Chapter 185: Luring Her to Investigate

Jean Vance couldn’t help but roll his eyes at what Felix Ford said. "Do you think that’s even possible?" he asked, his expression blank.

’Are we going to some remote wilderness? A place even Samuel Ford can’t find? Heh.’

Felix Ford realized he was being too optimistic. He pouted, a little upset. "So what do we do now?"

’Who knows.’

’He really is a little troublemaker.’

He decided against saying it out loud. Hearing footsteps approaching the door, he quickly ended the call, adding, "My mom’s coming back. You be careful. Whatever you do, don’t go out alone. Watch out for Victor Ford and stay safe."

"Okay," Felix Ford replied. Then, as if remembering something, he quickly added, "Don’t forget to tell me what your mom said today if you find out!"

"Got it."

Jean Vance hung up. The moment he opened his bedroom door, he saw Amanda Vance already standing outside. He composed himself and said, "Mom."

"Hi," Amanda Vance said, pulling back the hand she had raised to knock. Her eyes flickered to the phone in his hand, but she didn’t ask about it. Instead, she said, "Are you hungry?"

"I’m hungry."

Amanda Vance reached out and gently pinched his small cheek. Bending down, she asked, "I don’t really feel like cooking today. Is it okay if we eat out?"

"Okay." Jean Vance had no objections.

He went back to his room, changed his clothes, and then obediently placed his small hand in hers, tilting his head up to look at her.

Seeing the worry and silent reassurance in his eyes, Amanda Vance smiled. She reached out to ruffle his hair, then smoothed it back down. "I’m fine, don’t worry. I’ll tell you the details after I’ve finished looking into it."

"Okay." Hearing her say that, Jean Vance didn’t press further.

The mother and son didn’t go far, just finding a small restaurant in their apartment complex. The place wasn’t large, but the owner was a great cook—the noodles were perfectly chewy and the broth was rich and savory. Amanda Vance picked up the jar of chili oil from the table and dumped three heaping spoonfuls into her bowl, instantly turning the contents a fiery red.

Jean Vance paused, glancing up at her before lowering his head again to eat his noodles in small bites, his brow quietly furrowing.

’Looks like Mom’s not in a good mood today. She only ever adds this much chili when she’s upset.’

After a moment of thought, he decided not to ask. His mother would tell him when she was ready.

After dinner and a short walk, the two returned home. They sat on the sofa watching television together. Jean Vance sat bolt upright, staring at a cartoon with a serious expression, his mind racing as he tried to guess what had happened to his mother at the Ford residence.

’She definitely wouldn’t have gotten into a fight with the Ford family. She went today to ask about Mr. Sullivan, the carver of the Jade Pendant. So... is she upset because of him?’

Amanda Vance had indeed been in a foul mood and didn’t feel like talking, but when she happened to see her son’s solemn expression, she couldn’t help but laugh. She tickled him under the chin, then pulled him into her lap for a hug. "Oh, Jean," she said, "you’re only five years old. You shouldn’t be so stern all the time, you look like a little old man. And you can relax on the sofa, you don’t have to keep your back so straight."

’Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were in some kind of serious meeting.’

A small smile touched the corners of Jean Vance’s lips as he relaxed into her embrace and nodded obediently. "Okay, I understand, Mom."

Amanda Vance rested her chin on his forehead and nuzzled him. "Such a good boy."

Jean Vance smiled, but then he remembered something. He squirmed out of her arms and said, "Mom, I found something out while you were gone."

With that, he ran to his room and came back with his miniature computer. With a few taps, he pulled up a file and handed the device to her.

Amanda Vance glanced at the screen. Her expression grew serious as she saw a familiar name.

Watching her expression, Jean Vance added, feigning nonchalance, "I finished the competition early, and the others weren’t done yet. I was bored, so I was just browsing the task list and happened to see this."

The task was a request to find the whereabouts of a Jade Pendant, the very same one Amanda Vance had bought at the auction.

More importantly, she knew the person who had posted the task: Victor Ford, Mr. Ford’s younger brother and Samuel Ford’s uncle.

And it had been posted the day after she returned to the country.

Of course, he hadn’t posted it under his real name. Jean Vance had traced the IP address to a house and discovered that Victor was the owner.

Coincidences certainly happened, but with so many piling up, it was hard for Amanda Vance to convince herself this was just one of them.

She couldn’t help but recall seeing Victor Ford in the hospital room. The way he’d looked at her wasn’t how one looks at a stranger. It was a hostile gaze, laced with malice. She couldn’t have been mistaken.

As she scrolled further, she found confirmation that the Jade Pendant had been in his possession. Even the tip-off that led Hayden Grant to the auction was his doing. He knew she was looking for the Jade Pendant. He knew that if she heard about the auction, she would come. And he knew she would secure it.

With all these things adding up, it was simply too much to be a coincidence.

He had clearly, deliberately, placed this Jade Pendant in her hands.

’So he’s been monitoring my whereabouts all this time.’

’He must have deliberately let this Jade Pendant surface. But why? To lead me to investigate Mr. Sullivan?’

’No, that’s not his ultimate goal.’

Her finger slid across the touchpad, quickly reaching the end of the file. By the time she finished, Amanda Vance’s face was ashen, her expression frozen solid.

"Mom, what is he trying to do?" Jean Vance asked.

’He couldn’t just come out and say Victor Ford was suspicious. He wouldn’t be able to explain how he knew. All he could do was find a few clues which, by a stroke of luck, connected with the other information he’d gathered on the Ford family, all pointing to Victor being involved.’

"I don’t know," Amanda Vance said, closing the computer and tapping her fingers on the lid. "But this works out. It’s difficult for me to investigate the past, so I might as well use him to see what’s really going on."

She was also quite curious about what had happened between her own mother and the Sullivan family.

’No, wait. Where does Victor Ford’s hatred for me come from? Is it because of the Sullivan family, or because of... my mother?’

As a thought struck her, Amanda’s eyes flickered. ’Could it be what I think it is?’

She suddenly stood up and started for the door. "Jean, you go to bed. I’m going back to the Ford residence."

She had a theory she needed to verify in person.

She left in such a hurry that Jean Vance didn’t even have a chance to stop her. With a sigh, he quickly called Felix Ford again.

「At the Ford residence.」

Felix Ford was sitting at the dinner table, idly swinging his legs and kicking the person next to him several times.

Samuel Ford shot him a look, but Felix just stared back defiantly. He was clearly doing it on purpose.

SMACK—

His foot swung out again, but instead of connecting with his father’s leg, it hit the leg of the chair. The sudden pain made Felix Ford’s eyes instantly well up with tears.

Mrs. Ford saw this and immediately grew anxious. "What’s wrong? What happened?"

Felix Ford’s lip trembled. He dropped his chopsticks and bent over to clutch his reddening toes, crying as he shot an accusatory glare at Samuel Ford.

"Oh dear, how did this happen? Where did you hurt it?" Mrs. Ford was alarmed to see that her grandson’s foot was already swelling.

Felix Ford pointed an accusing finger. "Dad did it on purpose!"