From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 301: Chapter 301

The Godard family's annual Christmas Eve dinner was held in Anna's large dining room, and this year was no exception. However, after the recognition banquet incident, the vibe on this Christmas Eve was much quieter than usual.
Tyson had arrived first, and it seemed like he and his mother had already had some words. When Paisley, accompanied by Linna and the two children, entered the dining room, their faces didn't look too happy. Especially Tyson, whose expression was awful.
Seeing Paisley, Anna managed to force a smile. "Paisy, you're here. Please, sit."
"Mhm," Paisley replied softly, her lips curling into a slight smile, but there was a lack of warmth in her eyes.
Anna noticed the change in Paisley and her gaze became filled with sadness. Paisley, however, ignored it and looked away.
But just then, she saw someone who shouldn't have been there. "Dominick?"
The man was sitting in the guest seat with an air of composure, as though he belonged there.
Paisley frowned, a hint of irritation crossing her mind. "Why are you here?"
She had clearly kicked him out last night. Someone let him in without her permission. But soon, Paisley got her answer.
"I invited him," Anna said from behind Paisley. When Paisley looked toward her, Anna said earnestly, "Even though you two are separated, he's still the father of your children. It's Christmas, it wouldn't be right to leave him alone in the hotel, would it?"
"Grandma." Paisley felt a bit offended, her expression darkening. She was about to speak, but was interrupted by Tyson.
"Paisy, it's Christmas Eve. I just want the family to enjoy a meal together. You're such a dutiful child, surely you can meet this one little request?" he said.
Paisley was momentarily speechless, feeling a bit frustrated.
"Paisy, stop talking, sit down and eat." Tyson gestured for Paisley to sit.
With the heavy weight of filial duty being dropped on her, no matter what Paisley said now, it would seem weak. Especially after what had happened yesterday, when everyone saw Paisley completely ignore Anna's pleas and insist on making things difficult for the second branch.
But yesterday's actions had a reason behind them, and Paisley was in the right. No matter how harshly she acted, no one would dare say anything.
Today, though, was Christmas Eve, and Anna's request was just to have a peaceful celebration. If Paisley ruined this small request, she would lose her ground.
Though Paisley didn't care about her reputation, she didn't want to give others a chance to laugh at her. So, for now, she had to hold back.
Paisley shot a glare at Dominick, who wore an innocent expression, and chose to sit a seat away from Tyson.
Dominick looked at the empty space Paisley left beside him, a bitter feeling rising in his chest. It was clear that the seat was meant for Max.
Linna, holding Serena, naturally sat beside Paisley. She didn't care about the looks from everyone else; wherever her teacher sat, that's where she would sit.
Anna glanced at Linna, then couldn't help but ask, "Paisy, who is this?"
She had seen this girl yesterday, when Paisley herself had gone to bring her in. This girl was also the one who had taught Tommy a rough lesson.
Anna could still remember how the girl had grabbed Tommy's legs, trying to smash him into the ground. Her eyes were cold, her expression unfeeling, as if she wasn't holding a person but an object, a shovel.
Anna had thought Paisley had brought this girl in as a helper. Just like how Tyson had Ocean by his side, and Max had Leo.
At the end of the day, they were all servants, and servants had no right to sit at the master's table. So Linna sitting down so casually angered Anna.
But without needing Paisley to introduce her, Linna boldly introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Linna. Your granddaughter, Miss Paisley, is my teacher, and I'm her student, her very beloved student."
Paisley couldn't help but roll her eyes. Sometimes, she had to admire this girl's shamelessness. When Linna saw Paisley glaring at her, she grinned and chuckled.
Anna, hearing this and seeing that neither Paisley nor Tyson reacted, decided not to press the matter further. However, her mind was in turmoil.
This girl, who could be so ruthless, was Paisley's student. But it wasn't clear what she was learning from her. It couldn't be fighting. After all, as far as she knew, Paisy wasn't a fighter. But no one knew how much Paisley had been hiding from them.
For a moment, Anna fell into confusion and silence. At this very moment, Grayson was also lost in thought. His mother and sister had already sat down, but he was awkwardly standing there.
He kept looking at Dominick, then at Paisley. He was torn between sitting with his dad or sitting with his mom.
It wasn't hard to see why Grayson was conflicted, since Dominick's seat was far from Paisley's. In the end, Grayson followed his heart and chose to sit on Paisley's side, next to Linna and Serena's baby chair.
Seeing Grayson's choice, Dominick wasn't surprised. In fact, he even approved. He hoped Paisley would take Grayson back more than anyone.
Dominick looked at Rena, his face betraying his excitement. "Rena."
He really missed this little girl and almost wanted to hug her and give her a proper kiss. However, Serena just glanced at him quickly before looking away.
She looked left, looked right, looked up, looked down—just didn't look at Dominick. She didn't respond to him, not even calling out "scary man" like she used to.
Suddenly, Dominick felt like he had gone from being the "scary man" to a complete stranger. His own daughter's sudden change in attitude left Dominick feeling frustrated.
He wanted to know why. Perhaps she had forgotten him because they hadn't seen each other in a while. But that didn't make sense. She had called him "scary man" just yesterday.
And today, she wouldn't even acknowledge him. Being cold-shouldered by his daughter, Dominick was desperate to know the reason. But he knew it wasn't the right time, so he had to swallow his frustration for now. After dinner, he would figure out what had happened in private.
By then, others began to arrive. Seeing the two adults and one child added to the table, everyone's expressions varied.
Joshua and Jolin, the siblings, were both very supportive of Paisley. They were fans of Paisley now. Knowing that Dominick was Paisley's ex-husband, they didn't give him much respect.
They were, however, very polite to Linna, especially Jolin. After chatting with Linna for a while, she felt like they'd known each other for ages.
Just as Paisley had guessed before, Jolin and Linna got along very well. From the second branch, only Edmond and Christopher had arrived; Bella didn't come.