Chapter 174: Discovered

Shirley Vance’s voice, seething with rage, sounded from above him.

She glared at Jean Vance with such hatred it was as if she wanted to slice him into a thousand pieces.

Jean Vance hadn’t seen her since he returned to the country, but he recognized her all the same. His voice grew heavy. "Shirley Vance?"

’Mom’s half-sister? So she’s the one who bullied Mom?’

"You little bastard, how dare you say my name." She sneered, tightening her grip. Hoisting him up with one hand, she swung the other to slap him hard across the face.

A cold glint flashed in Jean Vance’s eyes. He shot out a hand, grabbing her wrist and pressing down on a pressure point. Shirley Vance shrieked and immediately collapsed, her body going limp.

He was still young and not very strong. Amanda Vance had taught him how to identify pressure points and memorize the function of each one. It wasn’t for healing, but purely for self-defense. The body’s pressure points had various effects—for instance, pressing a certain nerve cluster could instantly drain a person of their strength.

That was precisely the point Jean Vance had pressed.

He looked down coldly at Shirley Vance on the floor, his gaze as icy as if he were looking at an inanimate object. He wanted to give her another beating, but the sound of approaching footsteps made his expression tighten, and he immediately bolted for the stairs.

"You?" Victor Ford heard the commotion and strode over. Seeing the woman on the ground, he asked in a low voice, "What are you doing here?"

"M-Mr. Ford?" Shirley Vance hadn’t expected to run into him here. Her mind went blank, and she forgot to answer.

At the sight, Victor Ford glanced at the bodyguard behind him. The man in black immediately stepped forward, hauled Shirley Vance to her feet, and began to frisk her.

These were two men!

Shirley Vance was instantly humiliated and furious. She glared at Victor Ford with wide eyes. "Mr. Ford, what is the meaning of this!"

Victor Ford smiled. His expression was gentle, yet his tone was laced with a casual condescension that brooked no argument. "Don’t be afraid, Miss Vance. We’re just seeing if you have anything on you. If you don’t, I will apologize."

This made Shirley Vance even more furious. ’What could I possibly have on me? They’re clearly doing this on purpose!’

When the bodyguard’s hand slipped inside her clothes, she grew so enraged she wanted to scream. Before any sound could escape, however, a hand clamped over her mouth.

"MMPH—" She stared at Victor Ford, her eyes wide with terror. ’What on earth is he planning to do?!’

"Shhh." Victor Ford pressed a finger to his lips. "Relax, Miss Vance. I’m only looking for something; I have no particular interest in you. Your mother and father are my partners, after all. Rest assured, I won’t harm you."

Hearing him mention Holly Vance and Sarah Sullivan, Shirley Vance finally managed to calm down. A knot of fear formed in her stomach as she looked at him.

’This man... he’s even more terrifying than Samuel Ford.’

A sudden thought struck her, and it was as if her throat had been clogged. She didn’t dare make the slightest sound.

"Now that’s more like it." Victor Ford removed his hand.

Just then, the bodyguard held out his open palm. "Sir, I found it."

There in his palm lay a single earpiece.

Victor Ford’s gaze hardened instantly, the usual smile vanishing from his face. He stared coldly at Shirley Vance. "Miss Vance, do you have an explanation for this?"

Shirley Vance stared blankly at the object in the man’s hand, shaking her head vigorously. "That’s not mine!"

Seeing that he clearly didn’t believe her, Shirley Vance grew frantic. She didn’t know what the object was, but his expression told her it was serious. The thought of his methods made her tremble uncontrollably. Then, a memory sparked. Her eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "I know! It belongs to that little bastard! He was just here! He must have planted it on me!"

"Little bastard?"

"Amanda Vance’s son," Shirley Vance said hastily. She knew that if she didn’t explain everything clearly, she might not live to see another day.

At that thought, she immediately spilled everything she knew. "I just saw him in the restroom. He was acting furtive, and I think he took something out of his ear."

’So that’s it.’

Victor Ford glanced at the door, which was still swaying slightly. He gave his bodyguard a meaningful look, and the man immediately headed for it.

The two men split up, one heading up the stairs and the other down.

By now, Jean Vance had reached the twenty-fourth floor. Hearing footsteps behind him, he pressed his lips into a thin line and broke into a faster run.

But he was only a child, after all, with short legs. The footsteps drew closer, and he could even glimpse the shadow of a figure moving on the landing above him.

’They’re about to come down!’

Jean Vance gritted his teeth. When there were still three steps to go, he leaped down, landing lightly on his feet. Without a moment’s hesitation, he yanked open the stairwell door.

However, the man on the landing above had already spotted him. "Stop!" he yelled.

’As if I’d stop.’

’I’m not an idiot.’

But his pursuer was relentless. As he ran past a corner, someone suddenly grabbed him and lifted him off his feet. A hand covered his mouth, and he stared with wide, terrified eyes, a flicker of panic finally breaking through his usually composed expression.

The next moment, a familiar voice sounded in his ear. "It’s me."

’Oh, it’s him.’

Jean Vance’s tense body relaxed slightly.

Samuel Ford held him close, shielding him. He waited until the footsteps faded into the distance before stepping out from behind the wall.

He carried him back to the room, set him down, and asked calmly, "What was that all about?"

Meeting Samuel’s steady gaze, Jean Vance, who had just begun to relax, tensed up all over again. A hint of wariness unconsciously crept into his eyes.

Clearly noticing the shift, Samuel Ford’s voice grew heavy. "I’m your father."

Jean Vance pursed his lips and retorted, "So?"

The boy looked at him, his expression calm and earnest, as if he were simply asking a genuine question.

’I’m his father... so what? What difference does that make?’

Understanding the meaning in his eyes, Samuel Ford suddenly fell silent.

In that moment, he knew. In fact, he had long suspected that the boy knew he wasn’t Colt.

The boy had just been playing a part.

Whatever his reason for staying with the Ford family, Samuel was certain of one thing: it wasn’t because of him.

There wasn’t a hint of concern for him in the boy’s eyes.

He didn’t care about him as a father.

Their eyes met, and neither spoke.

"Sir!" Rocco’s sudden arrival finally broke the silence. He rushed in, and upon seeing Jean Vance, he let out a huge sigh of relief. "Young Master, where did you run off to? You gave me a scare."

He had thought he was running away from home again. He had pulled up the security footage and saw him get into the elevator, so he assumed he was coming back. However, when he got upstairs, he found the room empty. Jean had taken the elevator, so it wasn’t as if he was climbing the stairs. He had come up right after him; there was no way he shouldn’t have been back already.

Even if he was walking slowly, he should have passed him on the way here.

Realizing something was wrong, he had immediately called Samuel.

’Thank goodness the young master is back.’

He clutched his chest in relief and asked, "Sir, did you find the young master?"

At the mention of this, Samuel Ford’s gaze fell on Jean Vance once again.

"Why would my uncle send men after you?"

He’d seen them before; they were Victor Ford’s bodyguards.

As a thought occurred to him, his gaze grew even more profound. "And more importantly, why were you anywhere near his room?"