Everyone was surprised by these words.
Mrs. Walsh, worried, quickly asked, "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"
"No, they didn't do anything to me. They just locked me in a small dark room for the night," Leticia explained, shaking her head.
Hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Walsh both sighed in relief.
Deanna, however, couldn't help but overthink.
She glanced at the man who had somehow ended up beside her and whispered, "This has nothing to do with you, does it?"
"Why would you think it has anything to do with me?" Lance neither confirmed nor denied, holding her gently as he asked in return.
Deanna looked up at the man in front of her and said, "Just a hunch."
Lance held her and smiled without saying a word.
Even so, Deanna guessed the answer but chose not to say it out loud.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Walsh asked about what had happened earlier.
"What were you arguing about just now?"
Upon hearing this, Leticia finally remembered what she had forgotten.
She looked up at Lance, ready to complain, but was interrupted by Hassan.
Hassan said in a deep voice, "Miss Jones almost fell earlier. I helped her out of kindness, but my cousin saw it and misunderstood."
"I didn't misunderstand! Deanna is shameless and was seducing you. I have photos to prove it!" Leticia retorted excitedly, pulling out her phone to show the photos she had taken.
Upon seeing this, Lance's face instantly turned cold.
Deanna noticed Lance's change in expression and felt uneasy. She explained softly, "What Leticia said isn't true. I really tripped over something at the time. Mr. Hassan just helped me out of kindness. I don't know how Leticia saw it."
Hearing this, Lance turned to look at Deanna's nervous eyes and smiled gently. "You don't need to explain to me. I believe you."
Hassan didn't hear their conversation.
He saw that Leticia was determined to slander him and Deanna and his face darkened.
"I remember Uncle installed surveillance cameras in the living room. Since my cousin insists there's something between Miss Jones and me, I request to check the surveillance footage."
"There's surveillance?" Leticia was stunned.
At this moment, Ernest scolded with a stern face, "Enough! Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? Butler, take Leticia back to her room. She's not allowed to step out without my permission!"
"I don't want to! I didn't do anything wrong. Why are you confining me?" Leticia shouted in defiance.
Ernest's face was full of anger. Ignoring her, he ordered the butler beside him, "Didn't you hear my instructions? Take the young lady away!"
The butler didn't dare hesitate any longer and quickly stepped forward to forcibly take Leticia away.
With Leticia gone, the living room became much quieter.
Ernest approached Lance and apologized, "My daughter is immature. I hope Mr. Mercer and Dr. Deanna don't take it to heart."
"Mr. Walsh, since you know she lacks manners, you should discipline her well. Otherwise, even the best temper will be exhausted," Deanna said bluntly for the first time.
Lance added, "If Mr. Walsh doesn't know how to educate his daughter, I don't mind doing it for him."
Ernest's face turned red with embarrassment but he was helpless.
After all, he was in the wrong.
The next day passed quietly, possibly because Leticia was being watched closely.
Two days later, Old Walsh's condition had improved significantly. He no longer needed to stay in his room all the time and could walk around the garden and join the family for meals in the dining room.
The Walsh family was very happy about this.
During breakfast that morning, Deanna announced, "Old Walsh's condition has stabilized. I'll continue treatment for two more days to consolidate it, then we can end the treatment. Afterward, only medication will be needed for maintenance."
"So Miss Jones will be leaving in two days?" Hassan picked up on the implication in Deanna's words.
Deanna nodded and confirmed, "Yes, I plan to leave in two days."
"Why are you leaving so soon? Stay a few more days; I haven't even properly thanked you yet," Old Walsh said disapprovingly, trying to persuade Deanna to stay.
Deanna smiled and declined politely, "Thank you for your kindness, Old Walsh, but there's no need. Besides, you've already given me your treasured medical books for research. That's the best gift I could receive. Also, I've been away from home for quite some time now and I'm starting to worry about things back home."
"Alright then, don't try to keep us here any longer. To be honest, if it weren't for your previous poisoning and unstable condition, Anna would have left long ago. She's not exactly happy staying here," Old Hughes chimed in, subtly hinting at certain issues.
Old Walsh had no choice but to agree to Deanna's departure.
Mrs. Walsh felt relieved upon hearing that Deanna and Lance would be leaving in two days.
In her view, once Deanna and Lance left, her somewhat obsessive daughter might return to normal.