Chapter 167: Found Them

Upstairs, Amanda Vance cooked a meal and glanced down at her phone. Earlier, she had texted Hayden Grant to ask for his help picking up the child, but he hadn’t replied yet. ’He must have picked him up, right? Otherwise, the kindergarten teacher would have called by now.’

At this thought, she relaxed a little. Little did she know that Jean Vance had spoofed her phone number and sent a message to the teacher in advance, saying there was a family matter and the child had already been picked up.

Right then, the two children were still waiting downstairs.

"President Ford, thank you so much for today," Amanda Vance said as she served him a plate of food.

Samuel Ford casually undid his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves. "Dr. Vance, you’ve already thanked me many times. I just happened to be passing by today. Besides, you’re the one who cured my father. Helping you is the least I can do."

’Passing by? Has he forgotten? My ear was pressed against his chest just then. I could clearly feel his heart beating faster than before. That, plus his breathing and the light sheen of sweat on his face... he obviously ran all the way here, and in a huge hurry, too.’

’Is he one of those people who does good deeds without seeking recognition?’

Amanda Vance’s gaze flickered. She smiled. "Let’s eat."

"Okay."

They ate in silence for a moment. After the meal, Samuel Ford proactively took on the task of washing the dishes. Knowing he wasn’t just being polite, Amanda Vance decided not to fight him for it. She wouldn’t win anyway.

She sat on the sofa, occasionally turning her head to look at the man standing in the kitchen. All she could see was his back.

’He was tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He looked like someone who could make you feel safe.’

When he had pulled her into his arms earlier today, she had clearly felt the strength radiating from his body. She had assumed that after spending so much time in an office, he would be somewhat frail. In fact, that wasn’t the case at all.

She touched her ear, where his body heat seemed to linger.

She had always been the one to charge ahead. She knew that only by being strong enough herself could she protect herself and Jean. But for the first time, someone had sheltered her under their wing.

Amanda Vance admitted that in that moment, she had been moved.

’But that was all it was.’

She nonchalantly averted her gaze and looked down at her phone. Hayden Grant had finally sent a message, but his words made her frown deeply.

He said he had been busy today and hadn’t had a chance to check his phone. He had just called the kindergarten teacher, who told him that *she* had picked the child up—and had done so early, in the afternoon.

’When did *I* go pick him up?’

Amanda Vance shot to her feet. Sensing her movement, Samuel Ford turned his head and asked, "What’s wrong?"

"Jean’s teacher said that I picked him up early this afternoon."

In reality, it wasn’t Jean, but the other child whose name she still didn’t know.

The thought of something happening to him made Amanda Vance’s heart clench.

They had been at the police station that afternoon. Samuel Ford also sensed something was wrong and strode over. "Don’t panic. First, let’s check the surveillance footage. Do you have a computer?"

There was no need to go to the school; he could access it with a computer.

"Yes, on the desk in my room," Amanda Vance said, taking a deep breath to steady herself.

"Okay, I’ll go get it." He patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Don’t worry, it’ll be okay."

It was no wonder she was anxious. With a child suddenly disappearing at a time like this, it was hard not to imagine the worst.

Samuel Ford strode into her bedroom. The room was very tidy, and the computer was right on the desk, easy to spot. Before leaving, he noticed a suitcase in the corner. It also seemed like many other things had been packed away, with only the daily necessities left out.

He paused for a second before closing the door and walking out.

Amanda Vance was also looking down at her phone, tapping the screen. She had installed a tracking system on Jean Vance’s phone so she could find him at any time.

’Wait, the tracker is on Jean’s phone, not the other boy’s.’

She hadn’t had time to put one on the other boy’s things after discovering he wasn’t Jean.

She suddenly froze, her expression turning grim.

Samuel Ford quickly found the school’s surveillance feed. Just as he was about to scroll to the afternoon footage, he heard her say, "Found him."

She suddenly remembered the stuffed toy she’d given that child. It had a tracker inside. At the time, she’d thought he was Jean. It wasn’t that she wanted to monitor him, but just in case.

The boy carried that stuffed toy with him everywhere.

She had just remembered it and checked. Sure enough, she found a signal. But the location...

"He’s right downstairs?"

And there were two red dots.

’Is Jean there too?’

Not only that, but the two red dots were displayed very close to each other.

Amanda Vance frowned. ’So the two children really are in contact with each other?’

She narrowed her eyes and started heading downstairs.

Seeing this, Samuel Ford quickly followed, leaving the computer on the coffee table.

They left in such a hurry that they didn’t see the screen, which now showed two identical-looking little boys. One was smiling sweetly, turning his head to speak to the stern-faced child beside him.

Downstairs, Jean Vance’s phone beeped. Seeing the moving green dot on the screen, his pupils contracted. "Crap, Mom’s coming down."

"Judging by the distance, she’ll be here in five or six minutes."

"Let’s go."

Jean Vance made a split-second decision, grabbing Felix Ford’s hand and taking off. Just then, a taxi arrived. The two quickly hailed it and jumped in.

After Amanda Vance got out of the elevator, she saw that the two red dots, which had been stationary just a moment ago, were now moving quickly.

And the two red dots were still together.

’It goes without saying that the two kids left together. Jean must have realized I was coming down.’

She gripped her phone and suddenly stopped walking.

"What’s wrong?" Samuel Ford asked, looking at her in confusion. Her expression wasn’t good.

"It’s nothing." Gritting her teeth, Amanda Vance looked at him. "President Ford, you should head back. The child is fine. He’ll be back soon."

’Judging by the situation, it didn’t seem like the child was in trouble.’

"Are you sure he’s okay?" Samuel Ford was still a little worried.

"Yes, he’s fine. It’s just a case of a kid not wanting to go to school and skipping class."

Samuel Ford was momentarily speechless. He never thought a good kid like Jean Vance would skip class.

Seeing his reaction, Amanda Vance knew exactly what he was thinking. She pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a bit helpless. "You see, President Ford? Every child has a side that makes you want to tear your hair out. Jean is smart, so sometimes it’s a real battle of wits."

’He’s usually fine. Most of the time, the boy is very sensible.’

’It’s just that he can be a real headache sometimes.’

Even so, Amanda Vance didn’t blame him for his behavior today. She knew what was on his mind. Even if she tried to hide things from him, he could find them out on his own.

’He was just trying to do what’s best for me, to keep me from getting hurt.’

She sighed. In the end, she couldn’t bring herself to be angry.

’It was her fault for always making her child worry about her.’

At that moment, Felix Ford was in a panic. "Why did Mom suddenly come down? Did she find us?"

Jean Vance nodded. "Probably."

’Mom must have turned on the tracker; otherwise, I wouldn’t have noticed her.’

But now, there was an extra red dot on the tracking system.

Jean Vance paused, then turned to the boy sitting next to him and said abruptly, "Scoot over a little. All the way to the edge."

Hearing this, Felix Ford felt a little hurt. He thought Jean was annoyed with him. Pouting, he scooted all the way to the edge and asked pitifully, "Is this okay now?"

Jean Vance stared intently at the screen. On it, the other red dot had also moved a little. The movement was slight, but it was clearly visible.

’Mom must have seen it too.’

’It’s over. Mom knows I’m with Felix Ford.’