For the next half day, Deanna accompanied Lance in his office as he worked through documents. Through this, she realized just how busy Lance usually was, working nonstop.
It was not until the evening that Lance finally found some free time. At that moment, Xavier and the styling team entered, respectfully announcing, "Mr. Mercer, missus, the outfits are ready for you to change."
"Okay," Lance responded and then took Deanna to get changed.
About an hour and a half later, both were dressed and set out for the hotel where the business meeting was being held.
On the way, Deanna, knowing that the attendees would be clients of Mercer Group and friends, grew nervous. "Is it really okay for me to attend this business meeting with you? I've never been to such a gathering. Is there anything I should be aware of?" she asked anxiously.
Lance noticed her discomfort and pulled her close to comfort her. "Don't worry, just stay by my side. There's no problem; you are my fiancée, and I would have introduced you to them sooner or later. It's just happening a bit earlier."
Reassured by his words, Deanna took a deep breath and nodded brightly. "Then I will do my best not to cause you any trouble."
"You're wrong there; it's not about causing me trouble. I am willing to take on everything for you," Lance corrected her gently.
Deanna's smile grew even brighter at his words, which sounded more endearing than any sweet talk.
As they conversed, they unknowingly arrived at their destination. Lance, ever the gentleman, helped Deanna out of the car. Their arrival immediately caught the attention of everyone present, as it was rare for Lance to bring a date to public events and they appeared very intimate.
Familiar faces approached to greet them. "Good evening, Mr. Mercer. And who is this lovely lady?" asked a refined young man who appeared a few years older than Lance.
With a protective arm around Deanna, Lance introduced her with a smile, "This is my fiancée, Deanna. And this gentleman is a board director from Far Eastern Group. You can just call him Mr. Irwin."
Deanna nodded politely and greeted, "Hello, Mr. Irwin."
"Hello, Miss Jones," Mr. Irwin replied with a smile, then teased Lance, "Mr. Mercer, it's not fair keeping such good news from us friends who could have celebrated with you."
"It's a recent decision; don't worry, you won't be forgotten when it comes time to celebrate," Lance replied with a light smile.
Throughout the evening, several business partners came over to greet them. Deanna stayed by Lance's side, gracefully making acquaintances with everyone. By the end of the night, everyone at the business meeting knew that Lance was no longer single and had a fiancée.
Some tried to get Lance to drink in celebration, but he refused them all saying, "My fiancée keeps a tight leash; she won't let me drink."
This comment drew everyone's attention to Deanna. Even though she usually didn't mind people's stares, she felt overwhelmed this time.
She subtly pinched Lance's waist and whispered just loud enough for him to hear, "Since when do I keep a tight leash on you? I just asked you to drink less."
"Yes, yes, my mistake," Lance quickly whispered back apologetically.
Their little interaction did not go unnoticed and elicited friendly smiles from the others.
Some even joked, "Looks like Mr. Mercer is going to be henpecked from now on."
"I never thought I'd see the day when Mr. Mercer is afraid of a woman. This is big news for Cloudmere."
Hearing their teasing remarks made Deanna blush so much that she wished she could hide away. And indeed, she tried to escape the situation by saying, "You guys chat; I'm a bit hungry and will go grab something to eat."
With that, she didn't give Lance a chance to speak and headed towards the snack area.
Unbeknownst to her, this scene was observed by Leticia from a corner.
Hearing the surrounding conversations about the couple, especially the praises for Deanna, Leticia felt unbearable jealousy.
How could such a shameless woman like Deanna deserve to be with Lance?!
She clenched her fists tightly and took several deep breaths to calm her jealousy.
Then she glanced at Lance surrounded by people and walked towards Deanna with a glass of wine in hand and a beaming smile.
"Deanna, it really is you," Leticia said feigning surprise as she stopped in front of her.
Deanna saw her and frowned slightly but still nodded politely, "Miss Walsh."
"Deanna, you don't need to be so formal with me; we've known each other for so long and you're my grandfather's lifesaver. You can call me by my first name," Leticia said with a sweet smile, trying to bridge their relationship.