Chapter 1252

"You brat! How dare you make false accusations to your mother?" Alexander found the situation hilarious. "Was it painful when Papa hit you?"

Galen nodded vigorously, his pursed lips suggesting he was on the verge of tears again.

"How dramatic!"

Alexander and Lily exchanged helpless glances. Lily gathered Galen in her arms, gently rubbing his bottom. Smiling at him, she asked, "Should Mama help you take revenge?"

Though Galen didn't understand "revenge," he sensed Lily's offer of assistance and nodded eagerly. A smile spread across his face as he looked at Alexander, his tear-bright eyes hinting at a surprising cunning. He flung his arms around Lily's neck, burying his head in her shoulder. Tilting his head, he regarded Alexander with a look that seemed both provocative and assertive.

Alexander was stunned. Is he vying for her attention at such a young age?

"Papa's a bad boy for hitting my baby, isn't he?" Lily asked seriously, raising an arm as if ready to strike Alexander.

"Papa, bad boy!" Galen echoed.

Chuckling, Lily continued, "Baby, I'll avenge you! Since Papa hit my baby, then I'll…"

"Honey…" Alexander began to defend himself, but Lily interrupted with a playful slap to Galen's bottom.

"Then I'll hit his baby!" she exclaimed.

Alexander and Galen were both speechless. When Galen grasped what happened, he burst into distraught tears. He was just over a year old and struggled to understand why he'd been hit twice.

Alexander couldn't bear to see Galen's distress. He reached for him, but Lily stopped him, holding Galen securely under his arms. "Are you happy that I took revenge for you?" she asked seriously.

Alexander remained speechless, but Galen spoke up: "Boohoo… Mama, bad guy."

"Let me ask you this again. Was it painful when Papa hit you?" Lily rephrased her question.

He initially wanted to nod, but upon reflection, he shook his head. "Mama, painful."

"It was painful when I hit you, but not when Papa hit you, is that it?" she pressed.

Lily's earlier tap, though playfully delivered, had been firmer than Alexander's token gesture. She had seen his overly gentle attempt to "hit" him earlier—so light it couldn't even have dislodged dust from his pants. Yet Galen had cried and complained.

She sensed Galen's possessiveness, but dismissed it as typical baby behavior. However, his false accusation prompted her to teach him a lesson.

Tears welled in his eyes as he nodded pitifully.

"Papa was just playing around with you, so why did you cry? Why did you blame Papa? Do you know you're wrong now?"

"Lily, he's still a baby," Alexander protested, but Lily stopped him.

"We must teach him right from wrong, starting now. His age isn't an excuse for his bad behavior. He can learn good things, and we can teach him that too. It'll be too late once he grows up!"

Galen frowned, clearly comprehending the discussion's relevance to him.

"Do you know you're wrong now?" Lily repeated. When Galen nodded, she said, "Go on. Apologize to Papa."

Alexander coughed awkwardly, curling his fingers into a fist.