Chapter 16 I Don't Accept Your Apology, Mr. Hayes
Alexander commanded, "Liam, eat."
His tone was authoritative, but Liam remained unmoved, still as stone.
Max suddenly piped up coldly, "Liar."
Alexander frowned. "I've already sent someone to bring your mommy back."
Max turned his face away, refusing to look at him. Until he saw Grace with his own eyes, he wouldn't believe a single word from this man.
Alexander couldn't be bothered to coax him.
After all, the kid wasn't his son—why should he waste his energy?
Liam continued sitting in silence, deaf to Mary's coaxing, "Liam, you haven't eaten anything all day. Aren't you hungry?"
Liam glanced at the expensive delicacies Mary kept piling into his bowl and acted as if they didn't exist.
"What am I going to do with you?" Mary was beside herself with worry. "Liam, what do you want? If you eat your dinner like a good boy, Great-grandmother will buy it for you, okay?"
Liam said, "I want Grace."
Mary looked confused and turned to Alexander.
Alexander frowned. "Stop throwing tantrums."
Liam repeated, "I want Grace."
Alexander fell silent.
Father and son stared at each other in silence, locked in a wordless standoff.
Just then, the sound of an engine came from outside.
A car pulled up to the front entrance of Hayes Manor.
Jeremy got out, entered the house, and reported to Alexander, "Mr. Hayes, she's here." Jeremy hesitated, as if he had reservations.
Alexander asked, "What is it?"
Jeremy whispered in his ear, "Ms. Foster is injured."
Alexander frowned and rose to walk outside.
Liam's little ears perked up, and he started to follow, but Mary grabbed him and pulled him back to his seat. "Liam, sweetheart, don't run around."
Max, worried, followed Alexander outside and saw the car's rear door open with Grace collapsed in the back seat, unconscious and motionless.
"Mommy!"
Max's heart lurched with terror. He frantically climbed into the back seat and cradled Grace's face.
Her body and face were covered in injuries.
Handprint bruises, purple marks from punches...
"Mommy!" Max's pent-up emotions exploded as he roared like a small tiger, "Who hurt my mommy?"
Inside the house, Liam heard Max's voice and eagerly walked outside. When he saw Grace unconscious and badly injured in Max's tight embrace, he was so frightened that his little hands curled against his chest, and he approached with concern.
Alexander took one look and his expression darkened. "What happened?"
Had they used some kind of brutal interrogation?
Jeremy explained, "Ms. Foster was sent to the holding cell. When the other suspects heard she was a child trafficker, they flew into a rage and beat her up. Fortunately, the injuries aren't severe—mostly superficial wounds. Her life isn't in danger."
Max's teeth clenched in fury when he heard Jeremy's words. "Not severe?"
With injuries covering her entire body, how could he call them "not severe"?
This guy was clearly lying through his teeth.
Jeremy realized he'd misspoken and shut his mouth.
"This is all your fault!" Max glared at Alexander with hatred. "You're the one who had Mommy arrested as a trafficker! You caused all these injuries! If my mommy has any lasting damage or complications from this beating, will you take responsibility?"
Alexander replied, "I'll take responsibility."
He answered almost without hesitation, the words spilling out.
Jeremy stared in shock.
Max said coldly, "How exactly will you take responsibility?"
Alexander walked over and told Max, "If she has any lasting effects, I'll take responsibility. I'll take care of her for life."
Liam looked at Grace with heartbreak, then at Alexander. Suddenly, self-blame and guilt crashed over him like a wave, a complex mix of emotions.
If he hadn't left school without permission, the Hayes family wouldn't have mobilized such a massive search, causing Grace to be suspected as a trafficker and injured so severely.
Alexander approached, wanting to carry Grace out of the car, but Max held her protectively, glaring at him warily. His small hands wrapped around Grace, his eyes red-rimmed, showing absolutely no trust in the man before him.
Alexander said, "Give her to me."
Max replied, "You only know how to bully Mommy. I don't want to hand her over to you!"
Alexander said, "I'll let her stay at Hayes Manor to recover until she's fully healed. I'll get her the best doctors and make sure she doesn't have any scars or lasting effects."
Max's resolve wavered slightly after hearing this. He bit his lip, and seeing that Alexander seemed genuinely sincere about taking full responsibility, his small hands gradually loosened...
...
Grace opened her eyes, her consciousness foggy and her head throbbing with pain.
She stared at the empty, luxurious ceiling, momentarily unable to figure out where she was.
Suddenly, a cherubic little face appeared in her field of vision.
Liam's bright, liquid eyes gazed steadily at her, and he suddenly reached out his small hand to gently rest it on her forehead.
"Liam." Grace recognized him.
Grace slowly sat up, and Liam immediately and attentively brought over a pillow to support her back.
Max lay obediently beside the bed, exhaustion evident beneath his delicate features.
She looked toward the window—dawn was breaking.
Next to the bed sat a single armchair where Alexander reclined, one hand supporting his chin. The morning light fell across him, casting a soft, gentle glow.
Alexander's face was partially in shadow, his features sharp as carved stone, refined as a painting. Unlike when he was awake, with his eyes closed he seemed less severe, less intimidating in his natural authority.
Liam walked over to him and tugged at his sleeve, patting his cheek with his small hand.
Alexander was a light sleeper and opened his eyes immediately, his dark brows slightly raised. His gaze locked onto the head of the bed, and seeing that Grace was awake, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly. "You're awake?"
Grace's memory began to return.
She had been arrested as a suspected child trafficker and held for twenty-four hours with other suspects.
When those suspects learned she'd been brought in for child trafficking, they were outraged and cornered her against the wall, slapping and punching her.
Fortunately, she'd instinctively protected her head, or she'd probably be lying in the ICU right now.
So she'd been cleared of suspicion and brought to Hayes Manor by Alexander, who had watched over her all night?
Grace noticed the fatigue around Alexander's eyes, but then she remembered that if this man hadn't indiscriminately had her sent to the police station, she never would have suffered such humiliation.
The atmosphere was awkwardly tense.
Alexander's thin lips parted slightly, seeming at a loss for words. "You..."
"Does Mr. Hayes want to apologize?" Grace said. "Let me make it clear upfront—I won't accept your apology."
Apologize? How could she have such a ridiculous notion?
Seeing Alexander's cold, distant expression, Grace let out a bitter laugh. "Don't tell me I'm being presumptuous? How could someone like Mr. Hayes—who's held power for so long and played ruthless games in the business world—ever apologize for a simple misunderstanding?"