Chapter 14 Accused of Kidnapping
Liam looked up at her with innocent, hopeful eyes that seemed to ask, "Can I come in?"
Grace glanced behind him but saw no one else.
Liam was alone?
How could such a small child suddenly appear at her doorstep by himself?
"Liam, did you come here to see me?" Grace asked.
Liam nodded gently.
Grace felt a surge of delight.
He could understand what she was saying, which proved he had his own cognitive abilities—he wasn't the intellectually disabled child the Hayes family believed him to be.
"Come in!" Grace welcomed Liam into the house.
Max had just put on his apron when he heard the commotion. Poking his little head out and seeing it was Liam, his expression immediately darkened.
Why was it him?
Max didn't have a good impression of Liam at all!
He was the reason Grace had fallen down the stairs and been humiliated by the Hayes family.
Max crossed his arms, looking wary. "What are you doing here?"
But Liam's attention wasn't on Max at all. Instead, he began exploring Grace and Max's home on his own.
This was a very small residence that looked like subsidized housing.
Even so, in Silverlight City, this type of apartment didn't come cheap.
For Liam, who was accustomed to living at Hayes Estate, this might as well have been the projects.
After all, the built-in fish tank at the Hayes family home was larger than this entire place.
Grace didn't have high standards for housing—as long as it provided shelter from wind and rain, it was fine. Apart from occasional leaks during storms and stuffiness in summer, there were no other problems.
The two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment was kept neat and tidy. Compared to the luxurious but cold Hayes Estate, Liam actually preferred this cozy little home.
He stopped at the doorway to Max's room, his eyes filled with curiosity.
From the moment Liam entered, Max had been following closely behind him like he was guarding against a thief, watching his every move. "What are you trying to do?"
Liam pointed at his room, then looked at Max, seemingly asking for permission.
Grace understood Liam's expression. "Liam wants to see Max's room."
Max frowned, somewhat reluctantly, but considering Grace's feelings, he said, "Fine, I'll grudgingly give you the tour!"
He led Liam into the room, which was spotlessly clean.
Liam stopped at the desk, where a photo album lay open. Max boasted, "This is my favorite album!"
Liam's little mouth opened, and he pointed at the album, miraculously producing a sweet childlike voice, "Look."
Grace was amazed. So Liam really could speak—that night when he suddenly talked wasn't just a fluke.
"No way!" Max said stingily. "This is my treasure."
Liam blinked at Max, his little mouth opening and closing, "Stingy."
Max raised an eyebrow, clutching the album to his chest. "This contains all the beautiful memories of me and Mommy. I'm not just showing it to anyone!"
A flash of disappointment crossed Liam's eyes, his rosy little lips pouting as his delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Grace quickly intervened. "Max, didn't you say you were making creamy mushroom pasta for Mommy tonight?"
Max nodded. "Oh no! I left the noodles boiling in the pot!"
He set down the album and rushed back to the kitchen.
Grace sent Max away, then lifted Liam onto the bed and casually picked up the album, coaxing gently, "Don't be sad, Liam. Max has always been very protective of this album—he never lets anyone look at it. Let's sneak a peek."
With that, she opened the album.
This album held seven years of memories between Grace and Max.
Max at one month old, Max learning to sit and crawl, Max taking his first wobbly steps...
Max's first day of kindergarten, with Grace holding him for a photo at the school gates;
Max's first family outing, Grace and him feeding alpacas together;
Max's kindergarten graduation, holding up his diploma high while snuggling against Grace's side, his face glowing with a warm, enchanting smile.
Liam stared transfixed, his lips pressed together with a touch of envy.
So this was how wonderful it was to have a mother who adored you!
In every photo, Max's genuinely happy smile was something Liam had never experienced.
Liam lifted his little face to look at Grace. "Max has Mommy, but what about Liam?"
Where was his mommy?
Grace said, "Liam has a mommy too. Liam's mommy must love him very much."
Liam said, "Mommy doesn't want me anymore."
This was what Alexander had told him—that his mother had abandoned him after giving birth.
The servants at the Hayes family whispered behind his back that the woman had given birth to him, discovered he had intellectual problems, and then abandoned him.
But he knew that wasn't true.
He knew he wasn't intellectually disabled. He could speak, he could think. That woman abandoned him simply because she didn't love him, didn't want him.
Grace said, "How could she not want you? If she doesn't want you, I want you."
Liam's eyes suddenly sparkled with hope, lighting up.
He looked at Grace and broke into a sweet smile. When he smiled, he had two adorable dimples that made you want to scoop him up and nuzzle his cheeks.
Just then, urgent knocking came from outside the door.
"Excuse me, is this Grace's residence?"
Grace tensed up, rising and walking to the door, but cautiously didn't open it, asking through the door, "Who is it?"
"We're officers from Silver Pines Precinct. Ms. Foster, we have evidence that you're involved in child kidnapping and trafficking. Please open the door and cooperate with our investigation."
Grace was speechless. "Kidnapping and trafficking? Who did I kidnap? Who did I traffic?"
The officer shouted angrily, "Cut the crap! Hand over Liam from the Hayes family!"
Grace was stunned into silence.
This was a huge misunderstanding—she was being accused of kidnapping and trafficking!
"Open the door!"
"Open up immediately!"
Max rushed out of the kitchen and said to Grace, "Mommy, I saw the street below is full of police cars. What's happening?"
Grace looked at Liam.
Liam had an innocent expression of having done something wrong, his little hands clutching at her clothes helplessly. He hadn't expected that running away from school would cause such big trouble for her.
The school must have called the police to report him missing, alerting Alexander to conduct a citywide search, and they'd tracked his location this quickly.
Max was clever and immediately understood what was happening. He said to Liam, "It must be the Hayes family who called the police! You need to explain clearly that my mommy didn't kidnap you." He was really afraid Grace would be arrested by the Hayes family as a human trafficker.
Liam nodded obediently.
He walked toward the door, about to open it.
The next second, the door was violently broken down by the officers!
Liam was nearly thrown against the wall from the impact.
Grace immediately rushed over and pulled him into her arms protectively. However, this action, in the officers' eyes, undoubtedly appeared even more suspicious—like she was taking a hostage!
"Let him go!"
In an instant, the officers all drew their guns, aiming them at Grace.
Countless dark gun barrels pointed directly at her forehead.