Later, Deanna finished preparing the late-night snack and brought the casserole out of the kitchen. She saw Lance sitting in the living room playing chess with the two little ones.
She smiled warmly and said, "The snack is ready, you can come and eat now."
Hearing this, the two little ones immediately put down their chess pieces and affectionately pulled Lance to the dining room.
Soon, they all sat down in the dining room and began to enjoy the snack.
Xavier tasted the food and was surprised. Despite having experienced many culinary delights with Mr. Mercer, the burritos in front of him were unexpectedly delicious.
He couldn't help but praise, "How does Dr. Deanna make everything taste better than others? These burritos are truly amazing."
As he spoke, he gave Deanna a thumbs-up.
Deanna chuckled, "Mr. Nelson, you're exaggerating. I just made them casually."
"I'm not exaggerating at all. Dr. Deanna, you're being modest," Xavier insisted.
Lance also agreed, "The taste is indeed good."
Hearing this, Deanna glanced at him and found it amusing. "Mr. Mercer has tasted all kinds of delicacies, yet he's exaggerating like Mr. Nelson. That's not good."
"I'm stating a fact, not exaggerating. If you don't believe me, ask Chloe and Gregory," Lance said with a smile, looking at the two little ones. "Do you like the snack your mommy made?"
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the two little ones responded in their sweet voices, "It's very delicious!"
After speaking, they licked their lips as if savoring the taste.
Seeing this scene, Deanna couldn't help but laugh but said nothing more.
Later, after finishing the snack, Lance noticed it was quite late and prepared to leave with Xavier.
"Uncle, be careful on your way back. Uncle Xavier, drive slowly," the two little ones said in their cute voices as they reluctantly saw them off at the door.
Lance nodded, feeling warm inside.
Suddenly, he thought of something and smiled at the two little ones, "Next time you have time, bring your kitten to my house to play with Demon."
"Great! Thank you, Uncle," the two little ones' eyes lit up, and their smiles were radiant.
Deanna saw this but didn't say anything, just smiled. She thought Lance was just being polite and didn't take it to heart.
The next day, Lance got up early and went downstairs after washing up. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw Sam hurrying over.
"Mr. Mercer, Miss Cody is here. She's at the door," Sam reported respectfully.
Lance frowned slightly but instructed, "Bring her in."
"Yes," Sam replied and left.
Soon, he returned with Bella, who was meticulously dressed. Bella wore a light green dress that revealed her long, slender legs. She walked in high heels with a delicate makeup that made her look elegant yet charming.
She looked at the handsome man sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper, her eyes filled with undisguised affection.
"Mr. Mercer, Miss Cody is here," Sam announced respectfully.
Hearing this, Lance finally looked up from his newspaper and glanced at Bella with a cold expression. "Why are you here?"
Bella felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over her by his indifferent tone. She felt very sad. Couldn't this man see her goodness?
Despite this, she forced a smile and replied, "It's nothing important. I thought about it last night and felt I should do something to seek forgiveness. So I asked Samantha what you like to eat and made it early this morning to bring it to you. Please try it."
As she spoke, Bella handed over the insulated lunchbox.
However, Lance merely glanced at it without any intention of taking it. He said indifferently, "Miss Cody, it's thoughtful of you. Just leave it on the table. But please don't do this again; we have chefs at home who can prepare whatever I want to eat. You may leave now."
After speaking, he ignored Bella and continued reading his financial newspaper.
Bella stood there awkwardly.
Xavier, who had come to pick Lance up for work, noticed that Mr. Mercer didn't seem to welcome Miss Cody very much. He stepped forward to ease the situation.
"Miss Cody, please don't mind. Mr. Mercer doesn't like others intruding into his private space. Let me escort you out."
Hearing this, Bella felt indignant inside. If he didn't like others intruding into his space, why was Deanna allowed?
To her, these words were clearly targeted at her. Yet she had no way to argue.
Taking a deep breath, Bella looked at the cold man not far away and suppressed her emotions. She forced a smile and said gently, "Since Lance doesn't like being disturbed, I won't stay any longer. Lance, remember to eat breakfast." With that, she turned and left.