The Billionaire And His Son Want Me Back by Juliette Vaughan

Chapter 38

When Grayson climbed up to the attic, he was surprised to find it transformed into an art studio. Paintings were everywhere on the walls, the floor, even stuffed into cabinets. The sheer beauty of the artwork left him stunned and rooted to the spot as he took it all in.

"What are you doing here?" Serena's voice snapped him out of his daze. He turned to see the tiny figure with crossed arms looking suspiciously at him from behind.

"Who painted these?" Grayson asked, gesturing at the paintings.

Serena gave him a look, her tone sharp. "My mom did. Why?"

Grayson froze for a second, his expression shifting to one of disbelief. Then he frowned and scoffed, "She? Seriously?"

He couldn't wrap his head around it. 'No way that's true,' he thought. 'I've never seen her pick up a paintbrush.'

"Of course she does," Serena shot back, her chin tilting up in defiance. She pointed around the room with

a small sweep of her arm and explained, "All of them are my mom's work. She's amazing. Loads of people want to buy her pieces."

But Paisley never sold her paintings. She only gave them away.

woman's work? She's just a housewife, someone who cooked and nagged me. Even Grandma and Auntie Kayla paint her as some clueless small-town nobody.

don't buy it," he said,

to prove him wrong. "Why don't you believe me? I'm telling the truth. All of these are Mom's work!" She pointed toward a corner of the room and added, "Look, those

a section full of paintings of a little girl at different ages: a newborn with closed eyes, a baby learning to crawl, a toddler with a toothy

captured Serena at a different moment, preserving her

him understand. "If my mom didn't paint them, how else would there be so many

stared at the paintings, stunned into silence. Without

replied, "You have nothing left. Stella

work being destroyed made Serena's chest tighten with sadness. "Just one?" Grayson asked,

just the one," Serena replied with

was why Serena recognized Grayson the second she saw him. But sadly, it was gone now... Grayson searched the room to look through the

boiled over, and he yelled, "Who cares about some stupid painting?

he bolted down the stairs with red

room. "Take that back! My mom's paintings are not ugly!" Her face was flushed with anger now, and

like this? Mom even said he was my big brother. I don't want a

just are! She's ugly, and her paintings are even uglier!" Grayson yelled, his voice rising to drown out the

Serena screamed back. She didn't care