Chapter 16
Standing right behind Dominic. Marissa had overheard every word of the exchange between Dominick and Paisley
As she watched Dominick’s fixation on Paisley’s daughter, the unease in Marissa’s elect
est only grew more intense.
Why can’t you just disappear for good. Paisley! You’ve been gone for four years. Why did you come back now? Marissa silently cursed in her mind. her resentment boiling beneath her composed exterior.
But she knew it wasn’t the time to dwell on those thoughts,
Marissa shot a sharp glare at Stella and thought bitterly. This whole mess was the little brat’s fault! Can’t she figure out what to say and what not to say? She almost blew everything up!
Steeling herself, Marissa adjusted her expression, softened her tone, and look Grayson’s hand as the quickly walked up to Dominick “Dom” she called gently and closely watched his reaction.
But Dominick didn’t even glance her way. His gaze was locked in the direction where Paisley had driven off, his face dark with thought
Marissa’s face looked darker, but she pressed on. “This whole squation is my fault. I didn’t explain things clearly to Stella, so she got the wro
“I was just trying to
wrong idea.
close to him?
ng to teach her to look out for Sonny, you know! After what happened before, I’ve been extra cautious about who gets
Back when Grayson was still in preschool, a troubling incident had left is mark.
A little girl, cowed by her parents, had befriended Grayson and lured him to their house.
Her father, a former business partner of Vanderbilt Group, had lost his contract due to quality issues and had held a grudge ever since. He planned to use Grayson to exact revenge on Dominick
Luckily, the situation was resolved before it calated, but Grayson had been badly shaken, leaving emotional scars that lingered.
Ever since then, the Vanderbilt family had been vigilant and would scrutinize anyone who came near Grayson
This time, Stella was in the wrong. She acted rashly without understanding what really happened; Marissa said, her tone full of regres
She paused, lening a small silence hang in the air before carefully adding, But who would we thought, that little girl was Pandey’s daughter? I
four years after your divorce, she shows up with a three–year-old daughter. It’s really. She trailed off letting the implication hang.
ΠΕΠ.
Marissa didn’t need to spell it our–she knew Dominick would connect the does. The growing storm cloud on his face told Marissa her words had landed exactly where she wanted
s mess, is on me and Stella.”
Still, she shifted gears, adding a humble note to her tone. “Anyway, today’s mess is on me
Dominick finally tore his gaze away from the empty road and said in a heavy tone, “It’s not your fault. You were only protecting Sonny. If anyone’s at fault here, it’s Paisley. She’s the one falling as a mother.
Marissa picked up Grayson, giving him a comforting squeeze as she murmured, Don, dont be so harsh, I can understand Paisley. Not every mother loves their child the way you expect,”
Dominick’s expression darkened even further, his jaw tightening with barely restrained anger.
The thought gnawed at him. Paisley, Grayson is your child too, yet you walked away without a second thought or an ounce of regret. You don’t love Grayson, but you love a child you have with another man. Paisley, you are heartless
After wrapping up everything at the school, Dominick didn’t head back in the office. Instead, he did something out of character–he took Grayson back in Rosemont Haven
This was the house he and Paisley had once lived together after getting married. Since their divorce, he hadn’t set foot here again.
Grayson, on the other hand, had been living at Vanderbilt Massor under his grandmother’s care. Dominick himself spent most of his time either in hotel or at an apartment near his office.
It had been almost four years since he last came here, so much so that when the housekeeper, Lily, sow Dominick and Grayson walk in, she nearly jumped out of her skin.
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Chapter 16
Lily was the same housekeeper Paisley had hired back in the day. Though no one had been staying at the house recently, she had remained to mintim the property
“Str. Mr. Vanderbil, what brings you back here?” Lily asked nervously, her hands clasped tightly. She couldn’t help but think. Is this some kind of unannointed inspection? Am 1 about to lose my job”
“Nothing, just thought I’d bring Sonny by for a look around,” Dominick whispered, his tone heed with extention
Grayson trailed behind his father and glanced around the surroundings. His memories of the place were faint at best. He only vapurly remembered that his bedroom was on the second floor
“Dad, what are we doing here?” Grayson asked with a frown. He didn’t like this place. He wanted to go back to the manor, where Grandina. Marissa, and Stella were. “It’s so empty and cold.”
“Are you cold. Mr. Vanderbilt? Should I turn on the hea?” Lily offered, eager to please
Grayson ignored her and plopped onto the sofa with a pout. “Dad, when are we going home?”
“This is our home.” Dominick replied flatly
Handing Grayson over to Lily, Dominick headed upstairs to the first room–the master bedroom he had once shared with Paidey.
The door creaked open, and the familiarity hit him like a wave. Inside the closer. Paisley’s clothes and jewelry were still there. She had left without taking a single thing, just like what she’d announced when she asked for a divorce
even a single photograph.
Dominick let on a bitter laugh as his eyes rep across the room. There wasn’t even a single
He remembered when they got married, he isad just taken over the company and was drown in work. There was to wedding, no wedding dress photos, not even a single casual snapshot of the pro of them.
Sitting on the edge of the bed. Dominick’s mind went blank for a mom, the weight of the past pressing down on hir
A soft knock pulled him out of his thoughts. Lily stepped inside hesitantly and said. “Sir. Mr. Vanderbilt has fallen asleep. I’ve taken him to his old bedroom.
“Hmm” Dominick replied with a nod
“Are you and Mr. Vanderbilt staying here tonight? Should I prepare breakfast for you in the maming” Lily asked
“Yeah,” he said and paused as if something had crossed his mind. “Can you make rainbow pasta?”
Lily froze for a second, surprised by the request. It took her a niament to figure out what be meant. “Do you mean the rainbone pauta that Madim, I mean Ms. Sutton, used to make!
Dominick nodded without a word.
With an embarrassed look, Lily answered, “Mr. Dommick, I’m afraid I can’t. That pasti… wasi’t just ordinary pasta. Ms. Sutton used different fresh vegetable juice to dye the dough, and the toppings were incredibly complex,”
wrath for it from scratch. I tried learning
Afraid Dominick’d think she was being lazy’s silence, Lily hurried to explain further, “She even made the broth from her, but no matter what I did, I could never replicate the same flavor
“Besides, the whole process took hours, sometimes an entire night. bis. Sutton used to stay up just to make sure you and Mr. Vanderbilt could have
fresh for breakfast.”
of that Paisley had spent
Dominick sai there, totally stunned. He hadn’t realized that something as simple as pasta could make so much effort, or sleepless nights making it for him and Grayson.
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