Lance looked down and saw the hatred on Deanna's face.
But this was good; with hatred, she could vent and wouldn't bottle up all her emotions inside.
"We've found some clues. I've sent more people to track her down. I believe we'll have news soon. When we catch her, I'll leave her to you," he said.
"I want her to suffer!" Deanna gritted her teeth.
This was the first time in her life she had felt such a strong desire for revenge.
Lance held her tightly clenched fist and nodded, "Whatever you want to do, I will support you."
At noon that day, friends and family who knew Deanna came to pay their respects to Old Ashley. Seeing the haggard Deanna in the mourning hall, they were at a loss for words of comfort and could only offer their condolences.
By evening, the visitors gradually stopped coming.
Lance stayed with Deanna as they burned the last stack of paper money. He helped her stand up and softly said, "I've had some porridge made for you. Eat a little and rest for a while. I'll keep watch tonight."
But Deanna shook her head in refusal.
"I'll stay tonight. I want to accompany Grandma on her final journey."
"We want to stay with Great-grandma too," the two little ones said hoarsely from beside her.
Seeing their determined eyes, Lance didn't insist. He arranged for a doctor to be on standby in case of any emergencies.
For the next two days, Deanna stayed in the mourning hall, holding on with sheer willpower. Watching her grow thinner each day pained Lance deeply. But he knew that until her grandmother was buried, Deanna wouldn't listen to anything he said.
So, he tried various ways to get her to eat a few more bites of food. Even the chubby cheeks of the two little ones had thinned down.
It rained for three consecutive days, as if the heavens were mourning with Deanna.
The day of the cremation and burial arrived. Deanna carried her grandmother's urn silently to the cemetery. Her grandmother's grave was next to Olivia's.
Seeing the loving smile on her grandmother's tombstone, Deanna's tears flowed again. She would never see that smile or hear her grandmother's nagging again.
Overwhelmed by grief, Deanna fell ill on the day of the funeral. Fortunately, Lance had made thorough arrangements. Almost as soon as Deanna collapsed, the family doctor was called in.
"Mrs. Mercer is not in serious condition, just overwhelmed by grief. She needs a few days of rest," the doctor reported respectfully after a brief examination.
Lance nodded, signaling the doctor to leave. He then sat beside Deanna, gently stroking her cheek. The room fell into silence.
After an indeterminate amount of time, there was a knock on the door, followed by Sam's voice, "Mr. Mercer, Mr. Nelson is here."
"I know. Have him wait for me in the study," Lance instructed but didn't get up immediately. He gently tucked Deanna's exposed arm back under the blanket and adjusted the covers before leaving.
In the study, Xavier sat on the sofa. He had just taken a sip of tea when he heard movement at the door and saw his boss enter. He quickly stood up from the sofa.
"Sir."
"What's the matter? Speak directly," Lance said, motioning for Xavier to sit down while he took a seat opposite him.
Xavier sat down and reported his purpose for coming, "Eula has been caught. I came to ask how you want to handle her-should we hand her over to the police or keep her detained?"
"Keep her detained. I promised Deanna that she would handle this personally," Lance decided and then asked, "Where did you catch her?"
Although he didn't specify, Xavier knew he was asking about Eula.
"She was very cunning. She changed her appearance and name. But perhaps because she no longer had any subordinates, she didn't clean up after herself well enough, and we found some clues," Xavier explained.
Lance nodded and ordered, "Since we know she's cunning, tell our people to keep a close watch on her. If she escapes, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"Yes!" Xavier nodded in agreement and then brought up another matter, "Also, there's a lot of concern online and from higher-ups about Mrs. Mercer's condition. Should we issue a statement on her behalf?"
Lance tapped his fingers on the sofa armrest and pondered for a moment before saying, "Have the company's PR department announce that Deanna is temporarily fine. As for other details, we'll wait until she's better and see how she wants to handle it."
Xavier nodded and then discussed some work-related matters with Lance.
Lance was busy handling company affairs until midnight. After putting down the last document, he stretched his stiff neck and thought about Deanna in their room. Feeling uneasy, he decided to go check on her.