From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 363: Chapter 363

Kayla had always admitted that her brother was handsome—the rugged, masculine kind of handsome.
He never needed to put in much effort to attract women's attention. And usually, he never went out of his way to dress up—at most, he was just particular about his clothing, making sure it suited his status.
But the impeccably styled man in front of her was, without a doubt, still her brother, Dominick. Under his sister's scrutiny, Dominick looked slightly embarrassed. "Just say what you need to say."
"Huh? Oh—" Kayla snapped out of her daze and remembered why she had come. "Paisley just called the house phone. She said she won't be bringing Sonny over tonight. She'll take him straight to school tomorrow morning instead. We just need to send his backpack over."
"Paisley's not coming?" Dominick's brows furrowed. "Why didn't I get a call?"
Kayla shrugged. "Paisley called the landline directly." After she finished speaking, she could clearly see the disappointment in Dominick's eyes.
"Got it," he responded in a dull voice before shutting the door.
Kayla stood outside, staring at the closed door and shaking her head silently. Her brother was really too pitiful. He had dressed up for nothing as Paisley wasn't coming.
The next morning, Paisley took Grayson to school. Since they had already gone through a farewell the day before, Grayson and Serena weren't too emotional when morning came.
As soon as Paisley's car pulled up in front of Grayson's school, she noticed the Vanderbilt family's car parked not far away. Standing by the car was Julian, whom she hadn't seen in a long time. When he spotted Paisley's car, he turned and said something to the person inside.
Right after that, the backseat car door opened. First, a long leg stepped out, followed by Dominick, who was carrying Grayson's backpack. The large school bag that looked oversized on an elementary school student seemed exceptionally small in Dominick's hand.
Paisley was a bit surprised. She had thought the Vanderbilt family would just send someone over to deliver Grayson's backpack, but she hadn't expected Dominick himself to come despite his busy schedule.
After parking the car, Paisley told Grayson to get out first.
"Dad!" As soon as Grayson got out, he ran straight toward Dominick.
Dominick slung the backpack over Grayson's shoulders with one hand, but his eyes remained fixed on Paisley's car. Seeing that Paisley had come alone without anyone accompanying her, his furrowed brows relaxed.
"Where are the others?" Dominick asked casually.
"They went back on Saturday," Paisley answered truthfully without much thought.
Dominick pressed his lips together, nodded, and didn't ask further.
Grayson, on the other hand, was excited and kept chattering away. Then he eagerly shared the thing that thrilled him the most. "Dad, Rena called me brother! I'm an older brother now!"
Rena had accepted him. He was no longer just Grayson.
Dominick looked down at his son's smiling face. "You've always been her brother." That was what he said, but deep down, he couldn't help feeling envious. He wanted her to call him "Dad" as well.
"Go on, you'll be late for school," Dominick reminded Grayson.
"Oh!" Grayson nodded obediently and waved goodbye to both Paisley and Dominick. "Bye, Mom and Dad! I'm going to school!"
"Mm, go ahead," Paisley smiled and waved back at him.
Dominick stood there, dazed, watching the scene unfold before him. At that moment, he felt as if he had traveled back in time— Back to when he and Paisley were still married, sending Grayson off to preschool together.
Little Grayson had waved at them just like today, saying, "Bye, Mom and Dad!"
Back then, Paisley had also smiled and waved just like she did now. He still remembered—it had been Grayson's first day of preschool.
One moment, Paisley had been smiling and waving goodbye to their son; the next, she had buried herself in his arms, crying her heart out. She had said she couldn't bear to let Sonny go to preschool and worried that he wouldn't adjust well.
She had cried while mumbling nonstop. He had held her and comforted her in a soft voice.
In a trance, the past and the present blurred together. A smile unconsciously appeared on Dominick's face.
When Paisley turned her head, she saw Dominick gazing at her, his deep eyes soft, the corners of his lips slightly curved. She was momentarily stunned. "Uh, I have things to do at the set, so I'll be going now."
After saying that, she walked straight to her car, got in, and drove off in one smooth motion. Dominick stood tall and still in place, watching the taillights of Paisley's car.
His Adam's apple moved slightly as he swallowed back a bitter smile. He had read the script for the drama Paisley was currently filming, and there was one line that had stuck with him: [In a relationship, the one who's trapped is the one who suffers the most.]
In the past, Paisley had been the one trapped. But now, the one trapped was him.
The filming continued until the end of April, and most of the major scenes and important roles had already been completed. At this point, only Sheela had two significant scenes left before they could wrap up production.
Paisley had been with the crew for a long time, and after finishing today's work, her time with the production team would also come to an end.
The thought that after today, she wouldn't have to come back anymore— It filled Paisley with excitement and motivation.
Over the past few days, the crew had been rushing to meet deadlines, and her other work had piled up as well. She had been so busy that she barely had time to catch her breath.
Finally, after getting through today, she would be able to take a moment to breathe tomorrow.
Early in the morning, Paisley arrived at the set, eager to finish the day's work as soon as possible. But the moment she arrived, she saw Dominick. At the moment, the man was sitting next to Gary, one leg crossed over the other.
"Huh? What are you doing here?" Paisley frowned and asked.
Ever since she had warned Dominick not to come to the set and disrupt their work, he hadn't shown up in a long time. Today was her last day on set. She just wanted to finish her work smoothly and avoid any unexpected incidents.
When Paisley arrived, Gary and the crew looked at her as if they had seen their savior. They quickly stood up and made room for her.
"Nion, have a good chat with Mr. Vanderbilt. We won't interrupt you," Gary said while discreetly giving Paisley a look from an angle where Dominick couldn't see.
'Nion, I'm begging you—just get this big shot to leave already,' he thought.
Paisley was already fuming inside. She shot Dominick an annoyed glance. "Didn't I tell you not to keep coming here for no reason?"
"I have a reason," Dominick replied, standing up with a serious expression.
"What reason?" Paisley asked, trying to stay patient.
"Tonight, have dinner with me," Dominick said, his gaze unwavering.
Paisley almost laughed in disbelief. "That's your reason?"
"Yeah, that's it." Dominick nodded earnestly. "I tried calling and texting you, but you ignored me. So I had no choice but to come here and tell you in person."
"Not happening," Paisley refused outright. There was no way she was going to have dinner with the man who had ruined her mood first thing in the morning.
"Nion, are you sure you won't have dinner with me?" After saying that, Dominick casually sat back down, crossing his legs in a relaxed manner. "I've got plenty of time today. Might as well stick around and watch you guys film."
'This damn man—he's threatening me,' Paisley thought. She was furious. When she glanced up, she saw Gary hunched over, making a pleading gesture at her.
"Fine, after I'm done with work," she finally said.
"You agreed?" Dominick lifted his gaze to look at her, his eyes deep and unreadable.
"I agreed," Paisley sighed, feeling helpless. In the end, she had no choice but to compromise.
Smiling, Dominick stood up. "Alright, I'll wait for you." After saying that, he didn't linger and walked straight out. When he reached the entrance of the studio, he paused, turned back, and looked at Paisley. "No matter how late, I'll wait for you."