From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 47: Chapter 47

Those former classmates who had once dismissed Paisley and chose to suck up to Marissa were now experiencing a complex mix of emotions.
Alexis' eyes went wide, pure fear written all over her face.
She couldn't believe it. The equestrian champion she'd looked down on and mocked turned out to be Dominick's ex-wife. Which meant Paisley was actually Grayson's birth mother.
And if that wasn't enough, Nathaniel from Axion Enterprises was now begging to be Paisley's student.
They'd all watched it happen right in front of them—Nathaniel acting all sweet and charming, trying to get on her good side, defending her at every turn.
'I'm screwed,' Alexis thought, feeling her heart sink. She'd definitely picked the wrong person to mess with.
At least there was one small mercy. All that trash Alexis had talked about Paisley at the party had been behind closed doors. Neither Paisley nor Nathaniel had heard any of it.
'No...wait a second,' Alexis suddenly thought. 'Dominick heard everything. No wonder he stormed off like that. It was because of what I said.'
At that moment, whatever hope had been flickering in Alexis' heart died completely. She couldn't even focus on Marissa anymore. All she could think about was getting out of there, her feet stumbling beneath her as she tried to escape.
Alexis couldn't risk staying here any longer. He couldn't risk catching his attention. It wouldn't matter if she alone went down, but if the whole Foster family got caught in the crossfire because of her, that would be her fault.
With that thought driving her, Alexis spun around and bolted, her shoulder slamming into Marissa in her desperate rush to get away.
"Sorry, Marissa, something came up at home. I've got to go," Alexis blurted out, gathering her skirts as she disappeared into the crowd.
Marissa's face fell. She knew exactly why Alexis was bailing.
The awkwardness was palpable as their other classmates shifted uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact before making their own flimsy excuses and taking off.
The whispers from the other guests kept swirling around her. Even with her thick skin, Marissa couldn't take it anymore.
"Watch your mouths," Marissa snapped, shooting a venomous glare at the surrounding guests. For once, she couldn't care less about their status or who she might offend. Without another word, she ducked her head and bolted.
It was a first. Marissa didn't stick around for Dominick and didn't bother keeping up their perfect couple act. She just left.
Julian watched the whole scene unfold, his expression growing more conflicted as he studied Paisley's retreating figure. 'Maybe... Maybe she really doesn't want Dom back after all...'
But that thought didn't last long. Julian's features hardened again. 'No way,' he thought. 'That woman's always got an angle. She's probably pulling some new trick to keep Dom wrapped around her finger.'
Shaking off his suspicions, Julian turned to address the crowd of rubbernecking guests. "Alright, folks, it's getting chilly out here. Let's head back inside where it's warm."
Julian's voice was velvet-smooth, but his message was crystal clear to everyone present. Dominick's drama wasn't free entertainment. It would be wise for them to remain silent and return to their own place.
The crowd got the hint. No one wanted that kind of trouble, so they all filtered back into the ballroom.
Inside, the party picked up right where it left off—music playing, glasses clinking, guests mingling like nothing had gone down. Classic high society move, pretending the mess never happened.
The whole scene wrapped up with Dominick cutting Teddy a fat check for medical expenses. Dominick threw the first punch, but Teddy hit back. Even if he got his ass handed to him, technically, it was a two-way fight.
If they were being realistic, Harrowfell was Dominick's territory. Teddy was just a regular college guy who didn't stand a chance against someone like him. In the end, they probably wouldn't even get the compensation they deserved.
Emery knew this, too, even if she hated to admit it. So when Dominick asked them to name their price, saying he'd pay up, she didn't miss a beat. "Three million dollars," she shot back without hesitation.
Paisley had to bite back a smile, her eyebrows twitching upward in amusement.
Earlier, while helping Emery support Teddy, she'd secretly checked out his injuries. College guys were built different—she had to give him that. Teddy's injuries were all superficial, nothing internal to worry about.
In this case, a doctor's visit wouldn't cost much, but Paisley wasn't about to downplay Emery's power move right now. Besides, it was Dominick's money—might as well milk it.
Emery knew she was pushing it with that outrageous demand. She figured Dominick would try to negotiate down. But Dominick didn't even blink. "Fine. I'll write you a check."
Emery was thrown off guard. 'Damn, this guy really lives up to the whole CEO stereotype,' she thought.
Minutes later, Teddy was holding a check for three million dollars, still trying to process what just happened.
Teddy couldn't believe it, thinking, 'Just like that? All that money? He's dropping millions of dollars without batting an eye? One minute I'm getting beat up, the next I'm loaded?'
"This can't be real," Teddy said, staring at the check like it might disappear. "You sure this'll clear? They're not gonna come back later and hit me with extortion charges or something?"
"You're good. I promise," Paisley assured him.
Teddy thought about Dominick's status and nodded, finally letting himself relax. 'First thing's first, gotta spoil my girl with something nice,' he thought.
With Teddy's compensation handled, Paisley didn't spare Dominick another glance. She and Emery helped Teddy up, avoiding the main ballroom and slipping out through the garden's side entrance.
Paisley quickened her pace, guilt gnawing at her thoughts. She'd promised Serena she'd be home early, and now she was running way behind. Just thinking about her kid made her steps even faster.
Dominick stood rooted to the spot, watching her practically bolt away. A bitter laugh escaped his lips.
When Nathaniel walked into the bar, he found Dominick several drinks deep.
His eyes landed on the two empty bottles on the counter, and he let out a low whistle. "Damn, Mr. Vanderbilt, going all out tonight? Those are the most expensive bottles in my place."
Nathaniel picked up one of the empties, his voice taking on that signature lazy drawl as he read the label. "Cloud Crest Reserve? That stuff's basically liquid gold these days."
This wasn't even their premium line, just regular Cloud Crest Reserve. It wasn't craft-aged and only a year old at that.
But even this "basic" Cloud Crest Reserve was practically impossible to get one's hands on, with prices that would make one's eyes water.
Nathaniel had to pull some serious strings and go through multiple connections just to score a few bottles.
"I've only got a handful of these left," Nathaniel complained. "Was saving them to impress some clients, and here you are, knocking back two bottles like it's nothing."
Despite his grumbling, Nathaniel motioned for the server to bring another bottle. He topped off Dominick's glass first and then poured one for himself, taking a satisfied sip with a look of pure bliss.
Nathaniel clicked his tongue. "Man, Cloud Crest Reserve really is in a league of its own. Nothing else comes close."
Nathaniel set down his glass with a grin, turning to the silent Dominick. "So wild that my mentor turned out to be your ex-wife. Talk about a small world, huh?" He raised his glass again. "Here's to crazy coincidences."
Dominick barely lifted his glass to clink against Nathaniel's before downing it in one go.
"Whoa, easy there," Nathaniel warned with a laugh. "I know it's good stuff, but you can't drink it like that. This wine's got one hell of a kick to it."
Dominick finally spoke, his voice deep and cutting. Those deep eyes seemed to see right through everything. "Why are you so set on having her as your mentor? You're loaded. You could have any trainer you want. Just because someone's great at competing doesn't mean they're great at teaching."
Nathaniel paused mid-drink, keeping up his carefree attitude as he leaned back in his chair. "What else could it be? I like her, simple as that."
Dominick blinked, caught off guard by Nathaniel's blunt honesty. "She has a kid."
"And?" Nathaniel arched an eyebrow. "What, you got something against single moms? No wonder you're divorced."
Dominick's expression darkened. "She's not some woman you can just mess around with."
"Who said anything about messing around?" The playful facade dropped from Nathaniel's face, suddenly serious. "Hey, Dom, you've never seen her in competition, have you?"
Before Dominick could answer, Nathaniel pressed on. "Right, of course not. You're way too busy to catch any equestrian events."
Just like that, Nathaniel's casual demeanor snapped back into place as he took another sip. "Man, you're missing out on quite a show."
Dominick drained his glass and stood up, towering over Nathaniel with ice in his eyes. "Stay away from her."