Chapter 94: Discovering an Anomaly

Jean Vance stared at the mess strewn all over the floor, his mouth twitching.

He’d thought the room was a disaster the first time he saw it, but he never imagined it could get even worse.

’How on earth does he live in this?’

Pressing his lips together, Jean fought the urge to drag him over and make him clean it up himself. He took a deep breath to calm down, then bent over and started picking things up.

He tossed the clothes directly into the hamper and put away the toys. By the time he was done, two hours had passed.

Looking at the clean and tidy room, Jean finally let out a sigh of relief. He went to take a shower, but when he came out, he found a man sitting in the chair.

Jean paused for a second before composing himself and continuing forward.

Hearing the noise, Samuel Ford put down his book and turned to look at him. "Showering so early?"

Jean, drying his hair, replied nonchalantly, "I have to wash it sooner or later."

’So it doesn’t matter when I do it.’

’That makes sense.’

Samuel Ford nodded, looking him up and down. "You’re not angry anymore?"

Sensing the subtle test in his eyes, Jean lowered his gaze. Imitating Felix Ford, he gave a soft huff. "We’ll see how you behave."

’So he hasn’t forgiven me yet.’

’He couldn’t understand how such a little kid could hold such a big grudge.’ Samuel Ford stood up. "Dry your hair before you go to sleep. I’ll have Miss Lynch bring your dinner up in a bit. Eat slowly. Don’t rush. You need to let your stomach recover."

"Mm," Jean nodded nonchalantly.

Seeing that he wasn’t in a talkative mood, Samuel didn’t press the issue and headed for the door. Just before leaving, he seemed to remember something and added, "The room looks good."

Jean’s brow furrowed instantly, and he was immediately on guard. ’What did he mean by that?’

He left right after, as if it were just an offhand comment.

But Jean didn’t relax. He suddenly recalled what Felix Ford had said—that his father was sharp. ’Right,’ he thought, ’I shouldn’t underestimate him.’

While he was lost in thought, Miss Lynch came in with his dinner, a wide smile on her face. "Young Master, come and eat."

She set the dishes down as she spoke. "The master specifically requested all this, you know. He really cares about you, Young Master. He’s even been working less overtime at the office lately."

’Instead, he just works overtime at home.’

Felix Ford had told him about it just today, and in a complaining tone.

As far as Felix was concerned, it was all still overtime. It didn’t matter where his father did it.

He still wouldn’t play with him.

But Felix didn’t care about that.

So Jean cared even less.

Without responding, Jean walked to the table and began to eat slowly. He heard Miss Lynch continue, "Young Master, you shouldn’t fight with the master anymore. After all, you’re his only child. Who else would he dote on if not you?"

Hearing this, Jean narrowed his eyes. He glanced at Miss Lynch before lowering his head to his bowl, a thoughtful expression flickering in his eyes.

’At first glance, her words seemed harmless. But it sounded as if Samuel Ford only doted on Felix Ford because he was his only child.’

’So if he had other children, would he stop doting on Felix?’

’Wasn’t the reason Felix threw a fit and ran away because Miss Ford was trying to set Samuel up on dates?’

’Knowing Felix’s temperament, words like that wouldn’t be comforting at all. In fact, they were more likely to provoke a backlash.’

’They say she’s been taking care of Felix since he was little. She must know his personality. So why would she say something like that?’

A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, but Jean’s expression remained impassive. He quickly finished his meal, handed the bowl to her, and watched her leave before closing the door. Phone in hand, he went into the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Felix Ford was leaning against Amanda Vance, watching TV, when he felt his phone vibrate softly. Other than his family, only Jean Vance had this number.

At this thought, he immediately glanced at Amanda Vance.

Amanda looked over as well. "What’s wrong?"

Felix Ford clutched his stomach. "Mom, I have to go to the bathroom."

"Then go ahead."

"Okay." Nodding, Felix ran off, still clutching his stomach. He shut the door tightly, locked it, and sat down on the closed toilet lid. He took out his phone and, just as he’d expected, the call was from Jean Vance.

He found Jean’s number and called back. He heard Jean ask, "That nanny... who is she?"

"Huh?" Felix was taken aback. He hadn’t expected a question like that. "You mean Miss Lynch?"

"Yeah."

"She’s our housekeeper," Felix said, completely bewildered. He had no idea why Jean was asking. ’How weird.’

’He’s not getting it.’

After a moment of thought, Jean said, "Tonight, I want you to think about her. Things she’s done, things she’s said to you. Big or small, it doesn’t matter. Just try to remember whatever you can and tell me tomorrow."

’This is too complicated to explain in a few sentences,’ he thought. ’It’s better to wait and talk at school tomorrow.’

"Oh." Felix nodded. Hearing the implication, he couldn’t help but ask, "Is there something wrong with Miss Lynch?"

He suddenly remembered Jean’s plan—that Jean was taking his place at the Ford residence to investigate something. ’Now he’s asking about her... does that mean she’s a suspect?’

At this thought, Felix grew restless. "But Miss Lynch is really nice! Her cooking is delicious, she’s great to me, and whenever Dad and I argue, she’s always the one who defends me."

"Right," Jean said noncommittally. He didn’t really believe him. ’Felix is just a naive fool; if someone gives him a piece of candy and a few compliments, he thinks they’re a saint.’ "We’ll talk about it tomorrow. Maybe I’m just overthinking things."

"You’re definitely overthinking it," Felix mumbled. Afraid Jean might have heard, he quickly added, "I have to get back to watching TV with my mom. I’m hanging up now, bye!"

And with a CLICK, he hung up.

Hearing the dial tone, Jean’s expression darkened. ’If it weren’t for him, I’d be the one with Mom right now.’

’What a pain.’

He muttered the word aloud, forcing down the jealousy in his heart. Jean lay on the bed, thinking that maybe, just maybe, he could unmask the culprit in a couple of days. Then he could finally go home.

At that thought, he closed his eyes, eagerly awaiting the next day.

「The next day.」

After breakfast, Rocco once again drove him to school. As usual, he couldn’t help but worry about his employer, and he earnestly tried to talk some sense into the boy. His methods were clumsy, though. He just kept repeating how hard Samuel Ford worked and how difficult it was for a man to support his family. "When he picks up his bowl to work, he can’t be with you. But if he puts it down, he can’t provide for you."

Hearing this, Jean couldn’t help but glance up at him. Rocco still had his thick beard and muscular build, which made him look rather fierce and intimidating. The sight of this tough-looking man trying to mediate a father-son reconciliation was a bit jarring.

But it was also obvious that his attempts were sincere. He even brought up examples from his own relatives and friends. The gist of it all was that his father still loved him.

’Felix really needs to hear this,’ Jean thought. ’He needs to learn the difference between sincere advice and false counsel meant to stir up trouble.’

’Then again, knowing Felix’s temper, he’d probably just blacklist anyone who tried to talk sense into him, cover his ears, and refuse to listen.’