Ace might have stormed into the lake house and locked himself in his room, but his ears—or, to be precise, Dame Wasp's cybernetic senses—were keenly attuned to the conversation outside. Hearing his mother willingly agree to move to his father's hometown without Mandy even needing to reveal all her cards, Ace was chuffed. Things had unfolded exactly as he had planned, making his pretense of being an ignorant, religious coward worth it.
He could have asked Janice for anything, but he requested a few acres of farmland because he knew that if he were to bring it up, Mandy—hesitant to participate in the transaction due to her ties to both Ace and Janice—would inevitably join in for her own interests ensuring that Ace and Janice would reach a deal which would help Mandy's interest of acquiring more farmland in that part of the town for reasons unknown.
