Chapter 184: Origin

Downstairs, Mr. and Mrs. Ford exchanged a look and sighed in unison. Neither had ever imagined that Amanda Vance might actually be Mr. Sullivan’s granddaughter.

The thought of what her mother had endured made them sigh with sorrow.

Mr. Ford’s brow was deeply furrowed. Mulling over these old affairs gave him a headache. ’They say the grudges of one generation shouldn’t be passed down to the next, but it all depends on who was involved in the previous generation. Megan and Samuel...’

He sighed, his mind on some distant memory.

Mrs. Ford glanced at him, scooted closer, and nudged him with her elbow. "Honey, you need to be nicer to Megan from now on," she said. "She saved your life, after all, and her past is so tragic. She lost her mother at a young age and had to scrape by under the care of those two scumbags. It couldn’t have been easy. For her to be so outstanding now, who knows how much she must have suffered in secret to get to this point. I really like this girl. Can’t you be a little nicer to her, please? Even if Megan and Samuel don’t end up together, she’s still a fine young woman."

Mr. Ford was silent for a long while. He turned his head away, avoiding her gaze, and muttered, "It’s precisely because of her background that I..."

"What was that?" His voice was so quiet that Mrs. Ford hadn’t caught it.

"Nothing." Schooling his features, he looked at Mrs. Ford and said, "I like the girl, Megan, as well. But her being with Samuel... that’s out of the question."

"Why?" Mrs. Ford frowned, her expression puzzled.

"I’d also like to know why." A voice drifted in from the doorway. Startled, Mrs. Ford whipped her head around to look.

Mr. Ford looked over as well, his pupils constricting.

Samuel Ford strode over, his expression grave. He repeated, "Dad, I want to ask the same question. Why?"

Meeting his son’s gaze, Mr. Ford’s lips parted as if to speak, but no words came out for a long moment.

Seeing his hesitation, Mrs. Ford nudged his arm, pressing him. "That’s right. You obviously like Megan, too. You didn’t object when I tried to set them up before. Now you’re suddenly against it. You have to give us a reason. Is there some issue with Megan, or what? We can’t figure out what to do next unless you tell us."

Samuel didn’t speak, but his firm gaze on his father said it all.

’If he’s going to stop us from being together, he at least owes me a reason why.’

He looked at them, his expression conflicted. In the end, Mr. Ford just shook his head. "You don’t need to know the reason. You just need to remember what I’ve said. I’m only doing this for your own good."

With that, he rose and headed for his room.

Mrs. Ford’s anger flared again as she watched him walk away. "If it’s for their own good, you should explain it to them!"

’She knew her son’s heart. He’d finally opened up to someone after all this time, and now the old man was stepping in to stop it. What on earth was he trying to do?’

’Good thing Megan hasn’t agreed to be with Samuel yet. Otherwise, if his father tried to block them when they were ready to talk marriage, Samuel would absolutely have a falling-out with him. Her older son wasn’t a fool like her younger one. He’s been independent-minded since he was a boy, and now that he’s a grown man, there’s no way he’d just obey his father.’

’And the old man was being so stubborn. Just the thought of the future blow-up between father and son was already giving her a headache.’

She turned back to her son, sighed, and asked, "Did you take Megan home? Is she all right?"

Samuel shook his head. "She’s fine. She’s much stronger than we think."

"That’s good." Mrs. Ford relaxed. "I’ll try to probe your father for more information," she added. "I have no idea what’s gotten into that stubborn old man."

’We agreed that since the children were grown, we wouldn’t meddle in their lives unless it was a major issue of principle. He isn’t usually a busybody. So why is he playing the part of The Queen Mother now?’

Samuel glanced toward Mr. Ford’s room and grunted in acknowledgment, though he didn’t hold out much hope.

’They had all asked him multiple times, but he wouldn’t talk. He doubted his mother would have any more luck. His father might seem more approachable now, but deep down, his stubborn streak hadn’t changed a bit. If he didn’t want to say something, no one could pry it out of him.’

’Still, why was he so dead set against it?’

Remembering something, he asked, "Mom, you said before that Second Uncle brought a girl home once. Are there any photos?"

Mrs. Ford shook her head. "No, I only ever saw the girl twice. One time was when your father and I went to see your second uncle. We’d gone on a whim and didn’t tell him beforehand. When we walked in, we found the two of them seemed to be in the middle of an argument; things were clearly tense. The other time was when your second uncle brought her to our house, saying he wanted to be with her. But then the girl secretly pulled your father aside and begged him not to approve. I could never figure out what was going on with them."

’In any case, their relationship was bizarre. It seemed to be a case of unrequited love on Second Uncle Ford’s part; the girl never looked very willing.’

"Do you remember what she looked like, then?"

"What she looked like... Hmm, let me think. It’s been so long, I don’t remember clearly. I just recall that she was very pretty. Big eyes, fair skin... a beautiful young woman."

’A pretty girl with big eyes and fair skin. That was far too generic.’

Samuel’s brow furrowed, but he said nothing more.

Mrs. Ford gave him a questioning look. "Why ask about this all of a sudden? Is something going on?"

"No, it just occurred to me. I was just asking."

"Oh." Mrs. Ford didn’t sound convinced, but since it was all more than twenty years in the past, she didn’t press it. She sighed. "Make sure you take good care of Megan. That child has had such a hard road. Now she finds out she has a grandfather, but it seems she’d be better off without one. He never once checked on his daughter when she was suffering, and none of them showed their faces while their granddaughter was going through hell. If just one person had been there to protect her, Megan’s life wouldn’t have been so hard."

Her tone was resentful, siding completely with Amanda Vance.

’Then again, every family has its own troubles. For a daughter to elope and then return pregnant... a traditional man like Mr. Sullivan must have found that incredibly difficult to accept.’

"Sigh. It’s that man’s fault, too. He was a real piece of work. Mr. Sullivan’s daughter was so cruelly deceived."

’To think she broke with her family for him, and for what? He turned out to be nothing but a scumbag who toyed with her heart.’

"Wait, something’s not right." As she spoke, Mrs. Ford realized the inconsistency. "Your father said that Mr. Sullivan’s daughter returned home pregnant. If Megan is really her daughter, then that means she later married Holly Vance..."

’That doesn’t add up.’

Samuel explained, "Holly Vance isn’t her biological father."

"No wonder." Mrs. Ford’s eyes widened in understanding. "That makes the possibility even stronger. It all lines up now."

"Well, let’s leave the past in the past. We can only hope that Megan will be all right from now on."

Samuel’s expression tightened slightly. He hummed in agreement, a pensive glint in his eyes.

’Amanda Vance, Vivian Sullivan, Victor Ford...’

He silently repeated the names, his frown deepening. ’Could it be what I’m thinking?’