Chapter 117: A Family of Three

Felix Ford had been spending time with Amanda Vance recently and had become quite the charmer. He had a whole repertoire of sweet nothings, and in no time at all, he had Mr. Ford and Mrs. Ford laughing nonstop, hugging him and calling him their "dear grandson."

Samuel Ford glanced at the happy trio of grandparents and grandchild. He said nothing, lowering his head to look at his phone. ’I wonder how she’s doing right now.’

She had left in a hurry right after taking a call. It seemed like something urgent had come up, but he had no idea what it could be.

In the parking garage, Amanda Vance pressed again, "Are you sure you have news about the Jade Pendant?"

Hayden Grant said, "I just saw it myself. The photo looks a lot like the one you’re searching for. You should come take a look."

"Okay."

No more words were wasted. After getting the address, Amanda hung up and started the car. She happened to glance in the rearview mirror and saw a man with a child on his shoulders walking into the elevator. The child was chattering away, and the voice sounded vaguely familiar.

’That couldn’t be Jean, could it? Isn’t he with Hayden Grant right now?’

’I must have misheard.’

Her mind on the Jade Pendant, she didn’t dwell on it and quickly drove away from the hospital.

Over an hour later, the car pulled up in front of a residential complex. Hayden Grant was waiting for her at the entrance. When he saw her, he quickly led Jean Vance over. "Megan."

"Yeah. Where’s the Jade Pendant?"

"It’s upstairs in Apartment 302. I just contacted them. The family just got back, so let’s go up."

"Okay."

On the way up, Hayden Grant explained what he had found out. "The family’s son bought the Jade Pendant at a flea market. He just bought it because he thought it looked nice. If it really is the one you’re looking for, I think it’ll just be a matter of paying a bit more. They’re willing to sell."

Amanda Vance nodded. ’Anything that can be solved with money is simple enough. The main thing is whether it’s actually the one I’m looking for.’

A few moments later, they arrived at the apartment. The family was a little surprised to see them but quickly invited them in.

"Sorry to intrude," Amanda Vance said with a slight nod.

"It’s no problem. You’re here to see the Jade Pendant, right? Ben, where’s the pendant?"

"Right here." A young man in his twenties walked out of a room. His eyes widened in amazement when he saw Amanda Vance, and he stared for a good while. Noticing his mom glaring at him, he realized how rude he was being and quickly averted his gaze. "This is it."

He had bought it while out shopping with a friend, spending over ten thousand. His parents had chewed him out for it, saying he’d been scammed and that it was definitely a fake, not real jade.

Later, he took it to a jade shop to have it appraised and was relieved when they confirmed it was genuine. Overjoyed, he posted it on X, originally just to show off his good eye. He never expected someone to send him a private message offering to buy his Jade Pendant for a high price.

After discussing it with his parents, he decided to see what would happen.

Amanda Vance took it with both hands and examined it, but she shook her head and handed it back.

"It’s not the one?" Hayden Grant asked, seeing her reaction.

"No." Amanda Vance gave a bitter smile, but she quickly composed herself. She hadn’t expected to find it so easily, but she’d still held onto a sliver of hope. Now that the hope was gone, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

"I’m sorry, this isn’t the Jade Pendant I’m looking for. Thank you for your time."

"It’s alright." The family was easygoing. The boy’s mother said, "Ben just bought it on a whim because he thought it looked nice. What does a kid know about quality? He just loves to spend money recklessly all day. He blew years of saved-up New Year’s money all at once."

At that thought, she couldn’t help but shoot her son another glare.

The son pleaded for mercy, muttering, "I was just trying to buy you a gift."

Hearing this, Amanda Vance smiled. "The quality of this jade is quite good. At market price, it’s probably worth around thirty thousand. You definitely didn’t lose out buying it for ten thousand."

Now the family was truly surprised. "Yes, yes! That’s what the person at the jade shop said too."

He looked smug. "See, Mom? Now you can’t say I got scammed. I actually got a great deal."

"You’re something else."

Amanda Vance watched them and smiled. She said "excuse us" again, and after a bit more small talk, she and her party left.

Hayden Grant followed her in silence. He hadn’t expected this outcome either. It had looked so similar, so he had told her about it right away.

’I can’t believe I made her come all this way for nothing, only to be disappointed again.’

Amanda Vance shook her head. "I’m fine. I’ll just keep looking. And thank you."

’I’ve already been searching for five years. What’s a little more time?’

"What’s there to thank me for? I didn’t help at all." He glanced at the little guy beside him and ruffled his hair. "Are you hungry? Want to go get some dinner?"

Jean Vance looked up at him, pulled away from his hand, and pursed his lips as he smoothed his hair back into place.

His reaction made both adults laugh. Seeing her son’s serious little face, Amanda Vance’s mood lightened considerably. She helped him fix his hair and then said, "Come on, my treat."

Hayden Grant thought for a moment and didn’t refuse, though he felt a bit helpless. ’She’s still so formal with me.’

Jean Vance took her hand and looked up, saying, "Mom, you’ll definitely find the Jade Pendant that Grandma left for you."

He spoke with such seriousness, his eyes full of determination.

Amanda Vance was taken aback for a second, then a slow smile bloomed on her face. She nodded. "Yes, we definitely will."

’It was a gift from her mother. No matter what, she had to find it.’

Taking a deep breath, Amanda smoothed over the impatience that had been rising in her heart. She smiled. "Let’s go."

"Okay."

She had been busy all day and was mentally and physically exhausted. Amanda Vance was in no mood to cook, so she took them to a highly-rated restaurant. The food was indeed delicious.

Still, Hayden Grant propped his chin on his hand and said, "It’s not as good as your cooking, Megan."

"It’s all in your head."

Those four words stopped his flirtatious winking cold. ’She’s so unromantic.’

A hint of frustration appeared on his handsome face. ’Why is she so hard to woo?’

Jean Vance glanced at him and secretly shook his head. ’Uncle is just daydreaming. Isn’t it good enough to be friends? Why does he always have so many unrealistic ideas?’

’Mom has known him for a long time. If she was going to fall for him, she would have by now. The fact that nothing has happened proves she doesn’t have feelings for him.’

’It’s so simple. Why can’t he just accept it?’

’But he is really good to Mom.’

’Originally, I was planning to find an excuse to call Mom and get her away from the hospital today. I didn’t expect him to be looking for her too, luring her away for me.’

’He’s kind of pathetic. Since he helped me get Mom away from there today, I guess I can be a little nicer to him.’

With that thought, Jean Vance placed a piece of meat in his bowl. "Uncle, eat up."

Hayden Grant was still feeling sorry for himself. "I have no appetite. But I would if you called me ’Dad’."

Jean’s hand froze. He picked the piece of meat right back out of Hayden’s bowl, popped it into his own mouth, and said coolly, "Well then, that’s perfect. You should eat less, Uncle. Eating too much makes you sleepy, and when you’re sleepy, you’re more likely to daydream."

Hayden Grant choked. He never imagined the little guy could be so sharp-tongued. He angrily reached out and pinched his cheek. "You ungrateful little brat."

Watching the scene, Amanda Vance couldn’t help but laugh.

It was the height of evening rush hour, and traffic was terrible. Samuel Ford casually rolled down his car window and glanced outside, just in time to see this very scene.

The child was mostly blocked by her, his face unclear, but her eyes were crinkling with laughter as she watched the big one and the little one bickering. Even without standing next to her, he could feel her warmth.

A handsome man, a beautiful woman, and a cute, well-behaved child. They looked just like a family of three.

The moment that thought surfaced, his hands on the steering wheel tightened abruptly.