Chapter 180: Destined

Meanwhile, Samuel Ford had also immediately discovered that his son was back, but the atmosphere between the father and son was anything but harmonious.

Samuel Ford walked into the room and saw the boy on the bed, happily munching on potato chips. His right leg was crossed over his left, swinging gently, and his wide eyes were glued to a cartoon with great relish. He was the very picture of contentment.

A quick glance revealed a stain on the white bedsheets. Samuel Ford’s brow instantly furrowed. He stared at the boy with barely concealed irritation for a moment before he finally lost his patience. He strode over, plucked the child off the bed, tossed him onto the nearby sofa, and called for someone to change the sheets.

Tossed aside like a sack of garbage, Felix Ford was not pleased. He huffed, "Dad, what are you doing!"

Samuel Ford shot him a look. "Decided to come back, have you?"

Hearing this, Felix Ford felt a pang of guilt. His eyes darted around for a moment, but then an idea struck him, and his confidence returned. "If you’re mean to me again, I’ll just run away from home again."

’Then I can go straight to Mom’s house. We can all live together as a family of three. That would be so much better than staying here with the cold Ford Family.’

’He daydreamed about living with Amanda and Jean Vance. He’d even change his name to Lance Vance. Then, whenever they walked down the street, everyone would know they were a family. He would make sure the whole world knew he had a mother, too.’

At this thought, he grew impatient, practically hoping for another fight with his dad to give himself an excuse to leave.

Meeting his son’s expectant gaze, the corner of Samuel Ford’s mouth twitched. He shot the boy an exasperated look. ’I’m starting to think I should get his IQ tested. How did one trip away turn him into such an idiot?’

"Just stay put and stop trying to run off. I’m taking you to your grandfather’s house tomorrow. He’s been discharged from the hospital, so you can spend some time with him."

"Oh." Seeing that his father wasn’t angry, Felix’s face fell. He slumped into the sofa like he didn’t have a bone in his body. ’Oh well,’ he thought. ’I promised Jean I’d behave for a while anyway.’

When he saw Felix grab the remote with his greasy, un-wiped hands, Samuel Ford’s brow twitched. But in the end, he said nothing and looked away. ’Forget it,’ he thought. ’He just got back, and the kid is just looking for an excuse to leave again. I won’t give him the satisfaction.’

Watching him, Samuel couldn’t help but think of Jean. He asked, "Now that you’re back, what about the other boy?"

Felix’s eyes darted evasively. "Which boy?"

Samuel Ford stared at him, his face a blank mask. "Who do you think?"

Meeting his father’s gaze, Felix knew he couldn’t get away with it and finally answered, "He went back to his own home."

"Good." Samuel Ford didn’t press further, just nodding. "That’s for the best. Don’t go running off again, and you are not to give Rocco the slip. Things are a bit complicated right now, so just behave."

Jean had told him the same thing, so Felix nodded without a second thought. "Okay, I get it."

’So obedient?’

Samuel Ford shot him a surprised glance. He’d assumed that his time away would have made him unruly and disobedient, but he hadn’t expected him to agree so readily.

He stared at Felix for a while, seeing that the boy didn’t seem to be faking it. After wracking his brain and still not understanding what had caused this change, Samuel decided it wasn’t worth dwelling on. As long as the boy behaved and didn’t run off, that was good enough. The reason for his sudden change in attitude wasn’t all that important.

「Meanwhile, Amanda and Jean were also talking about Felix.」

Seeing that Jean showed no resistance to the idea of having Felix around, Amanda felt a great sense of relief. Her biggest worry about bringing the other boy home had been Jean’s reaction. She was afraid he would be against it, or even worse, that he’d be too considerate and force himself to agree for her sake. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to be forcing anything, which put her mind at ease.

She then changed the subject. "Once we’ve dealt with the matter of the Jade Pendant, I’ll go start the process. Jean, you stayed with that family, so tell me what they’re like. It’ll help me know what I’m walking into when I go negotiate with them."

Hearing this, Jean stiffened. Luckily, he was already sitting bolt upright, so Amanda didn’t notice anything amiss. He lowered his gaze, feigning deep thought, and said, "That family... they might not be easy to deal with."

’Mr. Ford and Mrs. Ford clearly adore Felix, likely due to that special affection grandparents have for their grandchildren. As for Samuel Ford...’ Jean paused at the thought of him. ’He seems cold and distant, but it’s obvious he does care about Felix deep down.’

’But even if he didn’t care, given the Ford Family’s standing and Samuel’s personality, they would never allow their son—and grandson—to be taken away.’

Thinking this, his brow furrowed once more. "Mom, this might not be so easy."

’The Fords aren’t short on money, so throwing cash at the problem obviously won’t work.’

’As for power and influence, the Ford Family is one of the top aristocratic families in Celestia—the elite of the elite. Samuel Ford himself is so powerful he’s practically untouchable. Mom’s influence, on the other hand, is mostly overseas. She wouldn’t have much of a chance going up against the Fords.’

’The only advantage they have is that Felix himself wants to be with Mom.’

’But they can’t take it to court. Mom was never married to Samuel Ford; it’s not a divorce or a custody battle over a child from a marriage. Legally, since she’s never raised Felix, she has no standing and would have no chance of winning.’

’Before, I was so focused on worrying about Mom finding out that Samuel Ford is our father that I didn’t think this through. Now that I am, I see problems everywhere. I can’t think of a single good solution.’

Seeing his grave expression, Amanda asked, "What’s wrong?"

After a moment’s thought, Jean said cryptically, "His family... they’re very powerful."

Hearing him say that, Amanda understood his concern. For Jean to describe them that way, the family must be truly formidable.

She just didn’t know exactly *how* formidable.

After some thought, she said, "No matter how difficult it might be, we have to try."

"Okay." Jean nodded. He didn’t try to stop her, but his eyes were still clouded with worry. ’Once Mom tries to get custody of Felix, a confrontation with the Ford Family will be almost inevitable.’

The thought gave him a headache. He had no idea what his mother’s current feelings about Samuel Ford even were.

’If she didn’t care about him, that would be one thing. Indifference would protect her from getting hurt. But if she did... when she found out he was the one who forced her to drop out of school and endure all that public scorn, he couldn’t imagine how heartbroken she would be.’

’Sigh... was there any way for Mom to get Felix without having a direct confrontation with the Ford Family?’

’His head ached from thinking about it. The whole idea felt like a wild fantasy. Calling it a pipe dream wouldn’t be an exaggeration.’

With this weighing on his mind, Jean didn’t sleep well that night. He was still groggy until the next day, when Amanda announced she was going to the Ford residence. That snapped him wide awake.

’The Ford Family! Why would Mom be going to the Ford Family? I haven’t figured out a plan yet! What could she possibly be doing there now?’

He was horrified. Forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions, he feigned curiosity and asked, "Mom, why are you going to the Fords’ house?"

Amanda had nothing to hide from him. "The Jade Pendant I won at auction yesterday was supposedly made by a man called Mr. Sullivan. It’s a matching pair to the one your grandmother gave me. Unfortunately, he went abroad before I was born, and it’s been very difficult to find any information on him. As it happens, Mr. Ford is a great admirer of his work. He might know something, so I thought I’d go ask him a few questions."

Jean never would have expected this. His feelings were a complicated mess. He couldn’t help but wonder if this was all fated. It felt like ever since his mother returned to the country, there was no escaping the Ford Family.

’It really is a small world.’