Sam stood nearby, his heart pounding with anxiety.
After a moment's thought, he said, "Dr. Deanna, maybe we should go to the hospital?"
The wound was quite severe.
If it were any deeper, the bone would be visible.
Bandaging it at home didn't seem very reassuring.
"It's better to get it treated at the hospital. What if the wound gets infected?" Sam continued to persuade.
But Deanna shook her head and smiled. "I'm a doctor myself. I can take care of it."
"And besides, I'm not that fragile. Don't worry, it's nothing serious."
To Deanna, it was just a minor injury, not worth a hospital visit.
Seeing her stubbornness, Sam didn't press further.
However, he did call Lance to explain the situation.
Not long after, while Deanna was still tending to the herbs in the backyard, Lance arrived.
"Dr. Deanna, why are you still working on these herbs?"
Hearing Lance's words, Deanna felt puzzled.
She frowned. "What's wrong?"
She was there to manage the herb garden; where else should she be?
Lance added, "I heard from Sam that you got hurt. How bad is it? Where's the injury?"
"If it's too much, let someone else handle this work. You should rest."
Only then did Deanna realize what he meant.
She chuckled. "Mr. Mercer, it's nothing, just a minor cut."
"But I heard there was quite a bit of bleeding. If it gets infected later, what then?" Lance looked at her, his brows furrowed with concern.
Deanna shook her head and declined politely. "Really, there's no need!"
"Mr. Mercer, I'm a doctor. If there were any real danger, wouldn't I know? If anything happens, I'll handle it immediately."
She put on a serious face.
"Or are you doubting my professional skills, Mr. Mercer?"
This left Lance momentarily speechless.
He stared at the petite woman before him and asked again, "Are you sure you're okay?"
Deanna smiled. "I'm fine! Don't worry."
Seeing her insistence, Lance didn't argue further.
He nodded. "Alright, but if you feel unwell, let me know immediately."
Seeing Deanna nod, he finally felt reassured.
Deanna looked up and saw his finely chiseled face.
Remembering his earlier concern, she felt a warmth in her heart.
She smiled and asked, "Mr. Mercer, are you not busy today? How come you have time to visit the villa?"
Lance replied, "It's manageable. I finished up some work at the company and came over after Sam called about your injury. Now that I see you're fine, I'm relieved."
Hearing this confirmed Deanna's earlier thoughts.
A warm feeling spread through her heart.
...
Just then, an urgent ringtone sounded.
Deanna picked up her phone and saw it was her grandmother calling.
Without hesitation, she answered.
"Grandma, what's wrong?"
As soon as she spoke, Old Ashley's voice came through, choked with emotion.
"Deanna, it's terrible! Amelia said our herb field has been destroyed!"
The words hit Deanna like a thunderbolt.
She froze. "W-what?"
In an instant, Deanna felt weak in the knees and almost couldn't stand.
Without waiting for more details, she quickly said, "Grandma, I'll be right back!"
After hanging up, seeing Deanna's distressed state, Lance asked, "What happened?"
Deanna struggled to speak. "Our herb field has been destroyed. I need to go back."
Lance nodded. "I'll take you."
He called Xavier and they headed down the mountain.
Rushing over, they saw from a distance the devastated herb field.
Deanna trembled with anger, her face pale.
Old Ashley stood nearby, wiping away tears in frustration.
"Who could be so heartless to destroy our herb field!"
"Deanna worked so hard to cultivate these herbs. Now they're all gone. Who could be so cruel!"
Deanna held back her emotions and approached her grandmother.
"Grandma, what happened?"
Seeing Deanna brought more tears to Old Ashley's eyes.
"I don't know. I went out today and had no idea this happened until Amelia called me."
"Who could be so malicious to harm us like this..."
Though Deanna tried to comfort her grandmother, her reddened eyes betrayed her own feelings.
Lance stood beside them and asked, "Is there any surveillance around here?"