Chapter 4 The Other Child
1016 Words
"Mr. Sinclair, what do you need me for?"
Grace's voice was cold, her gaze even colder, as if she didn't recognize the man standing before her at all.
William narrowed his eyes, staring at the woman in front of him, his expression hostile.
"Nancy, this is Mr. Astor—the patient who contacted you last night. You need to see what's going on with him, immediately!"
"Like I said last night, I can't treat his condition! Arrange for another doctor to see him. I have things to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."
Grace turned and made to walk away.
Suddenly, she felt a rush of air behind her—
Before she could react, William quickly approached and grabbed her wrist, pinning her against the door!
Both Samuel and Greene stood frozen, their mouths agape in shock!
"Grace Miller! So it's really you?!"
William yanked the mask off her face, his eyes locked onto hers, like a beast focused on its prey!
Her face was so different from the one he remembered five years ago.
Back then, she had been young, innocent, and soft.
Now, although her features hadn't changed, her once-clear face now bore an air of cold indifference.
Even now, as her movements were restrained, there was no panic, no fear in her blue eyes.
All that was there was disdain and mockery.
William blinked, slightly stunned.
"Oh, it's you. What's with the anger? Now that you have your freedom and have escaped that shameful marriage, what more could you possibly want?"
William's grip on her shoulder tightened involuntarily!
"Mr. Astor, please, you're hurting her! Let go!"
Greene finally snapped out of his daze, rushing forward to grab William's arm.
Grace slid down from the door, clutching her shoulder and catching her breath.
A few minutes later, the tense atmosphere in the office finally began to calm.
"Fine, tell me the truth, Grace... What happened five years ago? Why are you still alive? Where are the kids? Are they with you now?"
In the now quieter office, William's voice remained harsh.
The thought of how much he had suffered because of this, the nights of regret and insomnia—it all made him feel ridiculous!
Why did she keep playing him?
Grace sneered.
"Why am I still alive? Are you upset about that? I'm sorry, but I owe you nothing. Whether I married you or had three kids with you—if you were innocent, then where's my fault? Do I not have the right to live?"
"You—"
Grace flipped her hair over her shoulder, her sarcastic smile deepening.
"Besides, my faked death made you a bachelor—didn't that just make it easier for you to chase after your freedom and romantic desires?"
For several seconds, William just stared at her, a strange sense of unfamiliarity washing over him.
Aside from her shorter hair and the subtle changes in her features, the most glaring difference was her attitude.
Before, she had always been shy, often lowering her gaze or occasionally admiring him from afar.
She never spoke like this—never had such a biting tone or such a sharp expression.
He had hoped that, if she would just admit her mistakes and explain what had happened all those years ago, maybe he'd consider forgiving her.
But now, not only was she not apologizing, she was mocking him without mercy.
For some inexplicable reason, William felt a rising sense of frustration, as if something was slipping out of his control.
"Take her back with me!"
He ordered coldly, and a few bodyguards in black quickly advanced towards her.
"What do you think you're doing? I'm a lawful citizen! You can't just kidnap me!"
No one dared to intervene. Grace could only turn to William, her frustration boiling over.
"You hated my existence back then. Why are you doing this to me now? Are you out of your mind? If you've got issues, go get treatment. Let me go!"
She struggled, but against the muscular guards, it was futile.
Soon, she was forced into the penthouse suite at The Celestia Collection.
"I'm not going to treat you. Get it through your head—your condition isn't something I'll fix!"
Grace didn't care to look at the extravagant surroundings. Instead, she rubbed her wrist, which had been twisted painfully, and glared at William with suspicion.
Before William could respond, a small figure emerged from the living room.
"Daddy, you're back? You're 38 minutes late. Did you cancel the trip to kindergarten today?"
The child was another who bore a striking resemblance to William, dressed in a neat uniform, his expression as serious as William's, even mimicking his tone.
But looking at him, Grace could immediately deduce that this was her child—Allen's twin brother!
How could he have grown so tall?
Would he blame her for not taking him with her back then?
Grace froze in place, unsure of what to say next.
William ignored her, patiently walking up to his son.
"Something came up, but I'll make it up to you. Okay?"
"Is that how you handle contracts too, with no sense of obligation?"
Suddenly, the boy's gaze shifted to Grace.
"Who is this woman?"
The intensity of his gaze made Grace's heart skip a beat.
Her whole body trembled, and her mind raced with questions.
'Sweetie, I'm your mother! What's your name? Are you happy living with William?'
Her thoughts trembled in her mind.
Before she could speak, William, who was crouching in front of the boy, sneered.
"An unimportant person! Alright, since you missed kindergarten, let's have Greene take you to play. We'll deal with your schooling tomorrow."
Minutes later, Grace watched helplessly as her son was led away by Greene.
"Why did you call me an unimportant person? I'm his real mother!"
"His mother is Grace Miller. And Grace is dead, isn't she? And you, you don't even know his name!"
William looked at her with disdain, his eyes gleaming with contempt as he crushed her heart beneath his words.
"You don't deserve to be his mother!"
- Writer
