Chapter 133: You Like Her

When Samuel Ford returned, Mr. Ford was already gone. He had business to attend to today and was just passing through.

He asked a casual question, not paying it much mind, and continued to sit by the window, working.

Mrs. Ford returned after seeing her guest out. She saw her eldest son still typing on his laptop and walked straight over. Seeing that he didn’t even bat an eye, she reached out and snapped his laptop shut. "Stop pretending."

Samuel Ford’s fingers paused. "Pretending what?"

Mrs. Ford scoffed. "As if I need to tell you. From the moment Megan walked in, take a look at what you’ve been typing. Are you really working?"

Samuel Ford pressed his lips together, speechless. He didn’t need to look to know it was just a string of gibberish.

Seeing his reaction, Mrs. Ford raised her eyebrows. She pulled a chair over, sat down across from him, and asked with a wide grin, "Son, what’s going on? When did you get this idea?"

"What idea?" Samuel Ford closed his laptop and stood up to leave. "I have things to take care of at the office. I’m heading back."

"What’s the rush?" It wasn’t every day she saw her stoic son finally showing interest in romance, so there was no way Mrs. Ford was letting this go. She quickly shut the door and blocked his path. "You’re not leaving this room until you tell me everything."

The corner of Samuel Ford’s mouth twitched. He turned to look at Mr. Ford, but before he could even speak, the old man pressed a hand to his lips and let out two small coughs. Feigning extreme weakness, he said, "Oh, I feel so unwell... Samuel, you should listen to your mother and answer her questions. If you don’t, I’ll tell Dr. Vance that you’re upsetting me. She just told me I’m not allowed to get angry."

Now Samuel Ford’s temple twitched too. He met his mother’s gaze for a moment, saw her unwavering determination, and turned to sit back down in his chair.

’It’s happening!’

Mrs. Ford’s eyes lit up, and she hurried over. "Son, you really like Megan, don’t you?"

Her question was blunt, and Samuel Ford was taken aback. After a long pause, he shook his head. "I don’t know."

’He’d never been in love with anyone before; he didn’t even know what it was supposed to feel like.’

Hearing his answer, however, only made Mrs. Ford’s eyes light up. She knew that whenever she had brought up blind dates or anything of the sort in the past, he had always refused flat out.

’But he didn’t refuse this time. What could that mean? He must like her! At the very least, he wasn’t resistant to the idea, which, for him, was an excellent sign.’

At this thought, her eyes shone even brighter.

"Well, when you can’t see her, do you find yourself thinking about her? When you do see her, do you feel happy? Do you want to talk to her, and feel glad just to be around her for a little while longer?"

Samuel Ford carefully considered her words, and the calm expression on his face finally crumbled.

Seeing his reaction, Mrs. Ford understood everything. She patted him on the shoulder and said cheerfully, "Son, that’s what it means to like someone."

’Oh, her silly son! He’d always been so independent, never giving her a chance to feel that sense of accomplishment as a parent. She thought she’d never get the opportunity, but who would have guessed that the first time she’d truly get to help him would be with his love life?’

’Thank goodness, he’s finally starting to understand his own heart.’

In his hospital bed, Mr. Ford couldn’t help but smile as well. His grandson was always so focused on work, always flatly refusing blind dates; he had started to think Samuel would stay that way for the rest of his life.

’Not bad at all. He quite liked Amanda Vance himself. She was skilled yet humble. She might seem a bit aloof, but she was actually very soft-hearted and took her responsibility to her patients very seriously.’

’It wouldn’t be bad at all if she became his granddaughter-in-law.’

’The most important thing was that his grandson liked her. This might be the only time in his life he would feel this way.’

Samuel Ford never imagined that at his age, he would still need his parents to give him advice—especially about something like this. No matter how calm and composed he normally was, he couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.

He cleared his throat and said, "Mom, please stay out of this for now. Let me think it over."

’He needed to figure out if he genuinely liked her, or if this was just a man’s physical desire for a woman.’

’If it was the latter, then there was nothing more to say.’

’But if it was the former...’

’These were just his feelings, one-sided as they were. He still had no idea what she thought.’

At this thought, his mood soured again.

Mrs. Ford was just starting to have fun, and now he was telling her to butt out. She smacked her lips, feeling unsatisfied. But seeing her son’s expression, she knew she couldn’t push him any further. ’He’s always been strong-willed,’ she thought. ’He’s just confused about his own feelings right now. Once he figures them out, given his personality, how long will it be before I have a daughter-in-law?’

At this thought, she couldn’t help but smile. "Alright," she said. "We won’t rush you or interfere. We’ll let nature take its course."

’She felt good about the odds, but it wouldn’t work if her son was the only one interested. It all depended on what Megan thought, too.’

She thought for a moment, and her heart began to sink. Megan didn’t seem to feel anything special for her son. The look in her eyes when she saw him was perfectly calm, not at all the look of someone who was interested.

’Could it be? Is there really someone out there who isn’t swayed by my son’s handsome face? Even ignoring his looks, his capabilities are top-notch!’

This thought made her grumble to herself, but she also knew there were no hard and fast rules when it came to liking someone.

’She could only hope her son would be able to win her over.’

"Oh, right. There’s also the matter of Megan’s son," she said. "Samuel, have you looked into Megan’s past? Her and Jean’s father..."

She trailed off, but her meaning was clear. ’With Amanda Vance’s character, the fact that she chose to keep the child must mean she didn’t completely hate the man, right?’

Though she didn’t say it aloud, Samuel Ford had already arrived at the same conclusion. His gaze darkened, and his hand gripping the edge of the table tightened until his knuckles turned white.

Amanda Vance was unaware of any of this. After she finished seeing a patient, the next person to walk in was, surprisingly, Shirley Vance.

’When I saw the name on the registration list, I thought it was just a coincidence,’ she thought. ’Looks like I was wrong.’

’She came in through the proper registration process, so I can’t just call security and have her thrown out for causing a disturbance.’

’Shirley must have been counting on that.’

Indeed, Shirley Vance looked at her smugly. "Doctor, I’m here for a consultation."

’That word, "Doctor," was meant to remind me of my professional duty.’

Amanda Vance raised an eyebrow, gestured to the pulse pillow on her desk, and said coolly, "Your wrist."

’Still keeping up the act.’

Shirley snorted and placed her wrist on the pillow. ’Let’s see how long she can keep up this act.’

"Doctor, they say you’re an excellent physician," she asked deliberately, her voice loud. "But you’re so young. You must have graduated recently, right? Which school did you attend?"

The door to the consultation room was open, and everyone outside could hear her clearly.

Her intention was obvious.

’Hmph. Let’s see how she answers this one,’ Shirley thought.

"Your other wrist," Amanda Vance said.

"What?" Shirley Vance froze, not understanding for a moment.

Amanda Vance glanced at her. "Your wrist."

Her gaze was placid, but for some reason, it left Shirley with no room to refuse. Before she knew it, her other wrist was already resting on the pillow.

Shirley’s expression darkened instantly. Looking at Amanda, she grew even more convinced that this was all an act. ’This must be how she fools everyone,’ she thought.

"How long has it been since your last period?" Amanda Vance asked suddenly.

Shirley Vance was stunned. "About two months, I think."

’Why is she asking about that all of a sudden?’

The truth was, she had come to the hospital precisely because she’d missed her period last month and wanted to get it checked out. It was only after remembering that Amanda worked here that she decided to come bother her first. She never expected Amanda to bring it up herself.

A sudden realization struck her, and the color drained from her face.

Seeing her reaction, Amanda Vance glanced at her. "You should go to the gynecology department."

At her words, Shirley Vance’s face twisted. "Amanda Vance, don’t you dare talk nonsense!"

’H-how could I possibly be pregnant?’

’No, it’s impossible. Absolutely impossible.’

But seeing Amanda’s perfectly composed expression, a wave of panic washed over her. She completely forgot her plan to make trouble and just snarled, "Quack!"