After listening to Old Ashley's words, Lance remained noncommittal.
He had investigated Deanna before and knew better than anyone how difficult her life was, but he felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
Because of this, he proposed to leave after sitting for only a short while.
Almost the moment he stepped out, his face turned cold, and his mood soured.
Downstairs, Xavier was somewhat surprised to see Mr. Mercer coming out so quickly today.
Just as he was about to inquire, he saw Mr. Mercer with a cold expression, exuding an aura of displeasure.
As a competent assistant, he naturally had to show some concern.
"Mr. Mercer, what's wrong? Did you have an argument with Dr. Deanna?"
"Dr. Deanna is not here," Lance replied coldly.
Xavier was puzzled. If Dr. Deanna wasn't there, why was Mr. Mercer so angry? Was it because he made a trip for nothing?
As he was racking his brain, Lance's deep voice sounded again.
"Dr. Deanna's grandmother said she took the kids out shopping for clothes for a social event."
"A social event?"
Xavier was as surprised as Lance had been when he first heard the news.
Immediately, Xavier began to understand why Mr. Mercer came out so quickly and looked so upset.
However, Mr. Mercer's attitude seemed quite strange.
So, was Mr. Mercer simply concerned about Dr. Deanna attending a social event, or was it because she was the mother of two children and he was their father, making him uncomfortable?
These two reasons had very different implications.
Thinking about this, Xavier felt it was best not to express any opinions on the matter and remained silent.
Lance seemed to just need someone to talk to and didn't mind Xavier's silence.
Later that day, Deanna returned home with the kids and a bunch of shopping bags.
As soon as they entered, they saw adorable dolls placed on the sofa and were instantly delighted.
"Grandma, did you buy these dolls?"
"Such beautiful dolls! Did Great-grandma buy them for Chloe?"
Chloe ran over and hugged a doll, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Old Ashley.
Old Ashley chuckled and said, "I didn't buy these. Mr. Mercer brought them over for Chloe and Gregory."
"Mr. Mercer came by?"
Now it was Deanna's turn to be surprised.
The little girl was both happy and disappointed. "Ah, we missed the handsome uncle again. If only we had come back earlier."
Gregory also looked regretful at this moment.
Seeing the kids' disappointed expressions, Deanna felt conflicted.
However, she didn't forget to call Lance to thank him.
"Mr. Mercer, thank you for the dolls you brought for the kids. By the way, did you come over because you weren't feeling well?"
It was reasonable for Deanna to think this way. Lance was her patient and usually only came to see her when he wasn't feeling well.
Lance paused for a moment and then said lightly, "I'm fine."
Though he said this, he thought to himself, 'I came to bring dolls for my own kids.'
Of course, he couldn't say that out loud.
He thought about Deanna attending the social event and was about to ask her about it but swallowed his words.
He felt he had no right to question her about it.
So after some polite conversation, they hung up the phone.
Deanna didn't notice anything unusual in Lance's tone.
After hanging up, she took the kids to wash up and rest.
As for Lance, he tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep and feeling inexplicably irritable.
Finally unable to bear it, he went downstairs in his robe, poured himself a drink from the liquor cabinet, and drank alone in frustration.
...
The next day at Mercer Group, in the bright CEO's office, reprimands could be heard continuously.
"What kind of report is this? Even a grade-schooler's drawing looks better! Get out and redo it!"
Almost as soon as these words were spoken, a competent executive walked out of the office in distress.
A group of people standing outside began to murmur among themselves.
"This is already the fifth person Mr. Mercer has scolded today. What should I do? I'm afraid to go in. Can you hand over my documents to Mr. Mercer?"
"If you're afraid, so am I."
"Maybe we should ask Mr. Nelson for help."
For the next two days, everyone at Mercer Group was on edge.
Finally, the day of the social event arrived.
Early in the morning, Julia arrived at Deanna's apartment and dragged her off to do her makeup.
Deanna already had good looks; with makeup, she became even more dazzling.
"Deanna, I bet you'll be the most stunning person at the event today!"
Julia looked at her beautifully dressed friend and was amazed.
Deanna looked at herself in the mirror and indeed found herself beautiful but had no desire to attend any social event.
Unfortunately, whether she wanted to or not, her friend dragged her along.
After they left, the kids sent a message to Lance: "Uncle, can you come play with us today? Mommy isn't home."
Seeing the message, Lance instinctively asked, "Where did your mommy go?"
"Mommy went to a social event to find us a daddy."
Almost immediately after sending this message, Lance called them back.
Lance couldn't believe Deanna actually went to a social event and felt very displeased.
His deep voice came through the phone: "Do you know where your mommy is attending this social event?"
Hearing this, Gregory and Chloe exchanged sly smiles.
Gregory blinked innocently and said, "Godmother said it's at a place called Club Rango."
"Club Rango? Got it. I won't come over tonight; I'll visit you tomorrow," Lance spoke apologetically before hanging up.