Chapter 23: Amanda Vance’s Child

The Grant residence.

Felix Ford sat on the sofa, listlessly pressing the remote. He’d watch each channel for two seconds before changing it.

’So dull, so boring. I miss Mom so much. I wonder how she’s doing right now.’

"Why are the shoes a mess again?" The door clicked open, and a voice drifted in. The man looked at the shoes scattered messily on the floor. His gaze fell on a pair that were obviously a child’s, and realizing something, he looked up.

Felix Ford also craned his neck to look over, his eyes meeting the newcomer’s directly.

Their eyes met, and both of them froze for a moment.

"Who are you?" The voice was cold and questioning.

"Who are you?" The other voice was high and childish.

They spoke in unison, then froze again after they’d spoken.

Hayden Grant came downstairs, yawning, his eyes full of sleepiness. He didn’t seem surprised to see the newcomer and casually called out, "Bro."

He took two slices of bread from the refrigerator and handed one to Felix Ford.

Felix Ford hadn’t eaten yet, and his stomach was growling. He took the bread and was about to stuff it in his mouth when a large hand suddenly reached out from the side, stopping him. He turned his head, stunned, only to see Harrison Grant, his face even sterner than his own father’s, taking the slice of bread from his hand. Felix pouted. ’This uncle looks so mature, why is he snatching food from a kid?’

"Who is he?" Harrison Grant asked, looking at Hayden Grant.

"Megan’s son."

Hearing this answer, the look on Harrison Grant’s face softened. Hayden Grant glanced at him and said with dawning realization, "Bro, you didn’t think he was my kid, did you?"

"You wish." Harrison Grant shot him a sidelong glance, then looked down at the poor little guy clutching his stomach and explained, "This is cold and has no nutrition. Uncle will make you something hot to eat."

’Huh? Another uncle?’

Felix Ford looked up at him, his small face full of curiosity.

Stung by the jab, Hayden Grant lost his appetite. He glanced at his watch and said slowly, "I just remembered I have something to do today, so I have to go out. Bro, I’m leaving this little guy with you."

Hearing this, Felix Ford immediately whipped his head around. "Are you going to find Mom?"

"No."

Felix Ford stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly jumped off the sofa and slipped on a pair of slippers that were much too big for his feet. "You must be! I’m going with you."

He rushed off so quickly that he stumbled after just two steps. Luckily, Harrison Grant caught him just in time, preventing him from hitting his head on the coffee table.

Seeing that the boy had figured it out, Hayden Grant felt a headache coming on. The little guy was incredibly sharp when it came to his mother. He held the child in place. "Have you forgotten what your mom told you? She doesn’t want you to go."

"She didn’t say you could go, either."

"I can help her if I go. The people there today are all trouble. Your mom is all alone. Do you want to stand by and watch her get bullied?"

Hesitation flashed across the boy’s pale, tender face. After a moment, Felix Ford pressed, "Can you protect Mom all by yourself?"

"Yes."

"Promise."

"I swear."

Seeing that he didn’t seem to be lying, Felix Ford obediently sat back down on the sofa and waved him away urgently. "Then go, go quickly! Hurry and protect Mom."

’He was still too young. If he went, Mom would have to split her attention to take care of him. It was better to wait here for them to come back.’

Hayden Grant gave him a smile. That went more smoothly than expected. He had thought the boy was going to cry again. It seemed he had underestimated him.

"Big Bro, I’m leaving him with you, then. I’ll bring Megan to pick him up later."

"Alright. Bring Megan over for dinner when you’re done."

"Okay."

After he left, only the two of them remained in the room. Felix Ford was even less familiar with Harrison Grant than he was with Hayden Grant, but recalling his earlier words, he couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Uncle, do you know my mom, too?"

"Yes. Your mother used to tutor Hayden when they were in school."

Back in high school, Hayden Grant was a real handful. No one could control him, his grades were a complete mess, and he’d scared off every tutor they hired, one by one. Then, a young girl with a cool, detached expression came to the door for an interview. They all thought she wouldn’t last long either, but since their house was remote and it wasn’t easy for the girl to make the trip, they figured they’d give her a try. To their surprise, Hayden actually agreed to let her stay.

They had wondered if the girl had used some kind of trick, but they later discovered she was very proper and never overstepped any boundaries. After looking into her background and learning that the rumors about her were all baseless, they felt even more sorry for what she had been through.

And under her guidance, Hayden Grant’s grades improved day by day, and he became less rebellious.

The Grant Family was grateful to her from the bottom of their hearts.

When they later found out what happened to her, they worried about her for a long time. Thankfully, she had returned, safe and sound.

"Tutoring?" Felix Ford’s eyes lit up. "My mom is super awesome! She’s great at studying!"

Mom was in the top three for the college entrance exams. He remembered that.

Hearing his childish words, a smile flashed across Harrison Grant’s stern face. "Yes, she’s very outstanding. She was even the top scorer in the college entrance exams for her year."

Felix Ford’s eyes widened in astonishment. Mom was the top scorer! Number one!

’He was little, but he knew what a top scorer was. Grandma always said his dad was a top scorer. Hmph, what’s so great about that? His mom was amazing too. No, she was even more amazing—the most amazing!’

He looked a bit like Amanda Vance. Looking at him, Harrison Grant couldn’t help but think of her, and his heart softened a little. "What do you want to eat?"

Felix Ford answered without hesitation, "Soy milk and fried dough sticks."

That’s just how Amanda Vance liked to eat.

Harrison Grant paused. He looked at the boy’s soft, tender face, and the words he was about to say about it being unhealthy died on his lips. He sighed softly in his heart. "Let’s go."

"Okay."

Seeing that the slippers didn’t fit, Harrison Grant frowned slightly, mentally chiding Hayden Grant for not being more attentive. He reached out, picked the boy up, and headed upstairs.

Felix Ford was startled for a moment, but he could sense the kindness emanating from this uncle, so he let himself be carried obediently.

The Grant residence was in a villa district, which was a bit far out. Harrison Grant had to drive into the city to find a snack shop. It was already past the breakfast rush, so there weren’t many people at the stall. Felix Ford broke his fried dough stick into pieces, soaked them in his soy milk, and took a sip with his head down, a look of pure satisfaction on his face. A white ring formed around his mouth, which he licked off with his tongue before grinning at Harrison Grant and continuing to eat.

He ate with such gusto that it was infectious. Watching him made Harrison Grant’s appetite surge, and he couldn’t help but eat more than usual. In the past, he would never have touched this kind of food.

After breakfast, as he was wiping his mouth, his phone suddenly rang. He answered it, and his brow gradually furrowed. "Okay, I understand."

He hesitated for a moment, looking at Felix Ford, who was just finishing his last bite.

As if sensing something, Felix Ford looked up. Remembering the phone call from a moment ago, he understood. He was clearly very familiar with this kind of situation. He waved his hand, behaving exceptionally well. "Uncle, you can go to work. I can take a car back by myself."

He was so well-behaved, but his words were amusing. Harrison Grant couldn’t help but chuckle. "How could you go back alone? What would I tell your mother then?"

After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "I have to go to the office. Would you like to come with me? If not, I can take you home first."

"Let’s go to the office. It’ll waste your time to take me home. Uncle, you can just give me a phone or an iPad to play with."

"Alright." He wasn’t comfortable leaving him home alone anyway.

He wasn’t supposed to have any work today, but he hadn’t expected a sudden meeting request from President Ford of the Ford Group, which he couldn’t very well refuse.