Landon was silent for a few seconds on the phone. He knew Deanna was rejecting him, but he was unwilling to give up. He had left the country initially, hoping time would help him forget his feelings.
Now that he had a chance to pursue her again, he didn't want to let it slip away, no matter how slim the opportunity.
"I know you're going through a tough time and might not be ready for another relationship, but I don't mind. I can be with you through these dark days. I just hope that when you reconsider in the future, you'll think of me first," Landon said earnestly.
Deanna felt a headache coming on. She thought about it and decided she couldn't let Landon misunderstand. She planned to tell him the truth, "Actually, I and..."
"No need to say it. My mind is made up. Even if you reject me now, I won't accept it. I'll prove with my actions that I'm better than Lance!" Landon interrupted her and hung up the phone before she could respond.
Deanna put down her phone, her expression a mix of helplessness and frustration. She needed to find a time to explain things clearly to Landon.
A week passed quickly. Deanna and Lance had kept their breakup a secret from Old Ashley to avoid upsetting her, but secrets have a way of coming out, especially since Lance had barely been around lately.
That day, Old Ashley finally couldn't hold back her curiosity. "Deanna, has Lance been very busy recently?" she asked.
Deanna and the two children accompanying Old Ashley exchanged uneasy glances. Chloe wanted to say something but was stopped by Gregory, who shook his head. Chloe pouted but remained silent.
Old Ashley noticed their little gestures but stayed calm, waiting for Deanna's answer.
Deanna thought for a moment and decided to keep the truth from Old Ashley.
She felt that whether she told the truth or lied, it would be easy to slip up since the hospital had many visitors, and anyone could be Eula's informant.
Not telling the truth could also be seen as protecting Old Ashley from stress.
"Oh, he's been quite busy lately. He missed a lot of work while looking for me, so I haven't seen much of him," Deanna said.
"Is that so?" Old Ashley looked at her meaningfully.
Deanna felt a pang of guilt under Old Ashley's deep gaze but insisted, "Yes, that's how it is. If you don't believe me, you can ask Gregory and Chloe."
She shot a look at the two children, who reluctantly nodded in agreement. "That's right," they said.
Seeing this, Old Ashley glanced at the three of them but didn't press further and changed the subject. Deanna breathed a sigh of relief.
After some time, Deanna's phone rang. It was a call from the company manager. "Ms. Jones, there's an issue at the company. Can you come over?"
"What happened?" Deanna asked worriedly.
Although the breakup was fake, Lance had returned all management rights of Deanna's company to her to make it believable.
The manager explained, "Our project for the second half of the year was about to be signed, but the client company just contacted us saying there's no rush to sign. Also, several suppliers are demanding higher prices."
Deanna felt confused but didn't show it. She instructed, "I understand. I'll come over right away. Gather everyone responsible for these matters in the conference room for a meeting."
The manager nodded and hung up.
Deanna turned to Old Ashley with an apologetic look. "Grandma, there's an issue at the company. I need to go."
Old Ashley looked at her but didn't ask any questions. "Go ahead. Leave Gregory and Chloe here with me," she said, waving her hand.
Deanna agreed and reminded the children to behave before leaving quickly with her bag.
In the car, she was about to message Lance about the company's issues when she received a message from him first.
Lance's message explained that he knew about the company's troubles and that Eula was behind it. He believed it was a common business tactic to test if their breakup was real or fake. He suggested Deanna respond firmly to provoke Eula further.
As for him, he wouldn't help openly but would strategize from behind the scenes to create the illusion of a real breakup. Given Eula's pride, she wouldn't accept losing and would strike again, giving them a chance to gather evidence.
Deanna fully agreed with Lance's plan.