Chapter 74: Something’s Not Right

On the way back, Samuel Ford drove a bit faster, and they arrived before long. Amanda Vance led the way with him following behind. He took in the familiar surroundings, and when he saw the floor she selected, he was suddenly at a loss for words.

Amanda Vance noticed his reaction. As she unlocked the door, she asked, "President Ford, are you really all right?"

’He’s acting so strange.’

"I’m fine," Samuel Ford repeated. His gaze fell upon a new pair of women’s slippers by the entryway, and he immediately looked away as if he’d been burned.

He didn’t follow her inside. Amanda Vance dropped her luggage in the bedroom and came right back out, deciding to unpack when she returned that night. The two of them then left for the hospital.

When they arrived, Mr. Ford had just woken up. He was lying in bed, talking with Mr. Lynch.

Seeing them return, he said quickly, "Look, this is the young lady who saved you today. If it wasn’t for her... well, my friend, there’s no telling how things would have turned out."

Now that the man had been saved, there was no harm in saying so.

The thought of his old friend’s recovery lifted a great weight from Mr. Lynch’s shoulders. He felt much more at ease and even started to joke around.

Mr. Ford smiled, not minding the banter. He looked toward Amanda Vance and nodded slowly, but when he opened his mouth to speak, no words came out.

Amanda Vance stepped forward to take his pulse. She released his wrist a moment later and patted his hand reassuringly. "Don’t worry. Just stay positive. We can treat this."

Mr. Lynch had already told him as much. Mr. Ford couldn’t speak, but his mind was clear. He could tell his old friend wasn’t deceiving him—this young woman could truly heal him.

She took a small porcelain vial from her medical kit, handed it to Samuel Ford, and said, "One pill a day for seven days."

He couldn’t see the pills inside, but the porcelain vial felt warm and smooth in his hand. It was unadorned, its surface a plain, pure white. ’Just like her,’ he thought.

Samuel Ford took it and nodded.

"Oh?" Mr. Lynch exclaimed. "Let me see."

Samuel Ford didn’t hand it over.

Mr. Lynch looked to Amanda Vance. After she gave a slight nod, Samuel Ford finally passed it to him.

Mr. Lynch opened it and peered inside, barely making out a few pills. He leaned closer to take a sniff, and a string of medicinal names slowly materialized in his mind. His eyes widened. "This... This is..."

He quickly capped the vial and stroked it, reluctant to let it go. After a long moment, he held it out to Samuel Ford with both hands. "Keep this safe. Remember to give it to your father every day without fail. This stuff is priceless."

Shawn Ford curled his lip in disdain. He was beginning to wonder if Mr. Lynch had been bribed by Amanda Vance; why else would he keep defending her? "What is that stuff, Samuel? You’d better have someone test it first. We can’t just give Dad any old concoction. What if it makes him sicker or—OW!"

He couldn’t finish his sentence before a hand smacked him on the back of the head. Someone had entered the room unnoticed, and upon hearing his words, they glared at him fiercely. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Shawn Ford rubbed the back of his head, wincing as he looked at the newcomer. "Mom," he whined pitifully.

It was Madam Ford.

Amanda Vance looked at her as well. The woman had elegant bone structure; you could tell she must have been a great beauty in her youth. Even now, she was impeccably preserved and didn’t look a day over fifty. Her features were soft and gentle, and the natural upward curve of her lips made her seem approachable. It was surprising, then, that she had such a temper, glaring at Shawn Ford without holding back in the slightest.

’So she has a fiery temper after all.’

Amanda Vance couldn’t help but watch for a moment longer. Then, the woman turned, took her hand with a beaming smile, and said eagerly, "You must be Dr. Vance. You’re so young and beautiful! And your hands are just lovely. Are these the hands that saved my husband?"

As she spoke, she stroked Amanda’s hand again and again, her touch almost reverent.

For a second, Amanda Vance felt as if this wasn’t her own hand, but a pig’s trotter being reverently presented as an ancestral offering on an altar.

Cringing at her own thought, Amanda Vance gave a light cough, withdrew her hand, and offered a polite smile as she took half a step back. "Yes, that was me."

She was even prettier when she smiled—truly a sight to behold. Glancing at Mr. Ford and seeing that his color was good, Madam Ford’s heart finally relaxed. Her expression filled with even more gratitude as she pulled Amanda to a nearby chair. "Lynch told me everything," she said. "We owe this all to you, my dear. Thank you so, so much."

"I’m a doctor. It’s what I do."

Her response was modest without being dismissive, and her expression radiated confidence. Any lingering doubts in Madam Ford’s heart began to dissipate.

’To be honest, when Lynch told me the person who saved him was young, I didn’t think much of it,’ she reflected. ’I just assumed it was a case of a student surpassing the master. I never expected her to be *this* young, or this beautiful.’

’No wonder Lynch gave me a heads-up. He must have been afraid I’d be dismissive or offend her because of her age.’

’After all, it’s rare to find a practitioner of traditional medicine who is so young yet so skilled.’

With a genius for an older son, Mrs. Ford was more open-minded than most. Though surprised by the doctor’s age, she didn’t doubt Mr. Lynch’s word. So when she rushed over only to hear her troublemaking younger son spouting nonsense, she was instantly furious and slapped him without a second thought. ’And even that,’ she thought, ’was letting him off easy.’

’What is that brat rambling about? What if he offends her and she refuses to continue the treatment? He’s useless all day long, always holding everyone back.’

With that thought, she shot him another irritated glare before turning back to Amanda Vance with a smile. "Dr. Vance, my husband’s care is in your hands now. We’re counting on you."

Amanda Vance gave a slight nod. "Of course."

Mr. Ford’s condition was stable, and there was nothing more to be done at the moment. Noticing it was lunchtime, Mrs. Ford said, "Dr. Vance, are you free? Please, let me treat you to lunch."

"That’s not necessary. I need to go see my son, so I’m afraid I don’t have time. Please, you don’t need to stand on ceremony. I’m a doctor; treating the sick is my duty."

Hearing this, Mrs. Ford didn’t insist, though her curiosity was piqued. "You have a child already, Dr. Vance? You’re so young."

Amanda Vance nodded without elaborating.

She bid them farewell and left.

Mrs. Ford watched her retreating figure, a touch of regret in her eyes. ’She married so young,’ she thought. ’I wonder what man was lucky enough to marry such a wonderful person like Dr. Vance.’

Seeming to read her mind, Shawn Ford rubbed his head and said, "Mom, don’t let her fool you. She has a terrible reputation."

He was about to elaborate when he felt an icy glare shoot in his direction. He quickly looked over and saw his older brother staring at him coldly.

Shawn Ford couldn’t help but flinch, swallowing hard.

Samuel Ford rubbed the small vial in his palm, his brow furrowed as he looked at Shawn. He made no effort to hide his feelings; his gaze was filled with undisguised coldness and displeasure.

"I’ve told you many times before," he said. "Don’t believe rumors."

Mrs. Ford didn’t know what rumors they were talking about, but she immediately nodded in agreement with her eldest son. "Exactly. Shawn, you’re gullible enough as it is, you should listen to less gossip. Believing all that nonsense just makes you look even more foolish."

Hearing his mother call him gullible and foolish in the same breath, Shawn Ford felt his chest tighten. He was so stunned he couldn’t speak.

He looked from one to the other, then reluctantly swallowed the words he was about to say.

’There’s no smoke without fire,’ he thought. ’I refuse to believe she’s completely innocent.’

Not bothering with her foolish younger son anymore, Mrs. Ford glanced at Samuel Ford. ’That’s strange,’ she thought. ’Since when does my eldest son stick up for people?’

’Something’s not right here.’