The Billionaire And His Son Want Me Back by Juliette Vaughan

Chapter 29
The next morning, in the bedroom, Paisley carefully tended to Serena's wounds. Thankfully, Maria had gone back to Brightmoor
for the weekend due to some family matters. If she saw Serena's wounds, she'd be heartbroken.
Maria had been with Paisley since the day Serena was born and practically raised Serena alongside Paisley. Her love for Serena
was no less than a mother's.
Luckily, Serena's fall yesterday had only scraped her palms. If it had been worse, Paisley wouldn't have let go of Stella, who had
hurt Serena.
As for the school, Paisley was far from done with them. She had already contacted her lawyer and planned to send a formal
legal notice on Monday.
Gently disinfecting Serena's small hands, Paisley winced every time Serena flinched from the cotton ball's sting.
"Does it hurt a lot?" Paisley asked, her voice full of concern.

"It hurts, but I can handle it," Serena replied, biting her lip. Tears welled up in her shiny eyes, but she stubbornly held them back.
Once the bandages were on, Paisley pulled Serena into her arms and kissed her head. "Mommy will find you a new preschool.
We're never going back there, okay?"
Running into Grayson at school had been the last thing Paisley expected because Grayson wasn't even enrolled in that
preschool-he was at another elite school.
When choosing a school for Serena, Paisley had deliberately avoided any areas where she might cross paths with the Vanderbilt
family. Yet somehow, fate had other plans.
"Mommy, it's alright. I can keep going there," Serena said softly.
Despite how awful the principal and some of the teachers were, she liked her teacher, Sophia, very much. Serena continued,
"Don't worry, Mommy. I won't bother Grayson anymore."
Hearing Grayson's name, Paisley sighed. "So, you snuck that painting out of my studio just to show it to Grayson, didn't you?"

Serena nodded, looking pitiful. "But Grayson didn't like it. Stella even tore it up. Mommy, I'm sorry..." She snuggled deeper into
Paisley's arms, her little voice sticky with remorse.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I'm not mad at you," said Paisley.
There had been a day, not long after her divorce, when Paisley couldn't stop thinking about the son she'd left behind. The
overwhelming panic nearly drove her to pick up the phone and call Dominick a number she had buried deep in her heart.
But the urge passed soon. Two hours later, the storm in her chest had quieted. That same day, she painted Grayson's portrait,
pouring all her unresolved feelings into the canvas.
One day later, Serena stumbled upon the painting and asked who the boy was. Paisley replied simply, "That's your brother."
What Paisley hadn't anticipated was how deeply Serena would remember those words.
As she gently stroked Serena's hair, Paisley began to say, "Rena, I know you want to talk to Grayson. But
he doesn't know you yet, and that's why he didn't like you. Remember, love has to go both ways. You can't make everyone like
you, can you?"
Serena nodded, her face earnest despite her limited understanding. "I get it, Mommy."
Paisley held her close, a bittersweet ache tugging at her heart.
She had once believed the same naive notion that giving her whole heart would mean being loved in
return. But life had taught her otherwise. This lesson made it easier for her to let go.
Just then, a ringtone broke through her thoughts. From the living room, Paisley's phone chimed with an incoming video call.
Before she could move, Serena wriggled out of her arms and hurried to grab the phone.
"Mom, who's Gregory?" Serena asked, her curiosity piqued. At three years old, she had learned quite a few names already.
Paisley's eyebrows shot up slightly at the mention of that name. It had been years since Gregory had been a part of her life.