Chapter 141: The File

Sensing a gaze filled with hatred, Amanda Vance tilted her head slightly. She wasn’t surprised to see Shirley Vance, but when she saw the person beside her, she raised an eyebrow and gave Shirley a meaningful glance.

They were sitting not too far from the door, and since Shirley Vance was wearing contacts, she immediately saw the smile playing on Amanda’s lips. Her heart skipped a beat.

’This is bad. She’s seen me with Bob Rhodes.’

’No, I can’t provoke her anymore. If she exposes what I’ve done, I’m finished.’

"Hey, isn’t that Amanda Vance?" Penny Palmer hadn’t noticed Shirley’s reaction. Her brow furrowed deeply upon seeing Amanda, and a wave of old and new grudges washed over her. She immediately started to walk over, but an arm caught hers, stopping her.

Penny Palmer looked back at her in surprise, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "What’s wrong? Don’t you hate Amanda Vance, too? Don’t tell me you’re scared of her."

"Of course not." Shirley Vance had already composed herself, her face a mask of disdain. "Why would I be scared of her? She’s just some minor doctor who pulled who-knows-what strings to get into that hospital. Just wait until she messes up and harms a patient; she’ll regret it then. Besides," she added, "does she have any idea who my best friend is? For you, crushing her would be as easy as lifting a finger."

The flattery worked, putting Penny Palmer in a much better mood. She shot Shirley a disdainful look from the corner of her eye, feeling a rush of triumphant satisfaction.

’Back in school, her family was nothing compared to mine, and she was always sucking up to me. But look at us now. The tables have turned. My fiancé is Bob Rhodes. Shirley used to be so picky, looking down on everyone, and now? She’s stuck with some average guy. How could he ever compare to someone from the Rhodes Family?’

’It’s only because she’s a smooth talker that I’m even bothering to give her the time of day.’

’Hmph. I bet she never imagined this would happen back in our school days.’

Having been treated with contempt since childhood, Shirley Vance was extremely sensitive to such attitudes. They were cut from the same cloth, so she knew exactly what Penny was thinking. Resentful as she was, she had no choice but to suppress her emotions and continue to play the sycophant.

’Once I steal Bob Rhodes from her, I’ll be the young mistress of the Rhodes family. We’ll see how arrogant she can be then.’

’And even if I don’t marry into the Rhodes Family, as long as Bob gives me money, I’ll live more freely than she ever will as his official fiancée. Then she’ll be the one suffering.’

Each with their own ulterior motives, the two put on an act of being the closest of friends.

"Let’s go sit over there for a bit," Shirley said. "It’s too crowded today. We can deal with Amanda Vance later when there are fewer people around."

"Mm, fine." Penny Palmer remembered she was here to discuss a partnership. She’d heard the legendary founder of "July" was also attending, and she wanted to secure the brand’s distribution rights. She would let Amanda Vance off the hook for today; dealing with her was beneath her.

She tossed her hair, rolled her eyes at Amanda Vance, and the two walked away, arm in arm.

Cecilia Reed naturally saw the whole exchange, and her brow furrowed. ’What a pair of losers,’ she thought. ’How dare they look down on Megan? Hah.’

"Megan, want me to teach her a lesson?"

"It’s fine. No rush. I’ll handle it myself."

True, getting revenge yourself is much more satisfying. With that thought, Cecilia Reed said no more.

Mrs. Young didn’t understand what was happening at first. Following their gaze, she spotted Shirley Vance. She remembered her—the woman who had worn a cheap knockoff while loudly claiming it was from "July." She also recalled how hostile she had been toward Amanda Vance.

Her initial impression of Shirley hadn’t been good, and now she disliked her even more. She asked curiously, "Ms. Vance, do you know her?"

"Yes." Glancing at Shirley Vance and Penny Palmer, who were chatting and laughing together, the mockery in Amanda’s eyes deepened. ’Shirley and her mother are exactly alike,’ she thought. ’They love stealing what belongs to others, and they love to act.’

"She’s my half-sister," she said casually.

’A half-sister?’ Even without a formal career, Mrs. Young hadn’t spent all these years in their social circle for nothing. She immediately understood the implication.

’So she’s just an illegitimate daughter. Hah. What’s there to be so proud of? Only shameless women like them would do something like that and act so brazenly.’

At this thought, a look of deep disgust crossed her face.

Then she remembered something else and quickly added, "She and that mother of hers approached me a while back. It seemed they wanted me to play matchmaker and set her up with my cousin’s son."

Realizing Amanda might not know who she was talking about, she clarified, "I mean Samuel."

’President Ford?’

This time, Amanda Vance was genuinely surprised. She hadn’t expected to hear his name here. ’What a small world.’

’Now I remember,’ she thought. ’There was something about that. Of course that mother-daughter duo wouldn’t pass up a prize catch like Samuel Ford.’

’But are they even worthy?’

With a soft scoff, Amanda commented nonchalantly, "President Ford has better taste than that."

’That tone...’ Mrs. Young took another look at her. ’She sounds like she knows Samuel quite well. I thought something was fishy when I saw them sitting together earlier. My nephew is normally so aloof and never lets women get near him. But if it were with Ms. Vance...’

Once the idea took root, she couldn’t shake it, and the way she looked at Amanda began to change.

Noticing the change, Amanda looked up. "Is something wrong?"

"Ahem." Mrs. Young cleared her throat. "It’s nothing, really. I was just wondering, Ms. Vance... do you have a boyfriend?"

Instantly understanding her intentions, Amanda replied, "I have a child."

"Oh?" Mrs. Young was stunned. ’She’s already married? You’d never be able to tell.’

Without explaining further, Amanda finished the last bite of her cake and glanced at her phone. A photo from Hayden Grant had just come in.

As she looked down at the screen, her expression softened considerably.

Mrs. Young couldn’t see her screen, but judging by that expression, she guessed Amanda was looking at either her husband or her child.

’What a shame,’ she thought. ’I really wanted to set her up with Samuel. To think she already has a child... I wonder what kind of man was good enough for her.’

「The Ford Estate.」

After hearing from Felix Ford that his mother was attending a banquet, Jean Vance had hacked into the hotel’s security cameras upon waking up. He saw Shirley Vance, but she seemed wary of something, as if she had a guilty conscience.

’This isn’t normal.’

’Normally, she would have already gone to cause trouble for Mom. But she’s just sitting there, not doing anything.’

He narrowed his eyes. ’Something’s not right.’

After a moment’s thought, he switched to another screen and his fingers flew across the keyboard. As the search results appeared, a flash of understanding lit up his eyes.

’So that’s what it is.’

’No wonder.’

’Heh. And here I thought there was a limit to her shamelessness. Stealing her supposed best friend’s fiancé and getting pregnant with his child... her endgame is painfully obvious.’

’Isn’t that exactly how her own mother wormed her way into the Vance Family?’

’Hah.’

A cold sneer flashed in his eyes.

Hearing a noise outside his room, he got up and walked out, just in time to see Samuel Ford, dressed in a suit, about to head downstairs. Jean glanced at his attire and raised an eyebrow. "Going out?"

"Yeah." Samuel Ford straightened his tie and adjusted his cuffs. "The book you wanted is in the study. Go get it yourself."

Jean had wanted to read a book that was out of print, and it had taken Samuel some effort to acquire it for him.

"Okay." After a moment’s hesitation, Jean added, "Thanks."

"I’m off."

After watching Samuel leave, Jean headed to the study. The book was right on the desk; he saw it at once. He hadn’t expected Seven to follow him in, its screen displaying a video call invitation.

It was from Felix Ford.

He was about to accept the call when something fell to the floor with a SLAP. He glanced down and saw a folder that looked familiar—it seemed to be the one Samuel Ford had brought home earlier.

Ignoring the video call, he bent down to retrieve it. As he was about to close the folder, he noticed a document had slipped out. He hesitated for a second before picking it up.

When he read the contents of the document, his pupils constricted, and a sudden, furious anger erupted from his small body.