Chapter 3 Birthed But Abandoned—You Deserve to Die

While drizzling oil into the pan, Max said with obvious disdain, "But Mommy, please stay out of the kitchen. I'm worried that one day you'll blow it up and we'll get evicted by the landlord."

Grace's lips twitched violently. Embarrassed, she changed the subject. "Mommy submitted several résumés today and has interviews tomorrow."

Her psychotic former boss's workplace harassment and the malicious rumors he'd spread about her had made many companies reluctant to hire her. If tomorrow's interviews didn't go well, she and Max would truly be homeless.

Max tilted his head innocently, gazing at Grace with gentle eyes. Suddenly, he walked over to her and pulled out more than a dozen hundred-dollar bills from his pocket.

Grace's eyes widened. "Where did this money come from?"

Max said casually, "Won it in a lottery."

Grace hugged him joyfully, nuzzling his little cheek. "Max, you're so lucky! How do you keep winning prizes every day?"

Max pressed his lips together, remaining helplessly silent.

Only his naive mommy would believe such an obviously fabricated story.

Grace said, "Max, Mommy will definitely work hard to earn money and take good care of you."

Max asked, "Mommy, how much money do you need to earn to support Max?"

Grace replied, "Mommy has set a small goal—to earn a hundred million dollars first."

Max said, "Mommy, why don't you stop trying so hard? Max will take care of you instead."

Looking at the adorable Max in front of her, with his delicate features, sparkling big eyes, and innocent, naive expression, Grace knew this was just childish talk, but she was still deeply moved.

Grace kissed his little cheek and teased, "You're so small—how could you possibly support Mommy?"

Max thought seriously for a moment, his eyes lighting up. "I'll buy a lottery ticket every day. What if I win five million dollars someday?"

Grace gently tapped his nose. "Dream on!"

Night fell.

After putting Max to bed, Grace carried bags of trash downstairs.

For seven years now, she and Max had depended on each other.

Max was understanding and well-behaved—God's most precious gift to her.

During her eighth month of pregnancy, due to malnutrition, she'd given birth prematurely. Max had a twin brother, but that poor little one was born without breath. The nurses hurriedly took him away for cremation.

In the end, all she received was a small box of ashes, which she buried while enduring heartbreak.

Max had been very weak since birth, with poor heart valve closure. To pay for Max's medical treatment, Grace had accumulated significant debt that she'd only recently finished paying off.

It wasn't until age three that Max's physical condition reached the level of his peers.

To support Max, she'd worked multiple jobs simultaneously. But having been forced by her father to drop out of school and marry into the Hayes Group, her education was incomplete. She'd never had the opportunity to pursue better employment or provide Max with the most comfortable life.

Max was often pointed at and called a bastard child, but he rarely asked about his biological father. She vaguely remembered him once asking where his daddy was.

Not knowing how to respond, Grace had been at a loss. Max seemed to read her expression, and from then on, never asked again.

Lost in troubled thoughts, Grace had just exited the building when two dark figures rushed toward her. Before she could see who was beside her, her mouth and nose were covered, and she was dragged into a vehicle.

Outside, the wind suddenly picked up violently, causing windows and doors to rattle loudly.

Max suddenly woke up.

"Mommy?"

The house was pitch black and eerily empty.

Max climbed out of bed and searched the entire apartment, but Grace was nowhere to be found. He went downstairs and, in the moonlight, spotted Grace's fallen hair clip near the building entrance. Picking it up, an ominous feeling began rising in his chest.

Something had happened—Grace had been kidnapped!

The Hayes Manor, study.

Rain drizzled outside the windows.

Alexander stood by the window, his dark brown hair tousled by the wind, yet this barely diminished his striking handsomeness.

A cute child holding a teddy bear and wearing an adorable little suit looked up blankly at the man's silhouette.

He had features carved from the same mold as Alexander's, tender and adorable.

Alexander approached him and gently took his small hand. "Liam, what are you thinking about?"

Liam Hayes tilted his head, blinking his ethereal eyes.

At seven years old, Liam still couldn't speak.

Rumors circulated that the golden boy Alexander had fathered a mentally disabled child.

Three years ago, his subordinates had brought Liam back from an orphanage. After paternity testing confirmed the child was his, his men explained that the boy might have been born with intellectual disabilities—sickly and weak, abandoned at birth, then sent to the orphanage.

Based on the timeline, Alexander was certain this was the child Grace had borne him.

She had deceived him, secretly carrying his child to term, then abandoning the baby because of his disabilities. She'd given birth but refused to raise him!

When Liam was brought back to the Hayes family from the orphanage, he was skin and bones, having clearly suffered tremendously.

Now Alexander wanted nothing more than to crush that woman to dust.

Footsteps echoed from outside the door.

"Mr. Hayes, we've brought her."

Alexander turned and strode forward.

The man walked through the spacious corridor until he stopped before a door.

From inside came an angry woman's voice.

"Who are you people? Where is this place?"

"Ms. Foster, please calm down."

"Don't touch me!"

The sound of shattering porcelain.

Alexander violently flung the door wide open.

Inside the room, Grace stood alert with her back against the wall. Hearing the commotion, she glared toward the man, but after just one glance, she froze completely.

—Alexander!

The man stood in the doorway wearing a black suit, his tall, elegant frame commanding attention.

His devastatingly handsome features, sharp as if carved by a blade, remained unchanged after seven years. Deep within his cold eyes lay an eternal severity.

This godlike, stunningly beautiful man carried an aura of someone who had long held supreme authority.

"Why is it you!" Grace looked around frantically. "Where is this place?"

Alexander didn't want to waste time with her and cut straight to the point, "You secretly conceived my child, then birthed and abandoned him. You deserve to die!"

Grace's heartbeat skipped several beats, but she instinctively played dumb. "Child? What child?" She immediately became flustered.

Alexander's mention of a child—had he discovered Max's existence?

After all, the Hayes Group had eyes and ears everywhere in Silverlight City. These past few years, she'd worked so hard to keep Max hidden.

Alexander turned to his assistant. "Show her the documents."

The assistant stepped forward and presented Grace with a medical report.

Grace glanced at it and saw a line highlighted in red: "History of pregnancy."

She hadn't realized that job application medical screenings included such detailed results.

Alexander said coldly, "Grace, do you still want to deny it?"

Grace bit her lip.

Alexander's fury erupted. "I'm giving you one minute to explain yourself!"