Chloe indeed did not return.
Because Jaron clung to her, not daring to let her go back.
That night, Lance had a very pleasant time.
The next morning, the sky was clear and bright.
Golden sunlight streamed through the window, falling on Deanna's exposed skin, which was marked with traces from the previous night's intense activities.
Lance woke up early but couldn't bear to leave the warmth of the morning, holding Deanna contentedly in bed.
After some time, there was a loud knocking on their door.
"Mommy, get up."
Chloe's clear voice came from outside.
Lance's face instantly darkened.
Their children were not considerate at all, always disturbing their alone time.
As he was thinking this, the person in his arms woke up.
Deanna groggily asked, "Who's knocking on the door?"
"It's Chloe. You keep sleeping; I'll go send her away."
Lance released her and was about to get up.
Deanna didn't stop him; she was too sleepy.
She slept until the afternoon when Julia's call finally roused her lazily from bed.
Half an hour later, they met at a mall in the city center.
Seeing Deanna still looking sleepy, Julia teased, "You and Mr. Mercer should take it easy; you're not young anymore."
"Don't talk about me; you should take it easy too. Look at those marks on your neck; you can't even hide them."
Deanna was no longer the shy girl from ten years ago who would blush at Julia's jokes. Now, she could listen to such talk without batting an eye.
Julia was momentarily stunned. Despite her frequent arguments with Lionel, their relationship was as good as always.
She huffed, "I can't outtalk you; you're getting harder to tease."
As they spoke, Julia looked around for a place to shop with Deanna and unexpectedly spotted a familiar figure. "Deanna, isn't that Chloe?"
"Chloe?"
Deanna was surprised and looked in the direction Julia pointed. Sure enough, she saw Chloe sitting face-to-face with a clean and handsome boy in a restaurant not far away.
She paused and smiled, "Hey, we're lucky. Last night I just found out from Chloe that she likes someone, and today we run into them."
Julia was equally surprised by her words.
"Chloe likes someone? We have to check this out!"
Julia said and was about to drag Deanna over to ask.
Deanna quickly stopped her, "Don't go. Let's watch from a distance. If we scare off Chloe's crush, who knows how she'll cry to us later!"
Julia agreed, nodding, "You're right. Let's watch quietly."
So, like thieves, they sneaked into the restaurant and got a seat where they could see Chloe but Chloe couldn't see them.
"Wow, Deanna, look at Chloe being so ladylike. It seems she really likes the person across from her."
Julia excitedly grabbed Deanna's hand, smiling sweetly.
Deanna was equally amazed.
But after their initial excitement, they noticed something was off.
"Deanna, their interaction seems too distant."
"Maybe the boy hasn't fallen for Chloe yet."
Deanna knew a bit about the situation and explained slowly.
Julia was unhappy hearing this, "Our Chloe is so great. What's wrong with that boy's taste if he doesn't like her? No way, I have to help Chloe."
With that, she got up and walked towards Chloe's table.
Deanna tried to stop her but it was too late. She could only watch as her friend approached her daughter and her daughter's crush with poor acting skills.
"Chloe, is that really you? I thought I was mistaken."
Julia pretended to be surprised as she looked at Chloe.
Chloe was stunned to see her and instinctively looked around. Not seeing her mother, she breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed her godmother wasn't with her mother.
Thinking this, Chloe smiled sweetly and said, "What a coincidence! Are you here for lunch too, godmother?"
"Yes, I arranged to meet your mom here for lunch. And who is this?"
Julia deliberately steered the conversation towards the boy while sizing him up.
Chloe became genuinely nervous.
She hadn't expected her godmother and mother to meet here for lunch.
Despite her unease, she introduced the boy across from her, "This is Keenan Warren, the lead of our band's second group."
"So he's your colleague. I thought he might be your crush."
Julia winked playfully at Chloe.
Chloe's fair cheeks turned red instantly. "Godmother, don't say that."
She tried to change the subject by introducing Julia to Keenan, "This is my godmother. She's quite lively and loves to joke around."
"It's fine. I just didn't expect you already have someone you like."
Keenan said with a hint of bitterness in his eyes but quickly regained his composure and greeted Julia politely, "Hello, madam, I've heard a lot about you from Chloe."
"Has Chloe mentioned me often? What did she say?"
Julia followed up and sat next to Chloe, clearly not planning to leave.
Chloe watched anxiously, constantly giving Julia meaningful looks.
Unfortunately, Julia pretended not to see them and continued chatting warmly with Keenan.
Suddenly, she changed the subject, "Keenan, could it be that you're the one Chloe likes? Otherwise, why would she tell you so much about our family?"
Keenan was taken aback by this and instinctively looked at Chloe.
Chloe also widened her eyes in surprise and looked back at him.
Their eyes met, and both saw each other's blushing faces. They coughed simultaneously, knowing what was going on.
Julia saw their reactions and smiled knowingly.
Not wanting to disturb them further, she took out her phone and pretended to call someone. "Why hasn't your mom arrived yet? I'm starving. I'll call her; you two continue eating."
With that, she left them alone. The two young people looked at each other awkwardly, unsure of what to say next.
Finally, Chloe decided to go for it.
"Keenan, I like you and want to date you with marriage in mind. Do you agree?"
"Wait a minute."
Keenan was stunned by Chloe's direct confession and quickly stopped her.
Chloe pouted sadly, "What? You don't agree?"
"No, it's just that I think this should be said by me." Keenan hurriedly explained himself.