Amy Sinclair struggled to comprehend Alexander Blackwood's words.

Alexander pressed on, his voice low. "I just confirmed—Mr. Kingsley's table ordered the exact same dishes as ours. You mentioned Liam has a nut allergy, and yet, someone still ordered a slice of walnut cake."

Amy's icy glare landed on Victoria Langley. "Care to explain yourself?"

Victoria shrank under the weight of her stare, her gaze dropping to the floor. "I... I didn't realize the cake contained nuts," she whispered, barely audible.

Before Amy could respond, Alexander cut in defensively. "Amy, it was an honest mistake. You're acting like she orchestrated this."

"It was Liam who saw what they were eating and wanted the same. This isn't Victoria's fault," he added.

Amy turned her sharp eyes on him. "Fine. Maybe she didn’t know about the nut allergy. But as his father, you certainly did."

Alexander hesitated, avoiding her gaze. "I don’t eat desserts often. I didn’t think about it."

"Desserts?" Amy’s voice turned razor-sharp. "Liam is lactose intolerant. Cream cake is packed with dairy. You might not have known about the nuts, but you knew about the milk."

Alexander shifted uncomfortably.

Victoria rushed to his defense. "Ms. Sinclair, children always crave sweets. The more you forbid them, the more they want it. It’s better to let them have a little under supervision than sneak it behind your back—"

Amy cut her off coldly. "So your logic is that poisoning him in front of us is better than him doing it alone?"

Victoria looked like a cornered animal, her mouth opening and closing uselessly.

"That’s not what I meant—"

Alexander finally snapped, throwing his hands up. "For God’s sake, Amy! At least this way, we’re here if something happens! You’d rather he stuffs himself with who-knows-what when no one’s watching?"

Amy didn’t flinch. "And letting him eat something that could kill him is your idea of responsible parenting?"

Alexander fell silent. After a tense pause, he muttered, "This was just... an accident."

Amy’s lips curled into a bitter smile.

Beside her, Oliver Kingsley suddenly spoke up, his childlike voice cutting through the tension. "Amy, this is weird."

Amy glanced down at him. "What is?"

Oliver tilted his head. "Mr. Blackwood and Victoria keep saying everything they do is for Liam’s good, but they don’t even know he’s allergic to nuts. They know he can’t have sweets, but they still let him eat them, saying it’s better for him. That doesn’t make sense."

A nearby medic, unable to stay silent, chimed in.

"Giving a child dessert occasionally isn’t usually a problem—but only if they’re healthy."

"From what I’ve heard, this boy is lactose intolerant and allergic to nuts. His digestive system must be highly sensitive."

"High-calorie, heavy foods like cake aren’t ideal for adults, let alone a child with dietary restrictions."

"In this case, feeding him such things isn’t kindness—it’s negligence."