spoken to him like this. At school, no one dared. At home, even less so.
He could only look at Dominick helplessly, hoping his father would step in.
"Who told you to wait for us here?" Dominick asked Tommy in a low voice.
Tommy was intimidated by the tall man in front of him and answered honestly, "My aunt. She was worried no one would play with him, so she sent me over."
"Who is your aunt?" Dominick pressed further.
Tommy, feeling increasingly nervous under Dominick's imposing presence, stammered, "M-my aunt is the young lady of this house—"
"The young lady?" Dominick thought of Paisley. "What's her last name?"
"It's—" Tommy's eyes turned red, and his voice started to choke. "It's Godard—"
That word came out in a wavering tone, as if he were about to cry.
To Dominick, it sounded like something else. But since this was the Godard family, it had to be "Godard."
He thought, 'The young lady of the Godard family—there is no doubt it was Paisley. If it weren't Paisley, why would she have arranged for a boy to wait here for Sonny in advance?'