The Billionaire And His Son Want Me Back (Paisley) novel Chapter 39

The strange sense of imbalance was eating him up inside, and his hands were practically tied in knots.

"Not hungry, huh?" Paisley's voice was calm, almost indifferent. She looked at Grayson with an expression to match, as if she couldn't care less whether he sat down to eat or not.

Grayson wanted to blurt out something defiant, like "I'm not hungry, and I wouldn't eat your food even if I were!" But before he could open his mouth, his stomach betrayed him with a loud, unmistakable growl.

Paisley shook her head and took his hand, gently leading him toward the bathroom. "Go wash your hands and come eat."

Paisley knew Grayson didn't like her, so she didn't try to maintain their relationship to have him accept her.

Since Dominick said it was her responsibility to take care of Grayson, she'd comply with it for the two days.

Grayson let Paisley pull him along, and he glanced at their joined hands. That strange pang of bitterness eased just a little. And so, without protest, he washed his hands as demanded.

It had been a long time since Paisley had made a proper meal. Ever since Maria had been around, she rarely had to cook. Her skills were a bit rusty, but Serena didn't seem to care—she started to dig in the moment she hit the table.

"Slow down," Paisley said to her with a smile. "You'll choke if you're not careful."

She noticed Grayson hadn't touched his food and asked, "What's wrong? Not to your taste?"

Grayson pressed his lips together, refusing to answer.

Paisley sighed, her patience thinning. "Well, you'll have to deal with it for two days. Or you can call your dad and have him ask Marissa to come get you."

She knew Grayson adored Marissa. Surely, she thought Marissa wouldn't mind taking him in.

To her surprise, Grayson picked up his fork and began shoveling food into his mouth without a word like Serena did.

Paisley blinked, caught off guard. 'What's with this kid?' she wondered.

But she decided not to dwell on it. After all, she was only responsible for him for two days, and she didn't want to complicate things.

Meals at Paisley's house were all about balance. Meat and vegetables were all carefully portioned out. So when Paisley noticed Serena eating nothing but meat, she said, "Rena, don't just eat the meat. You need veggies to grow strong and healthy, okay?"

"Wanna read another book?" Paisley asked.

Grayson shot her a look of pure disdain. "What kind of books could you possibly have?"

As if to prove his point, he glanced at the one in Paisley's hands and was surprised to see it was a book in French.

"Wait... You can read French?" he blurted, standing up to snatch the book from Paisley.

After having a close look, he confirmed it. It was indeed a French novel, thick and full of text he couldn't even decipher. He had just started to learn French, and he barely knew a lot of words.

Paisley took the book back with a calm expression. "Yes, I can."

Before Grayson could process that, Serena piped up from her corner, all too happy to brag. "You know what? My mom knows more than just French. She can speak Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian too!"

Grayson's jaw practically hit the floor. His head was spinning. The woman he thought he knew—this quiet, plain homemaker—was suddenly someone completely unfamiliar. Everything he'd believed about her felt wrong.