Chapter 125: Confirmed, He Is Not His Son

The bidding was approaching, and the project proposal had been stolen, yet Samuel Ford showed no reaction at all. It was as if he didn’t care about the project in the least. If he hadn’t heard from Assistant Young how important this project was, Jean might have actually believed it.

’He couldn’t possibly not care about such an important project.’

’Besides, from what I’ve learned about him recently, he doesn’t seem like the type to just take things lying down.’

But he really, truly had no reaction.

’Could I be wrong? Maybe he thinks the situation is what it is, the loss is irreversible, and he’s decided to give up.’

Unable to figure it out, Jean Vance suddenly realized he couldn’t quite see through this man.

After playing on the computer for a while, Jean Vance only shut it down when he heard the man call him to go home. He ambled along behind him, occasionally glancing up at him with a probing look, then quickly averting his gaze when the man looked back.

Samuel Ford didn’t ask anything. Halfway through the drive, he finally spoke up, "Let’s go see your grandfather tomorrow. He misses you."

’See Mr. Ford?’

Jean Vance’s hands, resting on his lap, tightened. Afraid the man would notice something was amiss, he just grunted, "Mm."

’Tomorrow is Sunday. Mom doesn’t work, so I probably won’t run into her, right?’

But just to be safe, he gave Felix Ford a call after they got home.

"Hello." His voice was full of joy; he had clearly had a blast. Thinking back on his own suffering that day, Jean Vance suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Had fun?"

"Yeah! Mommy took me out to play all day. It was so, so fun! The amusement park is awesome, I love it!"

As he spoke, he listed all the rides they went on that day. With every one he mentioned, Jean Vance’s expression grew darker, but the clueless Felix Ford didn’t notice a thing. He even shared his findings at the end, "I discovered that Mom likes thrilling rides, like the pirate ship and the pendulum ride. She looked like she was in a great mood when we were on them."

’How is that thrilling? The stuff Mom used to do was the real deal. This is nothing.’

Unaware of his silent scoffing, Felix Ford continued excitedly, "I need to get braver so I can go on all the rides with Mom in the future!"

Hearing this, Jean Vance paused. He pinched the bridge of his nose and grumbled under his breath. His earlier annoyance suddenly dissipated a little. He grunted, "Mm," and, without letting the other boy say more, cut straight to the point. "Your dad is taking me to see your grandpa tomorrow. Will my mom be at the hospital?"

Felix Ford automatically ignored the clear possessive terms like "your dad" and "my mom," and answered, "Nope. Mom’s off tomorrow. She said she’s taking me for a picnic."

"Mm." Forcing down the jealousy in his heart, Jean Vance told himself it was no big deal; it’s not like Mom had never taken him on a picnic before. He gave a couple of reminders, and with a final "Contact me immediately if anything comes up," he hung up the phone.

"Hey—" Felix Ford had wanted to ask if he was feeling better, but hearing the dial tone from the phone, he sighed. He muttered to himself, "He hangs up so fast," but didn’t dwell on it. Tossing the phone aside, he ran into the living room, threw himself into Amanda Vance’s arms, and snuggled up close to her. "Mommy."

"Mm." Amanda Vance stroked his head and held him in her arms. "Did you have fun today?"

"So much fun!" he replied crisply, his little face beaming with joy. It was obvious he was truly happy.

Amanda Vance smiled, her own spirits lifting. "Then let’s go out and have more fun tomorrow. Mommy has been too busy with work lately. I’ll spend more time with you from now on."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh!" Felix Ford was overjoyed and snuggled deeper into her embrace.

’I’m so happy! If only I could stay with Mommy forever.’

He then unexpectedly remembered what Jean Vance had just said. ’Dad is taking him to see Grandpa? But didn’t Grandpa tell Dad last time to bring him to the hospital less often? He said it’s not good for kids to be in hospitals.’

’I don’t really understand why it’s not good, but I remember what he said.’

’Did I remember it wrong?’

Scratching his head, Felix Ford was a little confused.

But before he could figure it out, he exchanged a few more words with Amanda Vance and put the matter out of his mind completely.

The next day, he vaguely remembered there was something he was supposed to think about but couldn’t recall what it was. Hearing Amanda Vance calling for him from outside, he answered and quickly threw on his clothes and ran out.

At the Ford residence, Jean Vance was also awake. After finishing breakfast, he followed Samuel Ford to the hospital.

Seeing them, Mr. Ford was taken aback for a moment, and Mrs. Ford chided, "Didn’t I tell you not to bring Colt here? What if the little one gets scared again?"

Samuel Ford patted Jean Vance’s head. "He won’t be. He’s brave."

’For some reason, I feel like there was a hidden meaning in what he just said.’

Jean Vance frowned imperceptibly. A sudden sense of foreboding rose in his heart, but he couldn’t grasp where it was coming from or how to make sense of it.

Mrs. Ford also found his words a bit off-putting. She shot him a glare. "So you don’t have to care as much now that Colt is older? What kind of logic is that?"

’Just like a stepfather.’

She only grumbled the latter half of her thought internally and didn’t say it out loud, partly because her grandson was there and she was afraid his sensitive heart would read too much into it.

Looking at her grandson, she smiled again. "Come here, Colt. Come to Grandma. Have you eaten? Do you want to have a bite with us?"

She took his hand. Jean Vance instinctively wanted to pull it back, but a sideways glance at the man beside him made him force himself to bear it. He said, "I’ve already eaten."

"Oh, you’ve eaten. Well, sit over there and wait for a bit. After we finish our meal, Grandma will take you out to play for a while."

"Okay." Jean Vance didn’t say much more. He wasn’t interested in playing, especially not the kind of playing she was talking about, which was probably for placating small children. He was even less interested in that.

He put down the gift he was holding and walked toward the chair by the window.

Samuel Ford glanced at him but said nothing and sat down as well.

Mr. Ford’s meal was still very light, but thankfully, he was feeling much better now, so he didn’t throw a tantrum and obediently finished his food.

Samuel Ford went forward to clear away the bowls, casting a glance at Jean Vance. "Go talk with your grandpa for a bit."

Jean Vance didn’t actually know Mr. Ford and didn’t have any strong feelings for this man who was his grandfather in name only. Still, he obediently slid off the chair and walked to the bedside. He looked at the old man in the bed. He bore some resemblance to Samuel Ford, but his eyes held the weight of accumulated years. They lacked Samuel’s sharpness and instead possessed a certain tolerance. At that moment, as he looked at Jean Vance, they were filled with affection.

He couldn’t say if it was because of blood ties, but even though it was their first meeting, he found the innate affinity for family somewhat irresistible.

He asked, "Grandpa, are you feeling better?"

"Much, much better. Dr. Vance is an excellent doctor. Grandpa will be out of the hospital very soon."

Hearing him mention Amanda Vance, Jean Vance’s expression softened even more, and his attitude toward the old man grew warmer.

Samuel Ford finished washing up and came out, wiping his hands. He returned to his seat by the window, crossing his long legs and lightly tapping his fingertips together, occasionally glancing up at the grandfather and grandson who were now chatting happily.

’I’ve never understood why something has felt off whenever I’ve looked at him recently. Sometimes I feel like he’s Colt, and other times, I feel like he’s not.’

’I always thought it was just my imagination. But yesterday, when I saw him glance at the surveillance camera, I became certain of one thing.’

’This child in front of me is definitely not Colt.’

’Colt isn’t that perceptive. He would never have spotted the newly installed camera with a single glance.’

’Although on camera, he tried hard to act like Colt, he doesn’t know that his act only makes him more suspicious.’

’Colt would never just sit and play games quietly in my office.’

’Compared to playing games, he’s more interested in wrecking the place.’

’So, who exactly is this child in front of me?’