Chapter 60 No Baseless Accusations
Alexander noticed the immediate spark of life in Liam's eyes and seized the opportunity to coax him further. "You need to rest well so that you can go to school with Grace on Friday."
Liam nodded happily, then suddenly thought of something. "Daddy, will you dance with Grace?"
Alexander asked, "Would you like to see Daddy dance with Grace?"
Liam nodded again.
"Daddy promises you," Alexander replied.
Liam's mood instantly brightened. He rubbed his eyes with his small hands, wiping away the tears at the corners, and broke into a radiant smile.
Alexander asked one more question. "Liam, Daddy needs to ask you—about falling into the water yesterday, do you really not remember anything?"
Liam blinked in confusion.
Alexander pressed gently, "Do you truly not remember, or are you afraid to say?"
He worried that Liam might have been bullied and was too scared to tell the truth.
Liam lowered his head, thinking hard for a long, long time before finally shaking his head.
Alexander felt a wave of disappointment. "You really don't remember?"
Liam nodded.
He genuinely seemed to have no memory of it, which was why he couldn't provide any answers.
Alexander gave up.
Perhaps it really was trauma-induced memory loss. The shock, combined with the medications used during his emergency treatment at the hospital, might have affected his memory.
In front of Liam, Alexander managed to control his emotions, but once he left the room, recalling the surveillance footage and thinking that Liam might have been pushed by Mason, a surge of absolute fury rose within him!
...
At Windsor Academy, Lion Class was dismissed.
Max stood at the school gate where Alexander's driver was already waiting.
He climbed into the car and casually asked, "Where's Alexander?"
Having sent the video to Alexander, Max was certain that Alexander would follow the trail and investigate the matter thoroughly.
The driver replied, "Mr. Hayes is in the principal's office. Seems like there's something important."
Max tensed immediately, jumped out of the car, and ran toward the principal's office.
"Max..." the driver called, chasing after him for a few steps but unable to keep up.
In the principal's office, a suffocating atmosphere filled the room.
Principal Taylor stood respectfully beside the sofa, alternating between apologies and flattering smiles, displaying nothing but obsequiousness.
Jeremy stood to one side, frowning slightly as he said coldly, "Principal Taylor, where is Mr. Thomas? Hasn't he arrived yet?"
That afternoon, Alexander had arrived suddenly without prior notice, catching Ryder Taylor off guard. However, having already learned about the Hayes family's Liam nearly drowning at the aquatic center, he had mentally prepared himself.
He didn't know the full details of what had happened, nor was he aware that Amelia had ordered the surveillance footage deleted. He only knew that Liam's incident had occurred at Windsor Academy, and the Hayes family was undoubtedly furious.
Although Windsor Academy had the best crisis management team, none of their usual tactics would work on Alexander.
Everyone knew that Liam was Alexander's treasure.
Alexander had donated money to Windsor Academy and was one of its board members, though this wasn't publicly disclosed in official documents. He had done this simply to ensure Liam received excellent education and care at Windsor Academy.
Now that Liam had suffered such a serious incident at school—nearly drowning to death—the thought of this life-threatening situation made Ryder break out in cold sweat, trembling with fear.
"I just called Mr. Thomas. He should be on his way to school now," Ryder said with a forced smile. "Mr. Hayes, is there something specific you need to discuss with Mr. Thomas?"
Alexander replied, "Regarding Liam's sudden fall into the water—has the school's investigation made any progress?"
Ryder stammered, "We're investigating, we're investigating..."
Alexander's anger flared. "I've given Windsor Academy enough time! If you don't get to the bottom of this today, you'll face the consequences!"
Ryder's legs went weak with fear.
Alexander's fury was understandable, but how could they uncover the truth within a single day?
Ryder said, "As Windsor Academy's principal, I deeply regret the impact this accident has caused. I fully acknowledge that the school bears responsibility for this incident! But... fortunately, Liam wasn't seriously harmed..."
"Not seriously harmed?" Alexander narrowed his eyes. "Do you think that because Liam wasn't seriously harmed, I shouldn't pursue this matter thoroughly?"
Ryder's eyes widened, speechless at being shut down so completely.
Alexander continued, "The school hasn't even provided a proper investigation report, yet you want to close the case. An accident? Who told you this was an accident!"
Ryder trembled, quickly explaining, "This must have been an accident! Given Liam's prestigious status, who would dare harm him? Everyone in this school, from the academic director to the classroom teachers, takes meticulous care of Liam without any oversight."
"Without any oversight?" Alexander found this laughable. "After what happened, how dare you say such things to me?"
Ryder felt his skin crawl under Alexander's glare.
Just then, footsteps echoed from outside.
Joshua hurried in, and upon seeing Alexander, his face immediately filled with a bright smile. "Mr. Hayes! What brings you here? I wasn't at school to receive you properly—you should have given me advance notice!"
He approached with a welcoming smile, only to be struck down by Alexander's words, "Joshua, shouldn't you give me a clear explanation about your son pushing Liam into the water and nearly drowning him?"
The smile on Joshua's face instantly froze.
"What?" He doubted his own ears. "That's impossible!"
He knew nothing about this incident.
Amelia had never mentioned it to him—she wouldn't dare. The school had mentioned Liam's drowning in the board member group messages, but Joshua hadn't read the board emails. He'd been too busy indulging in his mistress's company these past few days to pay attention to school affairs, let alone imagine that Liam had been pushed into the water by Mason!
But how could he believe Mason was capable of such a thing?
Joshua immediately protested, "Mr. Hayes, such a serious accusation—without evidence, you can't just assign blame like this!"
Alexander said, "Jeremy, show him the evidence."
"Yes, sir."
Jeremy retrieved a tablet from his briefcase, pulled up the restored surveillance footage, and placed the tablet in front of Ryder and Joshua. "Please, Principal and Mr. Thomas, look carefully. This is the evidence!"
Alexander's eyes gleamed with menace. "Watch it, then give me a solution."
Ryder and Joshua stared at the screen, watching every detail carefully. When they saw Mason leading Liam into the aquatic center, they were shocked and alarmed.
"This..." Joshua could barely stand steady. "Maybe Mason and Liam just ran to the aquatic center to play around, and there was an accident..."
Alexander's eyes now blazed with bone-chilling coldness. "You're still insisting this was an accident? Are you trying to brush me off?"
Joshua frantically waved his hands in denial. "How would I dare brush off you, Mr. Hayes? Mr. Hayes, if this isn't an accident, what is it? Are you suggesting that my son pushed Liam into the water?"