Chapter 194: Call Her Megan

Winter had long since begun in Aethelburg. It hadn’t snowed yet, but the cold wind was relentless.

Samuel Ford glanced at her and shifted slightly, positioning himself to block the wind for her.

After a moment, Amanda Vance raised a hand to tuck a wind-blown strand of hair behind her ear. When she looked up again, her expression was calm. She looked at Samuel Ford and asked, "What did you want to discuss with me, President Ford?"

He had originally planned to say a great deal, but it was too cold, and he couldn’t bear to see her freezing. After a moment’s thought, Samuel Ford cut to the chase. "What did my dad say to you that day?"

He immediately felt his tone had been too harsh, so he softened his voice, a crestfallen look appearing on his face. "Ever since that day, you’ve been avoiding me."

He didn’t ask it as a question but stated it as a fact, his voice tinged with a hint of hurt.

Amanda Vance’s heart skipped a beat. She recalled what Mr. Ford had said and forced herself to calm down. "That day, I only asked Mr. Ford a few things about Mr. Sullivan," she said coolly. "It was the first I’d heard of him, so it was hard not to get emotional. As for avoiding you, President Ford..."

She paused, then looked at him with a smile. "You and I have no real relationship, President Ford, and I don’t owe you any money. Why would I need to avoid you? You must be mistaken."

Samuel Ford lowered his gaze to her, seeing that same polite, yet distant and detached, look in her eyes. A flicker of irritation rose within him. He took a deep breath and asked, "Does it have to do with me?"

Amanda didn’t answer.

Seeing her reaction, Samuel Ford pressed on. "That Mr. Sullivan... his daughter was your mother, wasn’t she? Holly Vance said you weren’t his biological child, and Mr. Sullivan’s daughter was pregnant out of wedlock. My second uncle also brought a woman home once. Was that woman... your mother?"

Amanda’s brow twitched. She hadn’t expected Samuel Ford to piece things together so quickly; he was already closing in on the truth. She quickly turned her head away, the smile finally gone from her face. "No," she said coldly. "You’re overthinking things. Neither my mother nor I have any connection to the Ford Family."

Looking at her reaction, Samuel Ford fell silent for a moment before sighing. "Megan," he asked, "do you really believe you’re my second uncle’s daughter? That we’re cousins?"

Amanda froze, unsure if she was more stunned by the name he had used or the implication of his question.

Her brow furrowed slightly. "What do you mean by that?"

’Victor Ford told Mr. Ford that himself.’

’It wasn’t that she was conceited, but she could tell that Mr. Ford had once wanted to match her with Samuel Ford. If it weren’t for their supposed relation, why would he suddenly be so opposed to her?’

Her expression shifted, and for a moment she forgot to mask her thoughts. Samuel caught it immediately. "If you were really my second uncle’s daughter," he said, "how could he bear to hurt you?"

"Whether it was getting close to the Vance Family and giving them the capital to save the Vance Group, or deliberately provoking Mr. Ford and trying to ruin your career by slandering your medical skills—if you were his daughter, how could he be so ruthless?"

Hearing this, Amanda let out a cold, contemptuous laugh. "It’s just a bit of blood relation. Not everyone who has a child deserves to be called a father."

’Take Holly Vance, for instance. Even though I wasn’t his biological daughter, one look at him and you knew most men were probably the same. Hadn’t she seen countless similar cases over the years? If every father was actually good to their children, there wouldn’t be so many tragic stories in the news.’

Her expression was cold, and her eyes were filled with a sharp animosity.

She knew she had lost her composure, but for some reason, she couldn’t seem to control her temper around him. His words had probably struck a nerve, making her blurt out what was truly on her mind.

’He’ll probably know my true colors after this,’ she thought with a self-deprecating laugh. ’I’ve never been a sweet-tempered person.’ She was about to leave when a hand suddenly clasped her wrist. Startled, she instinctively tried to pull away, but her hand was caught in his palm, instantly enveloped in warmth.

She stared blankly up at Samuel Ford and saw the unconcealed ache in his eyes for her. Her heart skipped another beat.

Once he felt her hand had warmed up a little, Samuel Ford let go. He then placed his hand on her head and gave her hair a slightly clumsy pat. "Regardless," he said, "if you really are my sister, then as your big brother, I will always protect you. And if you’re not..."

He didn’t finish his sentence, but Amanda clearly felt a powerful possessiveness emanating from him in that instant.

It was like a wolf that had spotted its prey: once it locked its eyes on a target, it would never let go. It would chase it, pounce, and devour it, skin, bones, and all.

But the feeling vanished in a flash. Looking at the tenderness back in his eyes, she wondered if she had imagined it all. Samuel Ford was cool and aloof, yet also noble and refined, like a young lord from a bygone era. How could he possibly be compared to a ravenous wolf?

Before she could think it through, the hand that had patted her head was on her wrist again, leading her forward.

When she came to her senses, they were standing in a supermarket.

Watching the man beside her picking out vegetables with his head lowered, a single word popped into her mind: ’domestic’. The moment it appeared, she was stunned by her own thought. The formidable President Ford, a titan of the business world—how could he possibly be associated with such a word?

’I must be going crazy,’ she thought.

Samuel Ford quickly finished picking out the vegetables and turned to ask her, "Anything else?"

Amanda glanced into the cart and saw it was filled with things she liked to eat. She realized then that just as she had discovered his sweet tooth, he also knew what her favorite foods were.

Amanda pressed her lips together, her feelings once again in turmoil. When Samuel Ford asked again, she finally shook her head. "That’s enough."

"Okay." Samuel Ford headed for the checkout counter, paying for everything himself before Amanda even had a chance to reach for her wallet.

’Now I owe him again.’

They walked a little further until they reached the entrance to her apartment complex. Samuel Ford handed her the bags. "Don’t overthink it. I’ll keep investigating my second uncle. You be careful in the meantime."

After a moment’s hesitation, he added, "If you want to know more about Mr. Sullivan, you could ask Mr. Sawyer."

Compared to his own father, Mr. Ford had a deeper appreciation for the arts, but as far as Samuel knew, Mr. Sawyer’s connection to the Sullivan Family was even deeper. Both he and Mr. Sullivan were men of letters, so they naturally would have had much to talk about.

Although he was extremely reluctant to see Amanda get involved with Joshua Sawyer—as a man, he could read Joshua’s intentions, just as Joshua could likely read his—he also knew how desperate she was for information about Vivian Sullivan. In the end, he still gave her the advice.

Amanda’s eyes lit up. ’That’s right, how could I have forgotten about Mr. Sawyer! Mr. Sawyer must have known Mr. Sullivan. Today I was so focused on discussing the case with Joshua that I didn’t even think of it.’

"Thank you for the reminder, President Ford. I’ll go see him."

Seeing the joy on her face, Samuel Ford felt a pang of jealousy. It felt as though he had just pushed her toward the Sawyer Family himself.

Suppressing the sour feeling, he nodded. "You should go back in... Megan."