Chapter 39 Max's Fierce Defense
Now Grace was certain that Mia wasn't the sucker who'd bought her bag. Jayden was.
Both Liam and Max looked stunned.
Alexander frowned and turned to Grace.
"What's going on?" he suddenly leaned down and whispered in her ear, his tone heavy with displeasure.
Grace lowered her voice. "I'll explain later."
Evelyn said, "Jayden absolutely dotes on our Mia! A 5.6-million-dollar Hermès bag—he bought it without hesitation. He said as long as Mia likes something, no price is too high."
Grace nodded. "That's nice."
Evelyn felt Grace's reaction was underwhelming. Seeing Grace dressed head-to-toe in Hermès, she seized another opportunity to mock her. "Grace, you've certainly married well. Look at you now, living the good life, wearing Hermès, carrying Hermès, looking the part. You've transformed into quite the wealthy woman."
Mia muttered under her breath, "Who knows if that Hermès is even real?"
Grace frowned, feeling disgusted.
This mother-daughter duo was revolting. A woman who'd destroyed someone else's family and clawed her way to the top as a man's mistress had no right to mock Grace.
Max piped up from the side. "My mommy looks beautiful no matter what she wears—Hermès or knockoffs! Some people could be covered in gold and still wouldn't be half as pretty as my mommy!"
He looked up at Alexander. "Right, Daddy?"
Alexander smiled, clearly amused by the boy's words.
He nodded and agreed, "Mommy is the most beautiful woman in the world."
Children speak without filters.
Max's single comment not only devastated Evelyn but also defended Grace.
Both Evelyn and Mia's expressions darkened. Mia glared at Max, but the boy wasn't intimidated. He leaned against Alexander's side, glared right back, and stuck out his tongue.
Grace said, "Mia, my son is only seven—children say what they think. You won't take it personally, will you?"
Evelyn quickly smoothed things over. "Our Mia is gracious. The Browns chose her because she's refined, well-mannered, and understanding. A woman's ultimate happiness comes from marrying a good man!"
She deliberately asked in front of Grace, "Mia, when is Jayden arriving?"
Mia replied, "Jayden is bringing his parents this time. I'm planning to greet them personally at the entrance."
Evelyn sighed admiringly. "That shows how much the Brown family values you!" She turned to Grace. "Grace, Mia is getting engaged soon. Have you met her fiancé? He's the Brown family heir."
Grace replied dismissively, "Can't say I remember him."
Evelyn had been about to launch into praise but was cut off. Her expression soured, though she maintained her enthusiastic invitation. "When Mia gets married, you simply must attend the wedding! I heard the Brown family is sparing no expense—they want to give Mia a truly lavish ceremony!"
Grace said, "I'll come if I'm free."
She tightened her grip on Alexander's arm. "Where are we sitting?"
Evelyn said, "You can sit over here." She casually pointed to a spot near the entrance. "You haven't seen your father in ages. He doesn't even know about your remarriage. He's sitting at the head table."
Grace said, "I'll go over in a bit." She glanced at the table Evelyn had indicated—it was right next to the restrooms.
"I don't want to sit here," Max said, covering his nose. "It smells bad."
Grace said, "Yes, it's right by the restrooms."
"Why would you book a table like this?" Max asked innocently. "Is it because you couldn't afford better seats away from the bathroom?"
Evelyn mentally rolled her eyes but didn't want to lose face. She pointed to another empty table. "How about sitting there instead?"
Grace walked over with Alexander. As soon as they sat down, Alexander said, "Don't you owe me an explanation?"
Grace raised an eyebrow. "About what?"
Alexander said, "How that bag ended up in Mia's hands."
Grace said, "I put it up for auction online. Surprisingly, it sold for 5.6 million dollars. The payment hasn't cleared yet, but when it does, dinner's on me."
Alexander was speechless. She'd actually auctioned off such a rare bag?
Hermès was every woman's ultimate dream.
Though 5.6 million dollars was indeed a massive profit.
Max exclaimed from beside them, "Five point six million dollars!"
Mommy had only paid a few hundred thousand for that bag.
That was an incredible return on investment!
"Mommy's such a business genius!" Max praised generously, giving her a thumbs up. "So that woman spent 5.6 million dollars on a bag Mommy bought for a few hundred thousand?"
Grace nodded.
Liam clapped his hands happily too.
Max asked again, "Mommy, don't you want to meet that man?"
Grace's expression darkened. "No."
She was already being generous by showing up at all.
If Evelyn hadn't cornered her at the door, she wouldn't have wanted to deal with these nauseating women at all.
Alexander's attention, however, was focused on the tablecloth.
With his severe germaphobia, the barely visible stains on the tablecloth made him frown repeatedly.
Though the Imperial Hotel was technically five-star, it wasn't top-tier. Its five-star rating was a decade old, and the furnishings and facilities were now outdated. Despite the hefty prices, hidden dirt in corners constantly reminded him just how poor the hotel's hygiene standards were.
"Why is she here?"
David's displeased voice carried from nearby. "Who invited her? And who's that man with her?"
Grace turned to see David pointing at her and demanding answers from Evelyn. "Why did you invite her? I severed ties with her long ago!"
Evelyn maintained her pleasant demeanor. "David, don't be like this. She's still your biological daughter!"
"I don't have that kind of daughter! Tell her to leave immediately. I don't want to see her!"
Grace immediately understood—David hadn't invited her. Evelyn had deliberately brought her here to humiliate her.
Evelyn said, "I just wanted to help repair your father-daughter relationship. After all these years, I thought your fiftieth birthday would be a good opportunity to heal the rift. You can't remain estranged forever!"
David declared righteously, "Mia is my only daughter."
Hearing these words, Grace felt no sadness. Perhaps because she no longer held any expectations for this family—without expectations, there could be no disappointment.
Alexander said, "Your father-daughter relationship is quite strained."
Grace said, "We've already cut ties."
Alexander pressed, "If you've cut ties, why did you come today?"
Max said, "I asked Mommy to come."
David was already walking toward Grace, with Evelyn making a show of trying to hold him back. "David, the Browns will be here any minute. Don't create a scene that embarrasses both families!"
She invited Grace specifically so Grace could watch Mia's bright future and feel envious.