Chapter 66 The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Lily smiled and announced, "Congratulations to Max from Lion Class! His artwork sold for one million dollars, and this donation will be made to the UN Children's Fund in Max's name!"
Thunderous applause erupted throughout the gallery.
Amelia glanced toward Mason's painting, which stood isolated and ignored, feeling a surge of indignation.
She had always been strict with her son, demanding excellence not just in academics but in art, sports, and music—cultivating him with painstaking effort across all areas. His art teacher had said Mason possessed genuine artistic talent, and his oil paintings were absolutely capable of taking first prize in any exhibition!
Yet here was Mason's artwork sitting unnoticed while Max's painting had fetched a million dollars!
Amelia's resentment had another layer: being invited as a UN Children's Ambassador to speak at the United Nations would be a prestigious addition to anyone's résumé—a career-defining achievement.
"Amelia!" An assistant approached her, lowering his voice. "I've looked into it. This Max comes from ordinary circumstances. His mother Grace is supposedly from the Foster family, but she cut ties with them long ago. She divorced at twenty-two and has been raising the child alone ever since. She currently works at one of your companies. As for her ex-husband, there's no trace of him anywhere—probably some nobody."
He speculated, "I'm guessing it was an affair situation—she got kicked out of the house and left with nothing in the divorce."
"So he's an illegitimate child," Amelia said, then asked, "What's her connection to the Hayes family?"
The assistant replied, "As far as I know, she has no connection to the Hayes family whatsoever."
Amelia scoffed, "No connection? Then how did her son get into Windsor Academy using Alexander's influence?"
The assistant said, "Max is a scholarship student at Windsor Academy—he was admitted with perfect scores."
Amelia snorted, "Windsor Academy never should have opened scholarship programs. Letting these commoners into Windsor Academy—they're like black sheep among the student body!"
She turned to Mason, "Listen carefully, Mason. You can lose to anyone else, but if you lose to some illegitimate child, people will look down on you!"
Mason immediately declared with confidence, "I won't lose to him!"
…
Lunchtime.
The dining hall was packed to capacity.
The luxuriously appointed restaurant assigned a server to each table.
Alexander and Liam sat at their table while Emily browsed the menu, ordering several of Liam's favorite dishes to win his favor.
After placing their order and setting down the menu, Emily looked at Liam with the gentlest possible tone, coaxing, "Liam, let me hold you for a bit, okay? Daddy's arms must be getting tired from carrying you all this time."
Liam looked at Alexander as if silently asking: Is Daddy's arm sore?
Alexander said, "Daddy's arm isn't sore, but look around—all the other children are sitting in their own seats."
Liam surveyed the room, then suddenly spotted something that made his eyes light up as he pointed in a particular direction.
Alexander and Emily followed his gaze to see Grace leading Max by the hand into the dining hall.
The moment Liam saw Grace, his expression became instantly animated, and he waved at her.
Grace immediately noticed Liam and walked toward him, leading Max by the hand.
Emily's face grew uncomfortable—surely Liam wasn't going to invite Grace and her son to join their table?
She absolutely didn't want that!
"Liam?" Grace approached with Max, smiling warmly. "Has Liam been a good boy today?"
Liam nodded earnestly and tugged nervously at Alexander's sleeve, seemingly wanting him to vouch for his behavior.
Alexander said, "Liam was very well-behaved this morning."
Hearing this, Liam looked at Grace with pursed lips, waiting expectantly for her praise.
Grace said, "Liam is such a good boy!"
Liam blushed shyly at the praise, then gently patted the seat beside him, wanting Grace and Max to sit next to him.
Grace's smile faltered slightly.
She glanced at Emily, and anyone could see from Emily's expression and body language that she was unwelcoming—she clearly didn't want Grace and Max joining their table.
Emily said to Liam, "Liam, this table is too small for so many people."
But Liam completely ignored her, stubbornly pushing a chair toward Grace and taking her hand to make her sit.
Grace didn't dare resist forcefully and was pulled to the chair. Just as she was about to sit, Liam suddenly had another idea and pulled Grace to the seat next to Alexander instead, pushing her to sit down.
After Grace reluctantly took her seat, Liam took Max's hand and seated him beside Grace.
Emily frowned, beginning to suspect that Liam was trying to play matchmaker between Grace and Alexander.
What was he trying to do?
"Alexander," Emily suddenly said to him, "I'd like to sit closer to Liam. Shall we switch seats?"
Alexander glanced at Grace beside him, then abruptly stood and switched places with Emily.
Liam puffed up his cheeks in obvious displeasure at Alexander's compliance.
He didn't want to sit next to that woman!
So he patted Max's bottom, wanting to switch seats with him.
This forced Max to sit between Emily and Grace, while Liam stayed close to Alexander.
The atmosphere became awkwardly tense, with everyone sitting in uncomfortable silence.
A server approached to set up place settings and provide hot towels for Grace and Max.
Grace wiped Max's hands with the towel, and seeing this, Emily quickly grabbed a hot towel to clean Liam's hands.
But Liam beat her to it, taking the towel and cleaning his own hands thoroughly.
Emily gritted her teeth in frustration.
This Liam clearly wasn't mentally impaired or slow at all—he was incredibly sharp and simply wasn't giving her any opportunities.
He just didn't like her, so he kept creating obstacles between her and Alexander!
Emily adjusted her attitude and looked at Grace, breaking the silence first: "Grace, is your son adapting well to this school?"
Grace replied, "Max is adapting very well."
Emily looked surprised, "This school has very strict policies and high expectations for the children, and even higher expectations for the parents. After all, the students at Windsor Academy all come from aristocratic families—children from ordinary backgrounds simply can't afford to attend."
Grace detected the passive-aggressive undertone in her words but smiled it off, "Every parent wants their child to be more successful than they are. I hope Max can receive Windsor Academy's excellent education while still enjoying a happy childhood."
Emily smiled and said, "Poor kids from the sticks are destined never to make it onto the big stage. Only exceptional parents can raise exceptional children."