From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 54: Chapter 54

Lauren spotted Paisley first. Her warm smile vanished in an instant. "Paisley?"
At Lauren's voice, everyone's heads whipped toward the elevator doors.
There stood a stunning woman in a simple t-shirt and jeans, a backpack slung over her shoulder. Her high ponytail revealed sharp features, smooth skin, and eyes that held a perfect mix of cool detachment and raw defiance.
"Paisley, what are you doing here?" Kayla's voice cut through the air. The moment she laid eyes on Paisley, she went from zero to a hundred real quick. If they weren't in a hospital, she would've totally lost it right there.
Among the Vanderbilt family and friends present, only a select few actually knew who Paisley was—mainly the relatives closest to Dominick's immediate family.
Some people knew that Dominick's wife was named Paisley, though they had never met her. Others only knew that Dominick had been married, with no idea who his wife was or what she was called.
Marissa froze when she spotted Paisley. Running into her here was the last thing she'd expected. 'What's she up to showing up like this?' she wondered. 'Has she somehow caught wind of Paul's critical condition and decided to make an appearance to get attention?'
But right now, only the Vanderbilt family and a select few VIPs were supposed to know about this. Paisley shouldn't even find out about this.
Fighting back her growing anxiety and irritation, Marissa turned to address Kayla in a hushed voice. "Hey, keep it down. We're in a hospital, remember?"
'We can't make a scene here,' Marissa thought. 'Dom absolutely cannot hear this or run into her. Not now.'
"I get it, Marissa," Kayla said, jabbing a finger in Paisley's direction. "But seriously, what's she doing here?"
Reginald was just as thrown by Paisley's sudden appearance. He studied Paisley with sharp eyes, wondering what game she was playing by showing up out of nowhere like this.
Marissa glanced toward the hospital room. Once she was sure Dom hadn't caught wind of the commotion, she plastered on a smile and approached Paisley.
"Ms. Sutton." Her voice dripped honey-sweet venom. "Are you lost? The general ward is on a different floor. This is the VIP wing—restricted access only."
"I'm here to see someone." Paisley didn't even spare Marissa a glance as she brushed past her, heading straight for the consultation room at the end of the hall.
Paisley recalled that this was the floor Charles had mentioned.
She'd been here countless times before because of Jonathan. Usually, Charles should pick her up, but she didn't want to make the poor guy drag his aging bones all the way here just for her sake. So, she'd decided to come on her own this time.
But running into the Vanderbilts was definitely not part of the plan. 'Wait, is someone from the Vanderbilt family the critically ill patient?' Paisley thought.
Marissa's heart dropped when she saw Paisley heading straight for Paul's room. Before she could think twice, she rushed forward, planting herself firmly in Paisley's path. "Who exactly are you here to see? Because I'm pretty sure there's no one here for you."
"For crying out loud, Paisley, just leave. You and my son are divorced. Stop trying to worm your way back into his life." Lauren had never hidden her contempt for Paisley.
If Dominick hadn't been so stubborn about marrying her, she would've never let someone like that into their family in the first place.
Lauren wasn't about to let Paisley anywhere near Dominick now that they'd finally gotten divorced.
Paisley rubbed her temples, the three Vanderbilt women giving her a splitting headache. Without a word, she tried to sidestep them and continue toward the treatment room.
"Hold it right there, Paisley." Kayla had completely forgotten Marissa's warning about keeping quiet, her voice rising with anger as Paisley just kept walking.
"What's with all the noise?" The door suddenly swung open, and Dominick stepped out, radiating cold fury. "This is a hospital, in case you forgot. If you want to start drama, take it outside."
His voice was barely above a whisper, but it sent chills down everyone's spine.
"But it's her fault," Kayla whined, pointing at Paisley, feeling stung by Dominick's harsh words.
That was when Dominick finally noticed Paisley standing there. For a split second, the hard lines between his brows softened at the sight of her. But just as quickly, his expression darkened again.
"What are you doing here?" Dominick's voice was ice cold.
"Looking for someone." Paisley gave him the same answer as before.
"Who?"
Paisley didn't even bother to look at him. "None of your business."
She tried to walk past, but Dominick grabbed her wrist. "Look, Paisley, I don't care why you're here. This isn't a place you should be. Just go home."
Everyone here today was from the Vanderbilt family, and Lauren and Kayla especially had it out for Paisley. Being here alone wasn't going to end well for her.
"Let go." Paisley yanked her arm free from his grip, clearly annoyed.
Dominick frowned, "Paisley. Stop making a scene."
'Making a scene?' Paisley thought. 'There he goes again with that same old line.'
Paisley laughed in disbelief, "Gosh, Dominick, you really need someone to knock some sense into you."
"You—" Dominick sputtered, too angry to form words.
Marissa's eyes darkened for a split second when she saw Paisley and Dominick standing together, but she quickly pulled herself together.
With the poise of someone who already saw herself as the future wife, she glided over to Dominick's side. "Ms. Sutton, we're all having a really rough day here. If you keep pushing this, I'll have no choice but to call security."
Reginald, trying to avoid making an even bigger scene in front of the whole Vanderbilt clan, addressed Paisley with forced politeness. "Ms. Sutton, please leave. Let's not make this any messier than it needs to be."
Paisley didn't even bother acknowledging any of them. She just pulled out her phone and started dialing. "I'm here. Where are you?" Her voice crackled through the phone, tinged with irritation. "Come get me now."
Within seconds, the door at the end of the hallway burst open. Everyone turned in surprise to see Charles hobbling toward them as fast as his aging legs could carry him, a look of desperate eagerness plastered across his face.
"Mr. Hansen, what are you doing out here?" Marissa called out in concern. "Is your mentor here? Where is she? I can go meet her."
But Charles couldn't care less about Marissa right now. The tone in Paisley's voice over the phone had been off—she was definitely pissed.
"Mr. Hansen, you—" Reginald tried to get his attention, but he just breezed right past him.
Instead, Charles scurried straight up to Paisley, slightly out of breath but still managing to flash his most ingratiating smile. "Ms. Sutton, so glad you could make it."
'Wait, Paisley is his mentor?' Reginald thought. His face was still frozen in the polite expression he'd had while talking to Charles. Seeing Charles show such deep respect to Paisley had him completely shaken.
"Mr. Hansen...what are you even saying?" Marissa felt like her brain was short-circuiting, a weird buzzing filling her head.
Kayla and Lauren might as well have been turned to stone. Their expressions went blank.
"So the patient you called me here to see is from the Vanderbilt family?" Paisley's voice cut through the tension.
"Um...yeah. He's from the Vanderbilt family..." Charles could practically feel the anger rolling off Paisley in waves.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Paisley's voice could've frozen hell over.
"Well, you never asked..." Charles mumbled, looking like a kicked puppy.
Paisley scoffed, feeling like she'd been played for a fool. This was such a waste of her time. Without another word, she spun on her heel to leave.
"Wait, Ms. Sutton, please don't go," Charles called out in a panic, rushing to block her path. "Come on, you're already here. At least go see Mr. Paul Vanderbilt before you leave."
'Paul?' Paisley thought. The name stopped Paisley in her tracks. An image flashed through her mind—Paul's warm, genuine smile beaming at her. Among all the Vanderbilts, he'd been one of the rare few who'd actually shown her real kindness.
"Mr. Hansen...she's your mentor?" Marissa snapped out of her daze, staring at Charles in disbelief. She silently prayed he'd tell her what she wanted to hear. There was no way Paisley could be his mentor.
But reality had other plans, and the truth hit like a ton of bricks. Charles nodded without hesitation. "That's right. Ms. Sutton is my mentor."