Chapter 28: The Results Are Out

Shawn Ford quietly opened the door. Seeing only Jean Vance sitting on the sofa, he breathed a sigh of relief, his steps becoming much lighter. "Colt, your dad’s not here."

Jean Vance didn’t say a word, his gaze slowly shifting to the space behind him.

Just then, a voice spoke from behind him. "You were looking for me."

Shawn Ford’s body stiffened, and a cold sweat broke out on his brow. He turned around and, sure enough, saw his older brother’s poker face. He immediately forced a fawning smile and shuffled to the side to clear a path. "It’s nothing, nothing at all! Big Bro, please, have a seat. You must be tired from standing."

As he spoke, he gestured for him to sit, his back slightly bent, his attitude one of utmost reverence.

Jean Vance shot him a contemptuous glance before lowering his head to look at his laptop again.

’He’d been about to look up what the Sheffield Family had been up to, only to find that his mother had already made her move—cleanly and decisively, with no hesitation.’

’It seemed the Sheffield Family had really provoked Mom this time.’

’Mom... she must be quite fond of Felix Ford, too. That’s why she struck so ruthlessly. If it were just for herself, she would never get this angry.’

’Even though he knew she most likely had no idea they had swapped identities, he couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.’

’He had always thought Mom belonged to him alone. Now, not only had a twin brother popped up out of nowhere, but his father, who had been missing for years, had also reappeared. Every single one of them was here to steal Mom away from him.’

Jean Vance was incredibly annoyed, his small mouth pressed into a tight line. ’No, this won’t do. I have to help Mom find the Jade Pendant Grandma gave her sooner. Once we find it, we’ll leave Aethelburg, and then Mom will be all mine again.’

His fingers flew across the keyboard. Samuel Ford glanced over at him, assuming he was just venting his anger by mashing the keys randomly, and paid it no mind. He turned his head to look at the guilt-ridden Shawn Ford. "What did you do this time?"

"N-Nothing. I didn’t do anything," Shawn Ford stammered. But when he saw his brother staring at him intently, a gaze that seemed to see right through his pretense, he hung his head in dejection. He knew he couldn’t hide it from him.

Slinking over to the side of the sofa, he crouched by his brother’s legs and began to massage them obsequiously. "Big Bro," he tested the waters, "I’m your real brother, right?"

"That depends on what you’ve done. You might not be."

Shawn Ford choked. ’Yup,’ he thought, ’that’s definitely my real brother.’

Samuel Ford took a sip of water and looked down at him. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly asked, "Where’s my car?"

Shawn Ford’s mind went blank. "Big Bro, you... you know?"

Those words... Samuel Ford’s eyes narrowed, and his voice dropped. "Speak."

That single word was enough to scare Shawn Ford out of any further attempts at concealment. He quickly recounted the entire incident, including how he had lost the car. He constantly watched his brother’s expression, but Samuel’s face remained a stony mask, not changing in the slightest. The more he looked, the more panicked he became.

’Everyone knew that the calmer his big brother was, the more terrifying he became.’

He swallowed hard and secretly scooted back a little, visually estimating the distance between them and calculating his chances of escape when his brother finally blew up.

Zero.

Shawn Ford came to a miserable realization: there was no chance at all. The only thing he could do was get on his knees and beg for mercy, hoping that for the sake of their brotherhood, his brother would at least spare his life.

’I’m going to cry.’

"Big Bro, I swear I didn’t know that woman would be so good! I was already performing way above my usual level, really! If you don’t believe me, ask the others! I was two minutes and three seconds faster than my previous best! That woman is just too terrifying!"

"How long did you say that woman took?"

"One hour, three minutes, and twenty-four seconds." After saying that, he suddenly remembered something. He snuck a glance at his brother and said in a small voice, "Big Bro, if I remember correctly... that’s your personal best, isn’t it?"

Samuel Ford shot him a look. ’He’s right. It is.’

Shawn Ford’s eyes lit up as he immediately found an angle. "Big Bro," he declared with righteous indignation, "it looks like you’re the only one who can go up against her now! Go for it! Win the car back! I have faith in you, you can definitely do it!"

Hearing this, Samuel Ford gave him a sidelong glance. "Did I say I was going to race? You’ll bring that car back to me the same way you drove it out. Otherwise, you can pay for it with your life."

"Big Bro!" Shawn Ford wailed. Looking at his brother’s cold, merciless profile, he shut down completely. ’So this is what it means to be real brothers!’

’At a critical moment, I’m worth less than a car!’

’Hmph. Men.’

Seeing right through him, Samuel Ford said nothing more. He took a sip of water, his gaze deepening.

’As fast as me?’

’Interesting.’

Jean Vance, who had been sitting to the side and listening to the whole exchange, didn’t miss the spark of interest in Samuel’s eyes. He instantly became guarded.

’No. I can’t let Mom meet him.’

He looked down at his laptop, his fingers tapping restlessly on a blank area as he licked his lips.

Seven immediately rolled over to him. Its stomach panel opened, and a tray extended, holding a glass of water it had just fetched. "Little Master, have some water."

Seeing it, Jean Vance’s furrowed brow suddenly relaxed.

’If it weren’t for Felix Ford asking his Second Uncle for help, the Ford Family would have had no connection with them at all.’

’The main link between the two sides was Felix Ford.’

’So as long as he stayed out of it, there would be no problem.’

Once he figured this all out, his mood brightened considerably. He took the water and said, "Thanks."

"You’re welcome." Seven slowly rolled to the side and stood there obediently, a completely different robot from its former chatterbox self.

Shawn Ford noticed this too. "Huh? How come Seven is so quiet now?"

’Didn’t it used to add a whole string of titles before ’Little Master’ when it was addressing Colt?’

’Colt is the biggest narcissist.’

’It wasn’t just Seven who had changed. He had too.’

Samuel Ford gave Jean Vance a casual glance. Just then, the doorbell rang. Shawn Ford scrambled up, saying, "I’ll get it, I’ll get it!"

With that, he ran to the door and greeted the person outside enthusiastically. "Assistant Young! You can just give the things to me. I’ll take them to my brother. Thanks for your trouble."

"It’s no trouble." Assistant Young glanced inside. Seeing President Ford was there, he didn’t say anything more, simply handing the documents over before leaving.

’With President Ford around, the Second Young Master wouldn’t dare hide the documents.’

’As if he would dare.’

After seeing him off, Shawn Ford walked back to the sofa, looking curiously at the item in his hand. "Huh? It’s from the hospital. A physical exam report? Big Bro, are you not feeling well?"

"No, just a routine check-up." With that, Samuel Ford took the documents and headed upstairs.

"He seemed a little nervous," Shawn Ford muttered to himself. But then he thought, ’That’s impossible. This is my big bro; he never flinches, no matter how big the crisis. How could he get tense over a report? I must have imagined it.’

’I’m the one who should be nervous. Just how am I going to get that car back?’

’If I’d known, I never would have taken that one out.’

He slumped onto the sofa and reached out to pat Jean Vance’s head. "Colt, how about you help your Second Uncle put in a good word for me? I did all this for you, you know."

Jean Vance glanced at him, silently scooted away, and pursed his lips as he smoothed down the hair Shawn had ruffled.

’Such undisguised disdain.’

Shawn Ford huffed and kicked his legs out, leaning back on the sofa with a look of utter despair. "A perfect father-and-son pair," he complained. "Both of you ganging up on me."

’Who has the spare time to bully him?’

Jean Vance looked toward the study. ’Why do I get the feeling he glanced at me before he left?’

’That report... is it related to me?’