Chapter 195 Children Like to Play Hide and Seek, but Hope to Be Found
Liam suddenly stood up angrily and pushed her away hard, "You're a liar!"
Samantha was baffled. She hadn't expected Liam to push her because of Grace. She felt angry but quickly calmed herself down, suppressing her fury as she said, "Why did you push me? Fine, don't believe me! Just wait until your father and Grace get married—they'll throw you out soon enough!"
Samantha wanted to continue poisoning his mind, but Liam didn't want to listen. He suddenly got up and ran out of the room.
Samantha was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted and chased after him. Outside in the hallway, along the long corridor, Liam had vanished without a trace.
Dinner.
Samantha came downstairs alone.
Everyone was seated in the dining room, except for Liam.
William saw Samantha coming down by herself and asked, "Where's Liam?"
Samantha replied, "Liam is playing by himself in his room, so I came back to my own room."
She smiled and continued, "We're at home—it's not like a child can get lost, right?"
William instructed a staff member, "Go bring Liam down for dinner."
"Yes, sir."
The staff member went upstairs.
Grace felt restless, sensing something was off.
Samantha didn't seem like a good person to her.
Women were intuitive, and Grace could tell from Samantha's looks that she clearly didn't like her.
Grace didn't care whether Samantha approved of her or not. Alexander had said this family dinner was just for William to meet her—nothing more than that.
But as soon as they arrived, Samantha had taken Liam upstairs, and Grace had no idea what she might have said to him.
The staff member searched everywhere and came back downstairs, telling William, "Liam isn't in his room."
Grace jumped up excitedly, "Liam is missing?"
Samantha said with obvious annoyance, "Why are you making such a big fuss? This is the Hayes estate—security is tight. Liam couldn't possibly disappear. Are you hoping something happens to him?"
William glared at her.
Samantha continued, "I'm just stating facts! She's making a scene over nothing. How could Liam get lost in his own home?"
Alexander suddenly dropped his chopsticks heavily on the table.
Samantha wisely rolled her eyes and stopped talking.
Alexander asked, "Didn't you take Liam upstairs?"
Samantha replied, "Yes, he was playing by himself in his room, so I went back to my own room. This is the Hayes estate—you can't exactly lose a child here, can you? Maybe he's hiding somewhere, wanting to play hide-and-seek with us."
Grace said to Alexander, "I'm going to look for Liam."
Max also said, "I'll go too."
As Grace was about to leave her seat, Samantha said, "Don't bother looking for him—just let the staff handle it."
Grace had no intention of listening to Samantha. She turned and left the dining room, with Max immediately following her.
Samantha muttered under her breath, "He's not even her biological child—why is she getting so worked up? Such a drama queen."
Mary looked at William.
William said, "Go back to your room."
Samantha got up reluctantly and also left the dining room.
Alexander's expression was dark—he didn't want to speak.
Mary said, "William, I think Samantha is get out of hand, how can she say such thing in this kind of situation?"
William replied, "She's probably feeling threatened."
Grandmother muttered, "Threatened by who?"
William looked at Alexander, then back at Mary, "Samantha has always wanted a child. She loves kids, and marrying me was a sacrifice for her."
Because Samantha had signed a no-children agreement, she'd never had the chance to have a baby.
She knew that Mary was afraid any child she bore might compete with Alexander for inheritance.
Whether she could win such a competition was one thing—whether she would try was another.
Mary naturally didn't want to give her that opportunity.
This had caused Samantha some psychological imbalance.
Alexander said, "If she wants kids, she can have them. No one's stopping her."
William replied, "Your grandmother doesn't agree."
Alexander looked at Mary, who had a stern expression, absolutely resolute with no room for negotiation.
Alexander suddenly stood up, "I'm going to look for Liam."
With Liam missing, he had no appetite for dinner.
William's expression looked somewhat uncomfortable as he said, "The staff are already looking. They should find him soon. Samantha's right—this is our home. A child can't get lost. Maybe he really is just playing hide-and-seek."
Alexander was silent for a long moment, "When children play hide-and-seek, they always hope to be found."
When he was very young, he used to pester William to play hide-and-seek with him.
He would find a very hidden spot that was still easy to discover.
He waited and waited, but his father never found him.
It wasn't until dinnertime that a staff member found him. Only then did he learn that William had left for work and hadn't taken their little game to heart at all.
In that moment, his heart was filled with disappointment.
So if Liam wanted to play hide-and-seek with him, no matter where he was hiding, Alexander would find him and let him know that he was always trying to find him, never giving up.
Alexander left the dining room.
Only William and Mary remained at the table.
Neither spoke.
Grace searched the entire upstairs, but couldn't find Liam. She looked through every room upstairs and downstairs, but still saw no trace of him.
Grace's anxiety grew worse.
As she passed the back door, she suddenly noticed it was slightly ajar. Her heart skipped a beat, and she pushed it open and walked out.
Beyond the door, she saw a large back garden.
She hadn't searched here yet.
Grace entered the back garden. It was enormous—she almost got lost.
Following the winding stone path, she finally saw a fountain. Beyond the fountain, she spotted a figure sitting alone on a swing.
Grace stood still, looking toward the swing.
Moonlight illuminated Liam's small form.
He looked like a delicate porcelain doll—exquisite and adorable. But at this moment, there was trouble on his face. His head leaned helplessly against the rope, and his little feet swung aimlessly on the ground.
Grace clasped her hands behind her back and quietly walked over.
The sound of her footsteps on the grass startled Liam.
Liam looked up alertly, but when he saw it was Grace, his expression softened.
It was Grace...
Grace said, "Liam, why are you hiding here all by yourself? I've been looking for you for so long."
Liam asked, "How did you know I was here?"
Grace walked over and sat down on the swing beside him, smiling, "Call it intuition? Everyone's been looking for you, but only I found you."
Upon hearing this, Liam's eyes crinkled slightly, and his mouth curved up in satisfaction.
He had indeed hidden on purpose. When children hide deliberately, it's only to get attention and care.
Liam felt warm inside.