Chapter 70: The Missing Surveillance Video

Seeing how much he liked it here, Amanda Vance decided to stay.

The apartment even had a dedicated children’s room. It was obvious the owner cared deeply about children; many of the details were perfect. Because of this, she didn’t let Felix Ford stay in the children’s room, having him settle into the guest room instead.

Felix Ford didn’t mention that all those things had been bought for him in the first place. He simply did as she said and settled in.

He’d originally hated this apartment. It was decorated even more coldly than his own home, with none of its warmth. He hadn’t wanted to stay here at all. But if his mother was here, he was more than willing. Now, the place suddenly seemed much more pleasant.

The refrigerator was empty, but thankfully, there was a supermarket downstairs. She took him to buy some groceries, made dinner, played some games with him, and even checked his pulse. She only relaxed after confirming he was fine.

Amanda Vance didn’t bring up school again just yet. She held him, told him a bedtime story, and waited until he was asleep before gently laying him down. Then, she returned to her room and took a mini-laptop out of her bag.

She quickly pulled up the surveillance footage from Sunshine Kindergarten. Resting her chin on her hand, she watched, her fingertips tapping lightly on the desk, her expression unreadable.

’She was very curious. Who on earth would dare to bully her son? And who could make Jean so afraid?’

’The boy didn’t seem very talkative, but he was actually quite brave. He wasn’t the type to get scared easily.’

The camera followed Felix Ford’s movements. Soon, Amanda Vance saw him playing hide-and-seek with his friends. A moment later, he ran into a nearby restroom.

Then, the screen went black.

Amanda Vance froze. She pursed her lips, her pale fingers flying across the keyboard, but nothing happened. She could recover the footage from later, but this specific segment was always missing. The next time the feed picked up, it was already the end of the school day.

’Someone deliberately destroyed this footage.’

Amanda Vance tried again. Whoever did it had been thorough. All the backups were deleted, too. Not a single trace remained.

’This kind of work...’

Amanda Vance frowned. ’Why does this feel so much like Jean’s handiwork?’

’Did he destroy it himself? To keep me from finding out?’

’What on earth happened during that time?’

Amanda Vance pinched the bridge of her nose. ’If Jean did this, he definitely won’t tell me why.’

’She just couldn’t understand what he could possibly need to hide from her.’

In all these years, this was the first time her son had hidden something from her.

For a moment, Amanda Vance couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart.

Finally, she closed the laptop. ’Forget it. If Jean doesn’t want to talk about it, there’s no need to force him.’

’She trusted him to handle it.’

「The Ford Residence」

Seeing that she wasn’t pursuing the matter, Jean Vance breathed a sigh of relief.

’He knew his mom would investigate, so he’d destroyed the footage ahead of time. He even wrote a program that would notify him the moment she tried to access it.’

The moment he saw the message, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’Mom still cared about him so much. She would never let anyone who wronged him get away with it.’

’But now, the child she cared so much about wasn’t him.’

’Instead, he was the one who had bullied Felix Ford. He was the one she wanted to hold accountable.’

He couldn’t help but wonder: if his mother ever found out he was behind this, would she be disappointed? Would she stand up for Felix Ford?

He didn’t dare to think about it any further. The mere possibility sent him into a jealous rage.

’He knew it perfectly well. He hated it when his mother paid attention to other children. He was her only child, wasn’t he?’

He suddenly regretted coming to the Ford family. If he hadn’t, his mother wouldn’t have taken that other boy, and their paths might never have crossed.

Now, things were slowly slipping out of his control. He had to admit, he was starting to panic.

Looking down at the still-bandaged wound, Jean Vance pursed his lips. ’He gets to be with Mom, and Felix Ford gets to be with Samuel Ford. One for each of them. That’s fair.’

’He shouldn’t be so greedy and try to steal Mom from him.’

Jean Vance took a deep breath and sneered. ’I don’t believe he can just hide and never come to school.’

’And so what if he doesn’t? If I want to find him, I can.’

’Where can he possibly hide?’

「The next day」

Felix Ford went with Amanda Vance to the hospital again. It was a bit boring for him, so it was impressive that he could sit still for so long.

He had already finished the book from yesterday, so Amanda Vance brought him a new one.

Felix Ford didn’t tell her that he couldn’t really understand it. ’Mom chose this based on Jean’s level. He seems to know so many words, but I can’t even write my own name properly.’

After flipping through a few pages, Felix Ford closed the book in frustration. He couldn’t help but remember what Jean looked like that day. ’He looked so smart, and he has Dad’s temperament. He does everything so calmly and knows so many words. Not like me... I can’t even count to a hundred properly.’

’Dad must really like him. That’s what his son is supposed to be like: smart, composed, looking every bit a child of the Ford Family.’

’Not like me. I can’t do anything, I’m stupid. That’s why Grandma was so desperate for Dad to go on blind dates—to have a smart child.’

He blinked his teary eyes. ’If Mom finds out I’m not Jean, will she send me away?’

’Then Mom won’t want me and Dad won’t like me. Where will I go?’

The thought made him even more miserable.

Even Amanda Vance noticed his mood shift. She whispered something to Mr. Lynch, and after he nodded, she rose and walked over to the boy’s chair.

She saw him sitting with his head bowed, staring blankly at nothing in particular, his small face etched with a sadness that was painful to see.

She bent down and stroked his little cheek. "What’s wrong?"

Feeling the gentle touch on his face, Felix Ford snapped out of his daze and looked up at her. "Mom?"

"Yes?" Amanda Vance guessed he was still upset about what happened at school. But since she didn’t know the details, she had no way of comforting him. After a moment’s thought, she said, "How about I take you outside to play for a little while?"

Play? Felix Ford’s eyes lit up. He glanced at Mr. Lynch, wringing his hands together. "Can I?"

’Isn’t Mom working?’

Amanda Vance nodded. "Of course."

The current patients mostly had basic ailments she was already very familiar with; treating them wasn’t much of a challenge for her. The main issue was that she couldn’t stop worrying about the boy.

’He seems to be stuck in a rut. Who knows what will happen if I let him keep brooding like this? It’s better to take him out for a walk.’

Even Mr. Lynch, after finishing a prescription, turned and said, "It’s fine. Go on and take a walk with your mother."

’Hospitals are depressing places, not really suitable for a child.’

Hearing this, Felix Ford finally relaxed. He nodded, took her hand, hopped down from his chair, and followed her outside.

The traditional medicine wing wasn’t crowded, so it was fairly quiet. Behind it was a convalescent home with lovely grounds. Seasonal flowers were in bloom, creating a refreshing, peaceful atmosphere.

So Amanda Vance led him there. After walking for a bit, she had him sit on a bench. Stroking his head, she asked softly, "Did something happen? If you feel like you can’t handle it on your own, you can tell me. You don’t have to bear it all by yourself."

Her touch was gentle, her tone soft, and her eyes were filled with concern as she looked at him.

Perhaps her gentleness gave him the courage he needed. He finally couldn’t stop himself from asking, "Mom... if, and I’m just saying *if*... one day you found out that you had another child out there in the world... would you accept him?"