Chapter 65 Perfect Son
The heavy-set woman's expression looked as sour as if she'd swallowed a hundred flies. "Is it really necessary to dress up like this for a school carnival?"
Max replied matter-of-factly, "Why not dress as beautifully as possible? Isn't it natural for a woman to want to look beautiful? Besides, this dress can only be worn by someone with the right figure—only my mommy, with her supermodel body, can make this dress look this stunning!"
The heavy-set woman was left speechless by Max's retort.
Her daughter stood beside her, pointing at Grace. "Max, where's your daddy? Do you only have a mommy and no daddy?"
Her words sent ripples through the crowd.
Murmurs erupted among the parents.
"I heard this child is from a single-parent household with modest means—he's a scholarship student at Windsor Academy."
"If the family is so poor, that Givenchy dress and Hermès bag she's wearing must be knockoffs, right?"
"Hah! What's the point of dressing up so nicely? She's still a woman no man wanted to keep. A woman who looks like that is only suitable as a mistress, not wife material!"
Emily stood nearby, covering her mouth as she snickered, waiting to watch the drama unfold.
Alexander looked toward Grace, noticing her furrowed brow and seeing that she was being targeted but hadn't yet responded, when Max let out a disdainful snort and declared loudly, "My mommy is so beautiful that men wanting to be my stepfather would form a line from here to Aquilonia! There aren't men who don't want my mommy—only men my mommy wouldn't want."
He glanced at the heavy-set woman. "Ma'am, I'm a boy, so I understand these things better than you do."
The heavy-set woman's face turned livid with anger.
Many parents in attendance chuckled, and Max's words perfectly defused the awkward situation.
Grace knew Max was standing up for her.
Max never felt inferior about not having a father, nor did he ever ask Grace for a complete, traditional family.
He had nothing but unconditional, overwhelming love for Grace and simply couldn't stand anyone speaking ill of her—whether to her face or behind her back!
Grace felt incredibly fortunate to have such a caring, perfect son.
"Ms. Foster, you're so lucky to have such a wonderful son."
"Yes! He's cute and handsome, and so clever with words."
Many little girls in the class chimed in eagerly: "Max is really smart—we all love Max!"
"I want to marry Max when I grow up!"
"No! I like Max too."
Grace gently pinched Max's little cheek. "Max, you're quite the heartthrob! So many little girls already like you?"
Max replied elegantly, "Mommy, you have no idea of my charm."
Grace asked, "So do you have any girls you like?"
Max said, "No. With such a beautiful mommy like you, what kind of girl could possibly capture my heart?"
Teacher Lily led the parents through the academic building and arts building, then brought them to view the student art exhibitions and displays.
Parents from all fifteen grade levels gathered together.
Looking at the luxurious campus facilities, the arts building with its rich artistic atmosphere, and seeing the skillfully executed paintings and exquisite artwork in the exhibition, Grace deeply realized how intensely competitive education was in wealthy circles.
She had never had the resources to properly cultivate Max's talents, and she suddenly felt somewhat guilty.
Max suddenly said mysteriously, "Mommy, I have a painting in the exhibition too."
Grace asked in surprise, "You can paint?"
"Yes."
Grace said, "But I never enrolled you in art classes."
Max winked at her. "Want to guess which painting is mine?"
Each painting in the exhibition was framed in glass, with labels indicating which class and student created each piece.
Grace browsed through the paintings one by one, when she suddenly noticed many parents gathered around one particular piece, discussing it animatedly.
"This painting is really beautiful! The colors and overall composition have a Monet-like quality."
"This must be from an upper-grade art student, right?"
"First grade, Lion Class!"
"A first-grader painted this? That's impossible!"
"Who was it?"
"Who was it..."
More and more parents gathered around.
Alexander, carrying Liam, walked to the painting. Being tall, he could see the artwork clearly even from behind the crowd.
The painting depicted Windsor Academy's academic building—the white European-style structure, azure sky, verdant lawns, crystal-clear lake water, and snow-white clouds. The colors carried an impressionist sophistication, and though the brushwork was still somewhat childish, the use of light and shadow was excellent.
Alexander looked at the label in the bottom right corner of the glass frame: First Grade, Lion Class, Max.
Max painted this?
Even Emily seemed surprised.
She truly couldn't believe this was the work of a seven-year-old child.
"Max—this little artist is so talented!"
"This artwork is absolutely stunning!"
"Being in the same class as such an outstanding young painter—I hope my daughter can be influenced by this artistic atmosphere."
Teacher Lily walked over with a smile. "All the paintings in today's exhibition will be auctioned. If any of you like a particular piece, you can purchase it. The proceeds will be donated to the United Nations Children's Fund in the name of the student artist, and they may have the opportunity to be invited as a UN Youth Ambassador."
The parents exchanged glances, somewhat surprised.
Being invited as a UN Youth Ambassador would be an incredible honor!
But how would these paintings be priced?
The parents present were all prominent figures in high society circles. Bidding too low would be embarrassing, but bidding too high might not be worth it.
After all, these were student paintings, not masterpieces with commercial value.
"One million dollars."
Suddenly, Alexander's firm voice rang out through the crowd.
Everyone turned to look in shock.
Alexander raised his hand, pointing to Max's painting. "I want this piece."
Hearing such a high bid, the crowd turned to look, with some parents who didn't recognize Alexander thinking this man was absurdly wealthy, speculating about his identity.
Emily was also stunned.
She looked at Alexander with some doubt. "Alexander, this is just a student's painting. Is it worth such a high price?"
Alexander said decisively, "It's worth it."
Emily said nothing more.
Lily approached, somewhat delighted. "Mr. Hayes, do you really want to bid one million dollars for this painting? This piece is by Max from our Lion Class."
Alexander said, "I really like this painting."