From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 352: Chapter 352

At Vanderbilt Manor, Grayson had a half-day at school today.
Usually, the first thing he did after coming home was grab a snack, spend some time in his playroom, and then get to his homework like clockwork.
But today, the moment he got back, he headed straight for the gym. And it wasn't just today. He had been doing the same thing for days.
Outside the gym, Lauren watched Grayson working up a sweat inside, looking more and more worried.
"Oh no," she muttered to herself as she hurried out, only to run into Reginald and Dominick, who had just returned home.
Reginald and Dominick had been invited to an economic forum. There was supposed to be a luncheon afterward, but neither of them felt like staying, so they came home early.
"What do you mean, 'oh no'?" Reginald frowned at the way his wife looked like the sky had just fallen.
Dominick frowned too, keeping his eyes on Lauren.
Just then, Kayla strolled over, sipping a yogurt. "It's nothing. Mom's just overreacting."
"Overreacting? Look at Sonny! And you think I'm overreacting?" Lauren's eyes turned red—she was genuinely worried about Grayson.
The moment Dominick heard it was about Grayson, his face tensed up. "What's wrong with him?"
"Nothing." Kayla waved them off. "Dad, bro, don't worry. Sonny's perfectly fine. He's in the gym, working on his fitness."
She really didn't get what the big deal was. It was a good thing Grayson was finally taking care of his health. She had always thought he was too timid and way too spoiled by their mom. His physical strength was pathetic.
Now that he was finally working on himself, she thought that a good thing.
Hearing what Kayla said, Reginald and Dominick relaxed.
"Sonny's physical condition is indeed pretty bad. Some exercise will do him good," Reginald chuckled.
"Yeah." Dominick didn't think much of it either. "A few days ago, he even asked me to find him a martial arts coach, but I got busy and forgot."
Lauren, on the other hand, was in complete disbelief. "And none of you think there's something wrong with this?"
"What's wrong?" The three of them asked in unison.
Lauren was about to lose it. "Sonny! He's the most dramatic kid ever!"
Dominick and Reginald were speechless.
Kayla burst out laughing. "Mom, so you do know that."
Lauren cleared her throat awkwardly, and then shot Kayla a glare. "Fine, I admit it. I spoiled him."
Lauren's face suddenly turned serious. "But think about it. Sonny, a kid that fussy, is suddenly super disciplined? Wakes up and goes running? Hits the gym right after school? Wants a martial arts coach? Don't you think that's weird? How did he change so much overnight?"
Her words made the three of them fall into deep thought. 'Now that she put it that way, it's indeed kind of strange.'
Seeing that they were finally taking her seriously, Lauren quickly added, "He must be getting bullied at school! He's too scared to tell us, so he's trying to get stronger by himself."
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became. Her heart ached, and she was on the verge of tears. "My poor Sonny."
"Mom, hold on a sec." Kayla was the first to cut her off. "That school? From the board members to the janitors, everyone knows Sonny is part of our family. Who would dare bully him? If anything, he's the one who'd be bullying others."
Lauren thought about it and realized Kayla had a point. "Then how do you explain Sonny's sudden change?"
They all fell silent. Then, out of nowhere, Kayla's eyes lit up. "Wait...what if he's in love?"
"Don't be ridiculous." Lauren smacked Kayla on the back. "He's just a kid! What does he know about love?"
Dominick was done with all the guessing. "Why don't we just ask him?"
With that, he turned and headed straight for the gym.
The other three exchanged glances before hurrying after him.
The moment they walked into the gym, they saw Grayson lifting small dumbbells, looking serious about his workout.
But as soon as he saw his whole family coming in, Grayson got startled, lost his grip, and almost dropped the dumbbell on his foot.
Luckily, Dominick reacted fast and caught it just before it hit Grayson's foot.
Lauren broke out in a cold sweat from the scene and quickly ran over to check on Grayson. "Sonny, are you okay?"
Grayson shook his head and answered, but his eyes avoided his elders' gazes. "I'm fine."
One look was all it took for Dominick to realize the boy was hiding something.
His expression darkened as he decided to trick him. "Grayson, we already know. Are you still not going to say anything?"
Grayson's face instantly tensed up. "Dad, you guys already know?"
"Yeah, we do. So, why didn't you tell us?" Dominick pressed on.
Lauren, completely lost, asked, "Know what?"
"Mom, don't say anything," Kayla whispered, tugging at Lauren's sleeve.
Grayson lowered his head, looking a little down. "Rena said this was a secret between her and me. She told me not to say anything."
But now, somehow, everyone knew. That meant it wasn't just their secret anymore.
Grayson felt a little bitter inside.
The adults immediately tensed up when they realized this involved Serena.
Lauren was the first to lose her cool. She grabbed Grayson's shoulders and asked, "Sonny, what happened with Rena? Tell Grandma right now!"
"Huh?" Grayson's eyes widened. "Grandma, didn't you guys already know Rena was being bullied in kindergarten? Dad just said so."
As soon as he finished speaking, something clicked in Grayson's mind. He blinked, slowly turning to look at Dominick. He thought, 'So, Dad actually doesn't know anything. He just said that on purpose.'
Grayson instinctively covered his mouth, his eyes darting around. He thought, 'Crap. I just spilled my and Rena's secret.'
"What? Rena was bullied in kindergarten?" Lauren's voice shot up in pitch.
Reginald's expression darkened. Just imagining that tiny, delicate girl crying in kindergarten made his heart ache.
"Sonny, you need to tell me everything. Why was Rena bullied? How was she bullied? And by who?" Dominick's face was serious as he fired off questions.
Grayson pursed his lips. He wanted to keep his promise to Rena, but his dad looked way too scary right now.
In the end, he had no choice but to give in to Dominick's authority and honestly explained how a kid named Jasper had been bullying Rena at kindergarten.
"Unbelievable! They dared to bully my granddaughter?" Lauren shot up from her seat. "I know that Gough family. Their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pair still want to get into my Ladies' Association. And now they dare to bully my granddaughter?"
As she spoke, Lauren turned to leave, instructing the maid to bring her coat.
"Hey, hey! Where are you going?" Reginald hurried after her.
"I'm going to Rena's kindergarten. I need to see how that Gough family's grandson bullied my granddaughter!"
The Vanderbilt family had never known that Grayson and Serena had private contact. They had all wanted to see Serena but didn't have a reason to, and they were also worried about upsetting Paisley. But now, this gave them the perfect excuse to go see Serena.
"Alright, I'll go with you," Reginald said as he chased after Lauren. Then, he turned back and explained, "I need to keep an eye on your mom. She has a bad temper and is too impulsive."
Kayla scoffed, "Pfft, just admit you want to see your granddaughter. No need for all the excuses."
Just as Kayla finished speaking, Dominick, who was standing next to her, also walked out. "I'll go keep an eye on them."
That left only Kayla and Grayson staring at each other in the gym.
"How about—" Kayla chuckled, "We go take a look too?"
Grayson had wanted to stand up for Serena for a while now, but he was just too weak. Now, hearing Kayla's suggestion, he nodded immediately.