From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 290: Chapter 290

"Dominick?" Paisley stared at Dominick in shock, not understanding how this man ended up here. She then looked at Tyson and Max, her gaze asking questions, wondering if they brought him here.
Tyson looked confused, and after catching the questioning look from his daughter, he turned to Max. Max raised an eyebrow, lips pressed tightly, saying nothing. But deep in his eyes, there was a flash of coldness, thinking, "This man again!"
After realizing that the person he was meeting wasn't Paisley, Dominick quickly left the second-floor lounge. Following the sound, he took the stairs down to the main banquet hall on the first floor. As soon as he arrived, he saw Paisley.
Before he could go up and express his longing to Paisley, he saw the woman standing across from her speaking to her in a very bad tone. The conversation even involved their daughter Serena.
The last time he saw the child, she was in the hospital, and after that, he never had a chance to see her again. It seemed like someone in the Godard family was bullying Paisley and Rena too.
With that shout of "Mr. Vanderbilt," all eyes were on Dominick.
Although Dominick didn't have much business interaction with the Montera family, it didn't mean that not many people knew him. As one of the country's top and most outstanding young entrepreneurs, his name had long been known.
Not to mention, behind him was the prestigious Vanderbilt family from Harrowfell. That family was just as powerful as the Godard family in Monterra.
Dominick's appearance shocked all the guests. No one would have thought that Dominick, from Harrowfell, would come all the way to attend the Godard family's recognition banquet.
It was well-known that the Vanderbilt Group, the family business of the Vanderbilt family, and the Godard Group of the Godard family ruled in different cities and industries without any business connections.
Dominick being here meant that he probably knew someone here.
From the stairs, Keeley ran after him in high heels. "Mr. Vanderbilt, don't leave! I haven't finished talking!" As soon as Keeley arrived, she immediately tried to lean towards Dominick, completely disregarding the occasion.
Zim could see Anna's face growing more and more displeased, so he quickly stepped forward and stopped Keeley before she could get too close to Dominick. "Keeley, look at yourself!"
In her haste to catch up with Dominick, Keeley's hair was slightly messy. And to make walking easier, she even unashamedly lifted the hem of her long skirt, exposing half of her leg.
Keeley glanced at Zim, then at the people from the Godard family who had gathered around, as well as the guests who were all looking their way.
After pausing for a moment, she finally realized her appearance and quickly started fixing herself. While adjusting her look, she explained, "I had something to discuss with Mr. Vanderbilt, that's why I'm late."
After fixing her appearance, Keeley didn't take her eyes off Dominick.
"Hmm? Keeley? Did you invite Mr. Vanderbilt?" Zim's tone became clearly more excited. If Keeley had a connection with Dominick, it would be a huge advantage for him.
Keeley looked at Dominick, her eyes playful. "I asked Josie to help invite him. I've met Mr. Vanderbilt once before in Harrowfell, and he saved me when I was in danger. I just wanted to thank him."
Her demeanor was that of a little girl, with an unspoken shyness. Anyone unaware of the situation might think there was something going on between them. That was exactly what Keeley wanted—she wanted everyone present to get that impression.
Paisley raised an eyebrow and shot a sharp look at Dominick. She sneered. She hadn't expected this man to still be so eager to help. Yeah, he had always been this way. First, it was Marissa, then Brittany, and now Keeley. There might be others, too.
When Dominick saw Paisley's expression, he knew she had misunderstood him and was about to explain, but Paisley turned away, no longer paying attention to him, and continued questioning Florence about the situation between Serena and Bella.
"My daughter wouldn't hit anyone without reason. You're accusing my daughter based on a vague statement from a child. That's biased." Paisley's words brought everyone's attention back to the children.
"What's biased? Didn't you see how badly Bella was crying?" Florence didn't want to waste time with Paisley and bent down to ask Bella, "Bella, tell Mommy what happened. Did Rena hit you? All the elders are here. If Rena hit you, we will stand by you."
Florence had been holding in so much frustration lately. Today, she wanted to make a scene, to embarrass Paisley at her recognition banquet.
As for what consequences she'd face later, she couldn't care less. If she let this go today, she and Bella would never have a place in this family again. She was determined to make sure the truth came out.
Anna sighed and could only gently coax, "Bella, don't cry now, tell me—was Rena just playing with you?"
"What playing? Can Bella cry from playing?" Florence refused to back down, showing no respect even to Anna.
Anna's face darkened, her lips trembling in anger. Bella had just wanted to find her mother, but she never expected this many people to show up. Under everyone's gaze, she couldn't bring herself to tell the truth. So she just kept crying, wailing loudly.
Florence's heart ached. "Look at how they're bullying my daughter! Paisley, you and your daughter are going too far! Ever since you came back, you've been bullying us! This is too much!"
With that, Florence started crying herself, disregarding the situation. For a moment, the mother and daughter were both sobbing loudly, looking utterly pitiful. It made Paisley anxious, but she still believed Serena wouldn't harm anyone without cause.
"Where's Rena?" She looked toward the pale-faced Helena, who was trying to shrink into the background.
Helena looked pale, knowing that no matter the outcome today, it was her fault.
"Bella came to find Rena, saying she wanted to play in the sunroom. I wanted to follow, but Bella said they wanted to play by themselves and didn't need any adults with them. She said if anything happened, she would call me. So—" Helena couldn't finish her sentence.
The old housekeeper had warned her to always stay close to Rena when they were out. She hadn't forgotten, but at that moment, she thought she should consider Bella as well. And besides, she didn't think two girls would get into trouble. But, of course, something did happen.
And it was Rena who hit Bella. Bella was Anna's precious granddaughter. Thinking about this, Helena grew more resentful toward Serena.
"Where is the sunroom?" Paisley asked directly.
Helena pointed to the direction behind him. "Over there."
Paisley stopped paying attention to the others and walked straight towards the sunroom. But after taking only a few steps, Bella suddenly freaked out like a cat with its fur standing on end. "Don't go! Don't go!"
Florence, still clueless, thought Bella was just scared. "Bella, don't be afraid. Mommy's here. No one can bully you!"
Paisley couldn't be bothered with Florence. She had already felt something was off, and seeing Bella's reaction only deepened her suspicions. So, she quickened her pace towards the sunroom, and Linna followed closely behind.
"Mr. Vanderbilt." Keeley wanted to use the opportunity to speak with Dominick.
But Dominick didn't even look at her. He just followed Paisley, his face cold, brows furrowed, and walked straight to the sunroom. Everyone was puzzled why Dominick was getting involved in this matter.
Florence didn't care. To her, the more people who saw the disgraceful side of the mother and daughter, the better for her. She grabbed Bella and headed towards the sunroom as well.
"I won't go! I won't go!" Bella cried, struggling, unwilling to return. To the unknowing onlookers, the child really looked like she was being bullied.
Florence looked at Bella, becoming even more certain of her suspicions. "Bella, don't be afraid. Mommy will definitely get justice for you."
The once peaceful family gathering had turned into this. It was really embarrassing, losing all dignity in front of so many people.
Anna shot a blaming glance at Tyson, as if saying, "Look at the trouble your good granddaughter caused!"
"Things aren't clear yet, and it might not be Rena's fault." Tyson firmly stood by his daughter and granddaughter. Even if Rena really hit Bella, there must have been a reason.
Anna pointed toward the sunroom angrily. "Let's go, everyone, let's see what's going on. Just don't let them start fighting again." She hadn't forgotten that last time, Paisley had taken matters into her own hands and dealt with Florence for the sake of her daughter.