When Bella finally got out of bed, Kelly, Cole's mother, saw Cole with two big dark circles under his eyes.
Kelly frowned, feeling deeply concerned.
"Bella, what happened to you? Did you not sleep at all last night?"
Bella sat on the sofa, her face full of worry. "Mom, don't ask."
Even now, she felt extremely agitated.
Kelly approached her. "What's wrong?"
Bella had always been excellent since she was young, never causing them any worry. It was rare to see her like this.
For a moment, Kelly couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.
"Mom, there was a woman with Lance."
Bella looked distressed as she recounted the events of the previous night to her mother.
After listening, Kelly seemed indifferent.
"From what you said, this woman doesn't seem to be from a wealthy family. She's just an ordinary woman with no power or status, nothing to worry about."
She raised her head. "Just like I always tell you, if there's nothing to do, spend more time with Samantha. In families like the Mercers, marriage is a serious matter. Not just any woman can marry into the family."
"But..."
Thinking of Lance and Deanna's intimate behavior, Bella still felt a bit uneasy.
Before she could finish speaking, Kelly interrupted again.
"When did you become so insecure? Do you think a woman from a small family can climb up to the Mercer family? What are you thinking?"
"Besides, Samantha likes you so much. As long as you maintain a good relationship with her, there will be no problem!"
Kelly spoke with such confidence that Bella felt it made sense.
Growing up in their kind of family, children knew that marriage was not something they could easily decide for themselves.
After thinking for a long time, Bella finally let go of her doubts.
She nodded. "Okay, Mom, I understand."
Kelly reached out and patted her hand. "My daughter is so excellent; there's nothing to worry about."
In the afternoon, after making some pastries herself, Bella went to the Mercer family home.
As soon as Samantha saw Bella, she couldn't stop smiling.
"Bella, why did you bring something when you came?"
Bella smiled lightly and naturally linked arms with Samantha. "Auntie, I made these pastries myself and wanted you to try them."
Hearing this, Samantha was a bit surprised.
"You made them yourself?"
Bella nodded again. "Yes, Auntie, please try them."
Then she took out a piece of pastry and handed it directly to Samantha.
Samantha took it and tasted it. The flavor was indeed good-sweet but not cloying.
She nodded in satisfaction and praised her. "Bella, you are so skillful!"
"Your cooking is excellent! Whoever marries you in the future will be very lucky!"
Bella shyly lowered her head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Samantha, you know my feelings..."
Besides Lance, there was no room for anyone else in her heart.
Seeing this, Samantha's smile grew even wider.
Mentioning this, Bella looked at Samantha with some hesitation.
"Samantha, actually, there's something I'm not sure if I should ask."
Samantha looked up. "Ask away. Speak your mind."
Bella hesitated for several seconds before speaking.
"A few days ago, I went to see Lance and saw a woman at his place. Do you know about this?"
"I saw them being very close and it led to misunderstandings. So I wanted to ask if they are in that kind of relationship. If they are, I'll be more careful in the future."
Bella spoke with such grievance.
It was indeed a clever move to retreat in order to advance.
Not only did she inquire about Deanna's identity but also tested Samantha's attitude.
Sure enough, Samantha immediately said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"That woman is Lance's personal doctor. There's nothing between them."
Hearing this, the heavy stone that had been weighing on Bella's heart finally lifted.
She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "So she's a doctor. I thought she was Lance's girlfriend..."
"In the future, if there's anything you're unsure about, just ask me directly to avoid misunderstandings!"
Bella nodded. "Okay, thank you, Samantha."
The gloomy mood from the morning was swept away and replaced by happiness.
It seemed she still had a chance!
She thought only she, Bella, was qualified to become the mistress of the Mercer family!
Bella stayed and chatted with Samantha until late in the evening before leaving.
...
Meanwhile, after sending the kids to school, Deanna didn't go to the hilltop villa as usual.
Instead, she returned home to her original herb garden.
She had been busy at the villa for the past few days and had neglected the herb garden here. There were still many things to take care of.
It had been a long time since she last checked on it and many herbs had grown.
Deanna picked up a basket and started harvesting.
This harvest was quite fruitful. Not only did she gather many herbs but she also found several rare ones.
These rare herbs were exactly what Lance needed later on. They had been searching for them for a long time without much success.
Now that she had found them directly, how could Deanna not be happy?
Immediately, she took out her phone and snapped a photo to send to Lance.