Eula sent someone to inquire about Lance's whereabouts and learned that Deanna's grandmother was critically ill.
She saw this as an opportunity to show her support and approached Lance, saying, "I heard Deanna's grandmother is sick. Let me go back with you. I can help look after the kids so you can focus on other matters."
Lance shot a dangerous look at Eula upon hearing this.
Eula's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively took a step back in fear.
"What's wrong?" she asked, puzzled.
Lance coldly replied, "Are you spying on me?"
"Uh... How could I possibly spy on you? It's just that your subordinates' actions caught my people's attention, and they informed me," Eula denied vehemently.
She knew very well that Lance hated being watched.
Lance didn't believe her but decided not to argue with Eula about it. He coldly refused, "My family matters don't need outsiders interfering."
With that, he ignored Eula and turned to leave.
Eula watched him disappear, frustrated by his unyielding nature.
"If you don't let me go, I'll go anyway!" she muttered, turning away to make preparations.
That night, Lance and Gunner hurried back to Cloudmere.
Shortly after they departed, Eula also set off.
At the same time, Xavier received the news and reported to Lance, "Mr. Mercer, Eula is following us."
"She is really annoying," Gunner scoffed.
Lance's face darkened as he coldly said, "Report her to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a potential threat."
Xavier nodded and went to handle it.
After a flight lasting over ten hours, Lance and his team finally arrived in Cloudmere.
Having rested on the plane, they were in good spirits upon landing.
They headed straight to the hospital.
When they arrived at the ward, Old Ashley was still unconscious.
Samantha was there with the two children, keeping vigil by the elderly woman's side.
When the children saw Lance, their eyes reddened as they rushed to hug him. "Daddy, you're finally back."
"Great-grandma is sick. My brother and I are so scared."
They clung to Lance, voicing their fears through tears.
Samantha approached, relieved. "The doctors managed to save her for now, but they said if her emotional issues aren't resolved, her condition will worsen."
Lance's expression grew serious upon hearing this.
Gunner also became solemn. "I'll go talk to the attending doctor about her condition," he said before leaving.
Lance led the sobbing children to a nearby table, took out tissues, and gently wiped their tears. "Don't cry. Your Great-grandma will be fine."
"Great-grandma will be okay. Grandmaster is here; he can definitely help her!" Gregory said with conviction, looking up at Lance with concern. "Daddy, did you find Mommy?"
Chloe and Samantha also looked over at Lance expectantly.
Lance hesitated but couldn't lie under their hopeful gazes. Apologetically, he said, "Sorry, Daddy hasn't found Mommy yet."
The children's tears flowed again upon hearing this.
"Daddy, is Mommy in trouble?"
"I don't want anything to happen to Mommy. You promised you'd find her," Chloe cried out.
Lance hurriedly tried to comfort them, feeling deeply pained.
Samantha stepped in to help as well.
Despite their efforts, the children cried for a long time until they were exhausted and fell asleep in their arms.
"Mommy..."
"I want Mommy..."
Even in their sleep, they called out for Deanna.
Samantha listened and watched their tear-streaked faces with a mix of heartache and worry.
She signaled Lance to place the children on a nearby bed and then led him out of the room.
In the hallway, Samantha urgently asked, "What's going on? Why haven't we heard anything about Deanna? Didn't you say Bella kidnapped her?"
"Bella did kidnap Deanna, but Deanna managed to escape halfway. However, Bella tried to shoot her, and she disappeared into the sea. We haven't found her yet," Lance explained without holding back.
As he spoke of Deanna jumping into the sea while pregnant and being shot by Bella, his eyes reddened and his fists clenched tightly.
Samantha was shocked by this revelation and covered her mouth to stifle a gasp that might wake the children.
After processing what Lance said, she noticed his distress and immediately asked, "Is there something else you're not telling me?"