Chapter 61 Mason's Apology
"He's the one who pushed him!"
A young but determined voice rang out from the doorway.
Everyone turned to look.
Max stood at the entrance, his expression cold as he declared, "Mason pushed Liam! He did it on purpose!"
Joshua demanded loudly, "Who is this kid? What class is he from?"
Principal Taylor had a vivid impression of Max and immediately whispered in Joshua's ear, "This is the child I mentioned to you before—Max. He's a scholarship recipient from a single-parent household. His parents are divorced, and he lives with his mother..."
In just a few sentences, Taylor had outlined Max's family background.
Joshua narrowed his eyes. "How did a kid like this qualify to get into Windsor Academy?"
Taylor replied, "Supposedly it was Mr. Hayes's decision. This child's mother has a close relationship with Mr. Hayes."
Joshua understood immediately.
This child also had connections.
His attitude softened slightly. "Max, you can't make accusations without evidence."
"Mason was the one who pushed me into the storage room," Max paused, then added, "He's been bullying Liam in class."
Joshua panicked, "You can't just say things like that!"
He glanced nervously at Alexander's expression while protesting, "My son wouldn't dare bully Liam!"
Alexander called out to Max, "Max, come here."
Max walked over to Alexander, who lifted him onto his lap and asked gently, "How can you be certain it was Mason who pushed him?"
Max replied, "During study hall, Mason was bullying me and Liam. He said I didn't have a father and called Liam an idiot. I pushed him back, so he held a grudge."
Joshua said nervously, "That's all speculation! This is a matter of life and death—Mason is so young, he wouldn't even dare step on a bug."
Alexander stated, "But the fact remains that he went to the aquatic center with Liam, and Liam's drowning is definitely connected to him. Joshua, I don't want to waste time on you. By the end of today, question your son thoroughly about what he said and what he did, and give me a proper explanation! Otherwise, you're immediately off Windsor Academy's board of directors."
With that, he stood up, carrying Max as he left.
Jeremy packed the tablet into his briefcase, glanced at Joshua and Principal Taylor, and said meaningfully, "Mr. Thomas, as you know, Liam is Mr. Hayes's son. This matter will be investigated to the very end."
After speaking, he strode away.
Joshua's breathing became labored. The thought that Mason was connected to Liam's drowning made his scalp tingle with dread.
...
On the drive home.
Max sat quietly in his seat, clutching his backpack and staring straight ahead.
Alexander's gaze, however, remained fixed on him.
Max caught sight of him from the corner of his eye and asked, "Why do you keep staring at me?"
Alexander asked, "Was it you who sent me that surveillance footage?"
Max looked surprised. "How did you know?" He hadn't intended to admit it.
Alexander replied, "Because you have that capability." He had sent Jeremy to investigate the matter, and Jeremy had reported that the security footage hadn't been available to him initially. Alexander had deduced that those particular segments must have been deliberately erased.
He suspected that Max had hacked into Windsor Academy's surveillance system, restored the footage, and sent the video to him.
The whole situation was suspicious. First, how exactly had Liam ended up drowning?
Second, how had Max discovered it so quickly?
He claimed it was "intuition," but that was what Alexander found most puzzling.
He didn't believe a seven-year-old child could have such remarkable intuition!
Back home.
Grace hadn't returned from work yet.
Alexander was about to call Grace when he received a call from Amelia.
"Mr. Hayes, this is Amelia." Amelia's voice was diplomatic and polite on the phone. "Mr. Hayes, what's your address? I'll bring my son over right away to apologize."
Alexander replied, "That won't be necessary."
Amelia said anxiously, "Mr. Hayes, I'm sorry—I failed to discipline my son properly! But perhaps things aren't what you think. We should at least hear what Mason has to say and give us a chance to explain!"
Alexander frowned slightly. "I don't have much time. Keep it brief."
"Of course! Of course!"
Soon, Joshua arrived with his wife and child.
Upon entering, Joshua and Amelia stood at the entrance while Mason hid behind them, intimidated by Alexander's overwhelming presence.
In the face of absolute power, Amelia's usual arrogance had to be subdued. "How is Liam doing?"
Alexander replied, "He's been discharged and is recovering at home."
Amelia probed cautiously, "Liam wasn't seriously hurt, was he?"
Alexander asked, "My son isn't in life-threatening danger. Are you disappointed?"
Amelia looked shocked and quickly waved her hands, "Mr. Hayes, I couldn't bear such words! I questioned Mason today."
Amelia hesitantly recounted what she knew, explaining the sequence of events.
Mason had indeed held a grudge over the incident during study hall, so he locked Max in the storage room. When Liam saw this, he tried to grab the key from Mason's hand. Mason clutched the key and ran all the way to the aquatic center, with Liam chasing him to get the key back and rescue Max. The two children ended up fighting in the aquatic center, and as a result, Liam accidentally fell into the water.
Mason was terrified and ran back to the classroom, then went home without daring to tell anyone what had happened.
Amelia continued, "The child is too young and was scared. Because Liam had an accident, he was frightened and didn't say anything! I only managed to get the truth out of him after questioning him all day. Mr. Hayes, children fighting is inevitable—they're young and don't understand the consequences. It was all unintentional. I hope you and Liam can find it in your hearts to forgive him..."
As she spoke, she quickly arranged a pile of gifts on the floor—items worth several hundred thousand dollars stacked in the entryway.
Seeing Alexander's cold expression and silence, Amelia hurriedly pushed Mason forward. "Mason, apologize now!"
Mason burst into tears, wailing, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..."
Alexander called to the nanny, "Bring Liam out here."
"Yes, sir."
The nanny brought Liam out.
Liam rubbed his eyes, looked at Mason, and frowned with some anger.
Amelia grew nervous, her face pale with cold sweat.
Mason also looked guilty.
But Liam had truly lost his memory of the incident and couldn't remember anything. He turned and wrapped his arms around Alexander's neck, burying his small face in his shoulder and rubbing his eyes—clearly having just woken up.
Mason continued crying and apologizing, "I know I was wrong! I know I was wrong..."