The news online quickly reached Lance.
Xavier asked, "Sir, do you need me to suppress the news?"
"No need," Lance refused.
In his view, it wasn't a big deal. It was a good way to let others know the Mercer family's attitude towards children and to prevent any ill-intentioned people from targeting the two kids.
As the two children entered the school, Lance looked at his energetic parents and suggested, "There are still two hours until Gregory and Chloe finish their exams. Let's go to a nearby café and wait. We can come back when it's almost over."
"I won't go. I want to wait here for Gregory and Chloe."
Samantha refused without a second thought.
After speaking, she gave Logan a warning look, clearly indicating that he shouldn't leave either.
Logan naturally complied.
Seeing this, Lance showed a helpless smile and glanced at Deanna beside him. He said with concern, "Mom and Dad, even if you don't want to rest, think about Deanna. She's pregnant. Standing for so long isn't good for her health."
Hearing this, Samantha suddenly remembered what she had overlooked and slapped her forehead in frustration.
"Oh dear, I was too excited and forgot that Deanna is carrying a baby."
She then shifted the blame to Lance, scolding, "What kind of fiancé are you? Seeing Deanna standing here, you should have immediately taken her to a nearby café to sit down. Don't you care about her?"
Lance was stunned.
He had intended to use Deanna's pregnancy as an excuse to get his parents to consider her and go rest at the café. How did it turn into him not caring about her?
Deanna couldn't help but laugh at Lance's dumbfounded expression.
She pulled the unresponsive Lance and said with a smile, "If your parents want to stay here, let them. It's their way of showing they care about Gregory and Chloe. We can have Xavier bring the car over. If they get tired, they can sit in the car for a while."
Lance had no better solution and could only agree, though his expression was somewhat peculiar.
Deanna noticed and curiously asked, "What are you thinking about? Why do you look so strange?"
"I was thinking that when I took exams back then, my parents didn't care this much."
Lance voiced his thoughts.
Deanna laughed again, "What, are you jealous of your son and daughter now? Do you think grandparental affection is just a saying? Take me for example. I don't know how things were in the past, but since I came back, my grandmother has been more concerned about Gregory and Chloe than me. Do you understand what I mean?"
She looked up at Lance.
Meeting her gaze, Lance nodded belatedly.
So, the two chatted as they walked to a nearby café.
Because Deanna was pregnant, Lance only ordered juice for her.
They sat by the window, their striking looks and demeanor drawing frequent glances from passersby.
Deanna didn't mind the attention.
She took a sip of juice and asked, "What's the situation in Espuenia?"
She didn't believe Eula would stay quiet for so long.
Lance seemed to understand her feelings. While wiping the juice from her lips, he replied, "I had someone collaborate with Max. He's already started countering Eula. She won't have the energy to come after us anytime soon."
This was indeed the case.
Eula had thought that by putting up a puppet, Lance would be powerless against her.
She only needed to consolidate control over the gray areas of business.
But she hadn't anticipated that Lance would foresee her moves.
Lance not only had someone collaborate with Max but also targeted Eula's businesses in the gray areas, causing significant losses.
At this moment, Eula was overwhelmed and had no energy to deal with Deanna and Lance.
"Are you all useless? You can't even handle such a small matter! Why do I keep you around?"
In her office, Eula slammed the table and yelled at her subordinates.
One subordinate muttered in dissatisfaction, "It's not our fault. When we worked with Mr. Mercer, the West Sea line was always lenient with us. After we split up, although we still use that line, it's not as easy as before. Now you want to transport contraband restricted by Mr. Mercer through other routes."
"So you're saying it's my fault for splitting with Lance?"
Eula glared sharply at the subordinate as if she would lash out if he said another word.
Sensing danger, the subordinate stayed silent.
Eula snorted coldly and ordered, "This shipment is crucial for us. I don't care what methods you use; you must get it back!"