Chapter 92: Reaching an Agreement

"Then I really am Mom’s child, right?" Felix Ford pressed urgently.

Jean Vance pressed his lips together. After a long moment, he nodded.

Last night, whenever he closed his eyes, all he could see was his mom’s face, blaming him after learning the truth. Blaming him for not telling her, for stopping a mother and son from reuniting.

At this thought, Jean Vance’s eyes darkened a little more.

"What’s wrong with you?" Seeing his crestfallen expression, Felix Ford lost all his momentum to question him. How should he put it... looking at Jean, he couldn’t help but be reminded of his dad. He was used to seeing them both act so strong; this was the first time he’d seen Jean like this.

After a moment’s thought, he patted Jean’s shoulder comfortingly. "Hey, don’t be upset. I don’t mean to blame you. Okay, I admit I was a little bit before. It’s your fault for lying to me."

He pouted, then broke into a smile. "Forget it. I forgive you. We can still be good brothers from now on, okay?"

Hearing this, Jean Vance froze for a second. "You really forgive me?"

Felix Ford nodded emphatically. "Really, really. I’m easy to please. Not like you smart people who are always overthinking things."

He felt that having two kids in the family would be lively. There was no such thing as "stealing" parents; they would be their shared mom and dad.

But smart people probably didn’t think that way. They were used to enjoying so much special treatment; they definitely wouldn’t be happy about suddenly having to share everything equally.

Thinking of this, he sighed and said earnestly, "Sigh, you see? Even smart people can be dumb sometimes, right? If we acknowledge each other, you get a brother and another dad, but Mom is still your mom. It’s a win-win, isn’t it?"

At his words, Jean Vance’s mouth twitched. He was a little speechless as he looked at Felix Ford, who was looking at him as if he were an idiot.

’What a simpleton.’

As he thought this, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. The burden he’d felt since learning last night that his mom had contacted Felix had eased slightly, and his brow unfurrowed. "I won’t acknowledge your dad."

Seeing Felix frown, he added, "Mom wants to acknowledge you. Since your existence can make her happy, then go ahead."

He’d thought it through. Since the child who had supposedly died at birth was a permanent source of pain in his mother’s heart, and now there was a cure, why not give it to her?

More than having his mom all to himself, he wanted to see her happy.

When Felix Ford first heard him, his expression changed, thinking Jean still felt the same way as before. After hearing the rest, he breathed a sigh of relief, but was also a little confused. "Why don’t you want to acknowledge Dad? Don’t you want a dad?"

"No." Jean Vance’s reply was self-righteous and unhesitating. "For all these years, he was never a part of my life. I don’t need a dad anymore. Besides, because of him, Mom suffered a lot and was criticized by everyone. So, I will not acknowledge him."

Because of him, Mom was expelled from Auden University and had her name removed from her high school’s records. Even now, she’s still enduring all that gossip. For so many years, he watched his mom get through it step by step. Even though she never cared about any of it, he still ached for her.

Felix Ford nodded, only half-understanding. He didn’t quite grasp what Jean was saying, but he knew that a lot of people had indeed bullied their mom. So it was all Dad’s fault.

At this thought, he got angry too. "Then I don’t want a dad anymore either! I’ll just live with you and Mom."

"No."

Felix Ford’s face fell. "Why? You just said you were willing to let me and Mom reunite. Are you backing out again?"

"No." Jean Vance wasn’t actually trying to carry out a personal vendetta. He frowned and said, "Before I met you, in Mom’s mind and mine, you were someone who had left this world long ago."

Felix Ford: "???"

He stared at him, completely baffled, then looked down at his own shadow on the ground. He was a little angry. "Are you cursing me?!"

"No, let me finish." Jean Vance’s expression was calm and somewhat grave, which made Felix Ford quiet down obediently, pushing down his unhappiness to continue listening.

"I’m not cursing you. When we were born, the doctor told Mom that you died at birth. There’s even a grave for you abroad."

Felix Ford’s mouth fell open in astonishment. "But... but I’m still alive."

"Exactly. That’s the problem. You’re clearly alive, so why did the doctor say you were dead? And how did you end up back with the Ford Family?"

’He was just a newborn then; he couldn’t have walked on his own. Someone must have taken him. Who was that person, and why did they do it?’

He had only realized this problem yesterday. There was definitely something more to this.

’Who on earth is pulling the strings behind all this?’

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Felix Ford swallowed hard. "Then... then what do we do now?"

Jean Vance thought for a moment, then asked him, "Is there anything unusual going on with the Ford Family?"

’Those few from the Vance Family don’t amount to much; they couldn’t come up with a scheme like this. That only leaves the Ford Family.’

"Huh? I don’t think there’s anything unusual," Felix Ford said blankly, scratching his head.

’Even if there were, he probably wouldn’t notice.’

Jean Vance glanced at him. Knowing his naive nature, he didn’t say anything. The person who set up such a huge scheme wouldn’t be easy to uncover.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "How about this: we’ll stick with the swap. I’ll go to the Ford Family to check things out."

"Okay!" Felix Ford agreed in a heartbeat.

Jean Vance choked. Seeing the irrepressible smile on Felix’s face, he felt his chest tighten in frustration.

’He’s really infuriating.’

He took a few deep breaths to barely restrain the urge to roll his eyes.

"Then you be careful when you’re with Mom. Don’t let the cat out of the bag. Since that person took you, it’s very likely they know about my existence too. You need to be careful. If anything feels wrong, contact me immediately."

"Mm," Felix Ford nodded obediently. As long as Jean was willing to let him be with their mom, he’d agree to anything. He’d listen to whatever Jean said.

Seeing right through him, Jean Vance felt that block in his chest again. For some reason, he suddenly felt like he was letting the wolf in the door.

’Will I really not regret today’s decision?’

’Regret it!’

’I regret it already!’

’Felix Ford was already desperate to be with Mom, and here I am, actually helping him. What the hell is this?’

’Whatever. Mom’s safety is what’s important. I have to quickly find out who’s pulling the strings behind the scenes.’

’As long as that person isn’t exposed, they’ll always be a hidden danger.’

After some thought, Jean Vance’s state of mind calmed down a bit.

He gave Felix a few more instructions, also telling him about his own likes and dislikes, and who was in their mom’s circle, to avoid blowing their cover.

"...That’s about it. Mr. Jobs and the others are still abroad and won’t be back for a while. We can ignore them for now. If you have any problems in the future, you can always ask me."

"Okay. And if there’s anything you don’t know, you can ask me too."

Jean Vance glanced up at him, thinking scornfully to himself, ’What could I possibly need to ask him?’

"Just worry about yourself."

Felix Ford puffed out his cheeks, retorting indignantly, "You be careful too. Don’t get careless. Dad is very smart. Don’t be the one who gets found out first."

"Hah." Jean Vance finally let that eye-roll happen, his expression full of disdain.