From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 316: Chapter 316

The moment Serena let out her first laugh, Dominick noticed. He looked toward the door, and his eyes suddenly narrowed. That moment felt like a massive stone crashing into a pool of still water, sending huge waves crashing everywhere.
"Hello, we're a party of four," Max politely told the host at the door.
"Right this way, please," the host said, courteously leading the group to a window-side table.
But after only a few steps, Max and Paisley both stopped in their tracks.
Serena tugged on Paisley's sleeve. "Mom, it's—"
She instinctively wanted to call out to Dominick as "scary man," but when the words reached her mouth, she couldn't bring herself to say them because she knew who that man was to her.
Paisley also saw Dominick. She paused for a moment, then lowered her gaze to Grayson.
It was Paisley's suggestion to come to this restaurant. She and Serena had eaten at the buffet on the first floor before and had liked the food, so they decided to try the French restaurant on the top floor this time.
She didn't know this was the hotel where Dominick was staying. She didn't know, but Grayson certainly did. He knew, and yet when he found out they would be dining here, he didn't mention it.
No doubt, he did it on purpose. He wanted Paisley to come to this hotel, hoping they would meet Dominick.
Realizing that his little plan had been noticed by his mom, Grayson lowered his head, too afraid to look Paisley in the eye.
Paisley wasn't about to scold Grayson over this. She looked at Max and suggested, "How about we eat somewhere else?"
Just as she finished speaking, she felt Grayson's hand clutching the hem of her shirt tighten.
Just then, Serena's little belly let out an extremely inappropriate growl. She awkwardly pressed her hand to her belly, burying her face in Max's shoulder, pretending the sound didn't come from her stomach.
Max couldn't help but laugh, "Let's eat here. The kids are probably hungry."
After playing for so long, Paisley was both tired and hungry. In the end, they didn't leave but chose to sit as far away from Dominick as possible. Once Grayson sat down, his eyes never left Dominick's direction.
"If you want to eat with your dad, you can go over to him. It's okay," Paisley said calmly, speaking to Grayson seriously.
Grayson looked up, his eyes—so much like Dominick's—looking at Paisley. "Can't Dad come eat with us?"
Paisley shook her head firmly. "No."
Grayson lowered his head again, silent, but he didn't leave. He really wanted to eat with his dad, but if he went to his dad, there was a real chance he might not get to come back to his mom's side.
But then he heard Paisley say, "You can go eat with your dad, but after you're done, come back to us."
Grayson's injuries still needed more treatment, so for now, Paisley would keep him close. Hearing Paisley's words, the struggle in Grayson's eyes instantly disappeared. He smiled, nodded, and then ran over to Dominick.
Seeing the child coming over, Noah found the perfect excuse to leave and quietly made his exit. Before leaving, he instructed the manager that whatever Paisley ordered today should be on the house. For Noah, this restaurant had become a place of dread. After giving his instructions, he left immediately.
When Dominick saw Grayson approaching, a look of relief flashed in his eyes. "Why are you here?"
Grayson sat next to Dominick. "Mom said I should come over to eat with you, then I'll go back to her after."
"Mom said you should come over?" The storm that had been brewing in Dominick's eyes suddenly calmed down when he heard Grayson's words. It was a feeling like finding sugar in a pile of glass shards—painful yet sweet, and he relished it.
"Mm." Grayson nodded. It was true that his mom had agreed for him to come.
He didn't mention, though, that he had actually begged his mom to let Dad join them for dinner, but she had refused, so he came over instead.
But Grayson watched Dominick's lips twitch upward in a faint smile, thinking to himself that maybe it was better not to tell Dad the whole truth.
This meal wasn't pleasant for Paisley. Because there was always one gaze, glaring at her from the side.
Even though she was sitting with her back to that direction, she felt like there were thorns on her back, making it hard for her to focus on her food.
The consequence of losing focus was that she accidentally smeared food on the corner of her lips.
"Look at you, how careless." Max skillfully took a napkin and wiped Paisley's lips.
His actions weren't overly intimate, but from Dominick's perspective, he couldn't see Paisley's expression, only Max's playful eyes. Dominick's grip on the knife and fork tightened suddenly, veins bulging on the back of his hand.
Max noticed the murderous glare Dominick was giving him. He raised an eyebrow and smiled lightly, not saying a word.
"Uncle! My mouth is dirty too!" Serena looked up and blinked her big eyes, pouting her little greasy mouth.
"Yes, Rena's little mouth is dirty too," Max responded in a playful tone, smiling brightly, before gently wiping Serena's mouth.
From his proficient movements, it was clear he did this often. Serena's natural reaction also showed that she really relied on this uncle.
The waiters near Dominick's table saw this scene and whispered to each other.
"Look, that family looks so sweet."
"Yeah, the dad is so gentle, wiping mom's mouth first, then wiping the baby's mouth."
"He's clearly a good man from a wealthy family, oh my, the picture of that family is just so perfect."
"You're right, it's hard to find such a good man nowadays. So many men are busy, when they get home they act like kings and ignore their wives. If the wife complains, they get impatient."
"You're absolutely right. If I ever get married, I wouldn't choose a man like that, no matter how rich he is."
"Oh my, look at the way that dad wipes the baby's mouth, his actions and expression are just too gentle. If I were the child's mother, I'd be so happy."
The two waiters, whose moods were already bad from working overtime on Christmas, became more and more excited, their voices growing louder.
Every word reached Dominick's ears. He knew the waiters weren't targeting him, but every word felt like a sharp knife stabbing his heart, as if it were about to pierce it.
"No, no! They're not a family of three, that's my mom! My dad's over here!" Grayson complained loudly to the two waiters.
The two waiters, who had just changed shifts, had no idea what had happened earlier. When they heard Grayson's words, they immediately froze.
"Manager," Dominick coldly called.
The manager hurried over when he heard Dominick's call. "Mr. Vanderbilt, how may I assist you?"
The two waiters were now terrified. They finally realized that the person they were serving was none other than Mr. Vanderbilt, the super VIP guest who had recently checked into the hotel.
"They're too noisy," Dominick said, his face as cold as an ancient iceberg, showing no warmth.