Chapter 18 The Price of Abandoning His Son
"Liam?" Alexander crouched down and gently tugged at the boy's soft little hand. "Will you eat something now?"
Liam only stared longingly at the door, as if waiting for Grace to join him.
Alexander asked, "Why do you like her so much?"
Max, standing nearby, replied matter-of-factly, "My mommy is gentle and kind—she's the most perfect woman in the world. Of course it makes sense to like her."
"Gentle?" Alexander didn't see any connection between Grace and that particular description. "She's clearly violent."
Max looked at his face. "What's wrong with a man being considerate toward a woman? Why are you making such a big deal about it? I was more worried that Mommy might have broken her hand slapping you so hard!"
Liam nodded earnestly, his eyes also showing concern.
Alexander said, "What?"
"Liam!"
From the end of the hallway, Mary approached with the help of a servant. She was wearing a nightgown, looking as though she'd been sleeping but had woken up in the middle of the night, her first thought being whether Liam had eaten anything.
Alexander said, "Grandma, why are you up?"
"I was worried Liam still wasn't eating!" Mary looked deeply concerned. "I couldn't sleep all night, worrying that Liam was going hungry."
She walked toward Liam. "Liam, are you hungry? I'll have the kitchen prepare you a late-night snack."
Liam shook his head, but his little stomach honestly betrayed him with a hungry rumble.
Mary playfully tapped his nose with a fond, chiding expression. "And you said you weren't hungry? I can hear your stomach growling!"
The door suddenly opened.
Several female doctors emerged from the room.
"Mr. Hayes."
Alexander looked toward them. "How is she?"
The doctor reported respectfully, "Fortunately, there's no damage to bones or tendons—mostly superficial injuries. Ms. Foster mentioned feeling dizzy, which could indicate a mild concussion. She'll need to rest and recover."
Alexander asked, "Are her wounds properly bandaged?"
The doctor replied, "All dressed and treated."
Max rushed into the room with concern, and Liam followed closely behind.
"Liam..." Mary felt somewhat melancholy. "Why is he so devoted to Grace?"
Alexander said, "I'm not sure."
Mary thought for a moment, then sighed with sympathy. "Perhaps it's because he's never had a mother. Liam must be finding that maternal feeling in Grace." She quickly instructed a servant, "Go prepare a meal right away."
"Yes, Mrs. Hayes."
Mary asked, "Alexander, would you like something to eat?"
Alexander replied, "No."
Mary headed toward the room. "I need to watch Liam eat something before I can sleep."
Throughout Hayes Manor, Mary doted on Liam the most. While Alexander was occasionally strict with the boy, Mary would have gladly given him everything wonderful in the world.
Alexander stood in the doorway, watching Grace lying in bed.
To be fair, Grace wasn't the most stunning woman he'd ever seen, but she had soft, alluring eyes with lustrous pupils, cloud-like hair, and graceful limbs. The longer you looked at her, the more beautiful she became.
Looking at Max, this little boy had inherited her excellent features, with a handsome and distinguished appearance.
He was seven years old.
Which meant that while Alexander was still unconscious, lying in a coma, she had already been intimate with another man.
But thinking that Max was the son she'd conceived through infidelity made Alexander's expression darken again.
No one had ever betrayed him before.
Never.
Therefore, he felt nothing but disgust for this woman deep in his heart.
The servants quickly brought in an elaborate meal.
Mary habitually prepared to feed Liam herself, but she saw him gathered around the bedside, holding a bowl in his hands with a spoon, carefully ladling his favorite creamy mushroom soup and clumsily bringing it to Grace's lips.
Mary's eyes nearly popped out of her head!
What was Liam doing?
Was he personally feeding Grace?
Grace was also somewhat surprised. "Liam, are you going to feed me?"
Liam nodded gently, his eyes bright and sparkling.
Grace couldn't bear to refuse him. After taking a bite of what he offered, she saw Liam's expression change slightly, as if he was waiting for her response.
Grace smiled. "What Liam fed me tastes especially delicious."
Her smile was gentle and beautiful. Liam stared at her radiant expression for a long moment, his cheeks flushing red—clearly feeling shy.
Watching this scene, Max felt a bit sour inside and somewhat jealous. "Are you trying to steal my mommy from me?"
Liam looked at him, blinking in confusion.
Max emphasized again, "Mommy is mine—mine alone."
Upon hearing this, Liam quickly showed a disappointed expression.
"Max..." Grace knew that Max had depended solely on her since childhood and was very possessive of her, but she still said gently, "Liam isn't going to steal me away from you."
Hearing this, Liam set down his bowl and snuggled up to her side, hugging her arm and rubbing his little face against her shoulder.
Max's internal alarm bells went off. He also hugged Grace's arm from the other side and said to Liam, "She's my mommy, not your mommy."
Liam didn't argue with Max, simply burying his little face in Grace's embrace, showing only a pair of innocent eyes.
Grace gently stroked his little head and smiled, "Liam, don't need to feel sad!"
Liam affectionately nuzzled her palm, seeming to thoroughly enjoy such tender attention.
Max felt somewhat aggrieved, sensing that Grace was favoring Liam.
Nearby, Mary had never seen Liam like this. In her memory, Liam had always been aloof and distant from everyone. In every matter, big or small, nannies and servants had waited on him like he was the center of the universe. Now, instead of eating himself, he was actively feeding Grace, and showing such intimacy with her—where was the Liam she knew?
"Liam, you're hungry too. Let Great-Grandma feed you."
Mary sat beside Liam, wanting to feed him personally.
Max said, "I've been feeding myself since I was four."
Hearing this, Liam gently pushed away Mary's bowl, also wanting to feed himself.
Mary watched him eat on his own with some surprise, but seeing him actually eating, she stood up with relief and stepped back toward the doorway.
"Children still need their mothers," Mary reflected. "Alexander, have you found Liam's birth mother?"
Alexander replied, "You should ask yourself that question."
Mary looked puzzled. "Ask me?"
"Weren't you worried I wouldn't wake up and that the Hayes family line would end?" Alexander said. "Did you arrange for some woman to have Liam?"
Mary frowned. "Absolutely not! How could I possibly allow some woman of unknown background to bear a Hayes family child?" However, she did suspect that someone might have stolen Alexander's genetic material and secretly conceived Liam.
Alexander said, "I'll get to the bottom of Liam's parentage soon, but regardless of who his birth mother is, he's my son."
Mary asked, "If you find Liam's birth mother, what will you do next?"
Alexander replied, "I'll make her pay for abandoning him. I'm going to make sure she understands the consequences of abandoning my son."