In fact, Lance had calculated accurately.
The call was from Matteo Bryant, the president of FY Trading Company.
As soon as the call connected, he explained to Deanna, "Miss Jones, the online incident is not our company's doing. Please don't misunderstand. I have already sent someone to investigate and will give you an explanation."
"This matter is too complex to discuss over the phone. I'm on my way to your company now. We can talk in detail when we meet."
Deanna relayed Lance's words verbatim.
Hearing this, Matteo Bryant was silent for a few seconds before he laughed and said, "In that case, I will await your arrival, Miss Jones."
With that, they exchanged a few polite words and hung up.
After putting down her phone, Deanna looked at Lance with admiration and couldn't help but say, "You were right. The president of FY Trading Company contacted me to explain that the online incident wasn't their doing."
"These are common tactics. You'll understand more as you encounter them," Lance explained softly while holding her hand.
Deanna nodded to show she understood.
Soon, the car stopped in front of an office building.
As soon as Lance got out of the car, he sensed something was off.
He squinted and scanned the surroundings, noticing several media reporters standing not far away.
"What's wrong?" Deanna asked, noticing his unusual behavior and following his gaze.
Lance didn't hide it and said honestly, "There are reporters around."
With that, he withdrew his gaze and led Deanna towards the office building.
Deanna was momentarily stunned by Lance's words but quickly realized, "Are they here to block me?"
"Probably," Lance replied coldly, having a bad impression of FY Trading Company in his mind.
How dare they target his woman?
Deanna was still puzzled and asked, "If they're here for me, why aren't they coming over?"
"It's because of Mr. Mercer," Xavier answered quickly on behalf of Lance.
Lance shot him a cold glance, making Xavier shiver and quickly gesture to zip his lips.
He thought to himself, Mr. Mercer is becoming more domineering. Just for answering the missus's question first, he got threatened.
Indeed, as Xavier said, the reporters hesitated upon seeing Lance.
After all, Lance's fierce reputation in Cloudmere was well-known.
Meanwhile, Matteo Bryant's secretary hurried into the office to report, "Mr. Mercer, Miss Jones from Vortex Technology is here. She's downstairs now..."
"I told you, if she comes, tell her I'm in a meeting and make her wait," Matteo interrupted impatiently before the secretary could finish.
The secretary quickly added, "But she's accompanied by Mr. Mercer from Mercer Group."
"Who cares who... Who did you say?!" Matteo looked up in shock and disbelief.
The secretary repeated, "Mr. Mercer from Mercer Group."
"It's him!" Matteo was stunned.
He hadn't expected Lance to come with Deanna.
After a few seconds of shock, he saw the secretary still standing there and hurriedly urged, "What are you standing there for? Go and invite them up!"
The secretary snapped out of it, responded affirmatively, and left.
As he walked out of the office, Matteo also stepped out from behind his desk, straightened his clothes, and followed.
Led by the secretary, Deanna and Lance took the elevator upstairs.
Soon after, they exited the elevator and saw a middle-aged man waiting outside.
It was none other than Matteo.
He approached with a fawning smile and extended his hand. "Mr. Mercer, it's an honor to have you visit our company."
Lance responded with a simple "Hmm" but didn't extend his hand.
Matteo didn't mind and turned his attention to Deanna with equal enthusiasm. "Miss Jones, hello. I'm Matteo from FY Trading Company. You and Mr. Mercer make such a perfect couple; I'm envious."
"Thank you," Deanna replied curtly with a distant smile.
She felt uneasy inside.
She couldn't understand how this man could be so shamelessly flattering after scheming against her.
Though puzzled, she remained vigilant.
After some pleasantries, they entered the office.
Once seated, Deanna got straight to the point. "Mr. Bryant, I believe you know why we're here. We want to understand the attack on your company's system. If possible, I'd like my technical staff to inspect your system. I also have a few questions for your technical team."
"Miss Jones has hired technical staff?" Matteo looked surprised and frowned.
Clearly, he hadn't expected Deanna to bring technical staff along.
This disrupted his plans once again.