On the way back, Deanna was so exhausted that she fell asleep against the seat, unconsciously leaning towards Lance.
Fortunately, Lance reacted quickly and supported her, preventing her from hitting his shoulder. He carefully held her and gently placed her in his arms.
Perhaps it was because of the familiar scent from Lance that Deanna slept even more soundly in his embrace, unconsciously rubbing her cheek against his thigh.
Watching Deanna's actions, Lance couldn't help but chuckle. He affectionately tapped her nose and instructed Xavier, who was driving, "Drive slower."
Xavier understood Mr. Mercer's intention immediately and reduced the car's speed.
Deanna slept deeply. When she woke up again, the sun was already high in the sky.
"Oh no, it's so late!" she exclaimed, sitting up in bed and grabbing her phone to check the time. It was almost ten o'clock.
Remembering the pile of tasks waiting for her at the research institute, she quickly got up, washed, and hurried downstairs.
In the living room, Old Ashley noticed her rushing and looked over with concern. "Deanna, where are you going in such a hurry? Is something wrong?"
"No, Grandma, I just overslept. There are a lot of things waiting for me at the research institute," Deanna said as she reached the entrance and prepared to change her shoes.
Seeing this, Old Ashley didn't stop her but quickly asked, "Will you be back for dinner tonight?"
Hearing this, Deanna paused. She thought for a moment and replied, "I'm not sure yet. I'll call you later to let you know whether I'll be back for dinner."
"Alright then, take care and be safe," Old Ashley waved her off.
Deanna nodded and left the estate.
About half an hour later, she arrived at the research institute and found it had been cleaned thoroughly. Inside, she saw that the staff hired for various positions had already started working, likely informed by Brent the night before.
The staff recognized Deanna as one of the heads of the institute and greeted her respectfully, "Ms. Jones, you're here."
Deanna nodded slightly and asked a nearby staff member, "Where's Brent?"
"I saw Brent heading towards the lab earlier; he should be there," the staff member replied.
Deanna nodded and let them continue their work as she headed towards the lab on the third floor, which was entirely dedicated to laboratory space.
Upon arrival, she saw Brent moving around inside the lab and quickly approached him. "Brent, what are you doing?"
"Miss, you're here. I'm checking if there's any issue with the equipment installation," Brent replied.
"I didn't know you could do that. Looks like we can rely on you if there's any problem with the equipment in the future," Deanna joked with a smile.
Brent sighed and said, "I didn't know this before. When I was abroad with Master Gunner, those foreigners were quite deceitful. They would claim minor issues with the equipment were major problems, costing Master Gunner a lot of money on repairs. Especially in those years when Master Gunner didn't have much money, I decided to learn about these machines myself. Surprisingly, I managed to pick up some skills."
He ended with a satisfied smile. Deanna felt even more sympathy for her master, realizing how tough those years abroad must have been for him.
"Brent, once things settle down here, tell me more about Master's time abroad," Deanna requested.
"Sure, as long as you don't mind me being long-winded," Brent agreed cheerfully.
Deanna then inquired about the equipment, "Are there any issues with these machines?"
"No; I've fixed any minor ones," Brent replied before asking, "Miss, now that the institute is ready, should we inform Professor Lionel to bring his team over?"
Deanna nodded, "Yes, it's time to notify him. I'll contact Mr. Grant shortly."
"Alright then, I'll continue checking everything to ensure there are no issues when you and Professor Lionel start using them," Brent said as he resumed his checks.
Deanna left him to his work and went to her office. She sat down and called Lionel.
Lionel answered and immediately guessed her reason for calling, "Miss Jones, has the research institute been completed?"
"Yes, it's ready. You can come over now," Deanna confirmed.
Lionel agreed, "Give me two days to wrap things up here, and I'll bring my team over."