Feeling being watched, Lance looked over and saw his assistant looking frustrated but unable to speak up. Xavier didn't expect Mr. Mercer to look over suddenly and was momentarily stunned. He then gave Mr. Mercer an awkward smile. However, Lance ignored his attempt to please and turned back to the two children.
"It's decided then. If you want to go out and play in the future, call me to accompany you. You both have my contact information, right?"
"Yes, we do. We'll call you next time, Uncle," Chloe said happily. Deanna stood beside her, frowning slightly but said nothing. Lance noticed her expression, his eyes darkening a bit. It seemed he couldn't let Landon be idle for too long.
Lance played with the two children for a while until it was quite late and he had to leave. "No need to see me off. You should rest early; you've had a long day," he said, stopping Deanna from escorting him downstairs.
Deanna didn't insist and nodded, "Mr. Mercer, take care on your way home." The two children also waved goodbye obediently.
"Goodbye, Uncle."
"Goodbye," Lance replied before turning and entering the elevator.
After closing the door, Deanna took the two children to wash up and prepare for bed. However, she couldn't shake off the unease from what Lance had said earlier.
At most, Lance and she could only be considered friends, and their friendship was not deep. At the very least, they were just in a simple doctor-patient relationship.
Thinking of this, she looked at the obviously excited children and, despite not wanting to dampen their spirits, felt she had to say something.
"Gregory and Chloe, even though Mr. Mercer said you can call him anytime to play, we shouldn't bother him too often, okay?"
"Oh, we know," the children responded perfunctorily, but their minds were elsewhere. They were convinced that Uncle Lance liked their mommy. This thought made them very happy.
Meanwhile, Lance returned home. As he got out of the car, he noticed someone squatting at his doorstep and felt puzzled.
"Xavier, go check it out," Lance instructed.
Xavier nodded and approached the person, who turned out to be Bella, drunk. Of course, she wasn't really drunk; it was part of her plan. Seeing Xavier coming towards her, she began to mumble.
"Lance... Lance..."
"Miss Cody?" Xavier was surprised to see her and quickly reported back, "Mr. Mercer, it's Miss Cody."
Lance frowned upon hearing this and walked over to see Bella. Bella pretended to notice Lance at that moment and stood up with a look of surprise.
"Lance, you're home at last," she said, making a move to hug him. Fortunately, Xavier quickly intervened and stopped her. A strong smell of alcohol hit him, making him inwardly complain about how much she had drunk.
Lance also smelled the strong alcohol and frowned deeply. Bella glanced at Xavier blocking her and shot him a subtle glare before acting out her drunkenness.
"Let go of me! Lance, save me," she cried out, reaching for Lance as if Xavier were a villain, hitting and kicking him in the process. Xavier struggled to handle her.
In a moment of inattention, Bella broke free and stumbled towards Lance. The strong smell of alcohol made Lance frown even more, his patience wearing thin.
"You're drunk. I'll have someone take you home," he said coldly.
"I don't want to go! Lance, please don't send me away," Bella pleaded with pitiful eyes. She had carefully planned this angle and wore makeup to appear delicate and weak, hoping to evoke sympathy.
However, she miscalculated. This tactic might work on others but not on Lance.
"Xavier, Miss Cody is drunk. Take her home," Lance ordered coldly.
"Yes," Xavier responded and stepped forward to escort Bella away. "Miss Cody, I'll take you home."
Bella didn't expect Lance to be so unresponsive and felt both hurt and unwilling to give up. She pushed Xavier's hand away and used her drunkenness as an excuse to confess her feelings.
"Lance, I like you. Please don't send me away," she pleaded. "I've liked you since high school-no, maybe even earlier. When I found out our families were planning an engagement, I was so happy because I could finally be with you. Lance, please marry me. Everyone says we're perfect for each other, and I believe that too. I will be a good wife to you."
Despite her heartfelt confession, Lance remained unmoved and coldly replied, "I don't like you."