That night, although Lance had ordered a complete lockdown on the online rumors, somehow, the gossip about him continued to spread.
It seemed impossible to stop, with new rumors constantly emerging.
When Chloe and Gregory returned home, they were stunned to see the news being reported on television.
"Mommy, is Uncle Lance getting married?" The two children looked at their mother in shock.
Deanna paused for a moment and then said calmly, "It seems so. The news is already out, isn't it?"
Hearing this, the children's eyes dimmed, and their little faces visibly showed their sadness.
"So, Uncle Lance has a fiancée?"
They whispered to themselves, feeling that if this were true, all their previous efforts would have been in vain.
Moreover, deep down, they didn't want Uncle Lance to marry another woman.
The two exchanged a glance and tacitly returned to their room, planning to contact their Godmother for advice.
As soon as the call connected, Chloe anxiously spoke up, "Godmother, what should we do? Uncle Lance is going to marry another woman!"
"Godmother, didn't you say Uncle Lance likes Mommy? Why is he marrying someone else?" Gregory also asked urgently.
Julia was momentarily speechless and didn't know how to respond. At the same time, she was somewhat annoyed with Lance.
She didn't doubt the authenticity of the online news, thinking that given Lance's status, no one would dare to report false news about him.
Therefore, she felt that this man was somewhat unreliable.
Clearly, he already had a marriage prospect yet still came to bother her friend.
Fortunately, her friend hadn't realized her feelings for Lance yet; otherwise, she would have been heartbroken.
With this in mind, she spoke angrily to the two children, "If he wants to marry another woman, let him. Just remember, he approached your mommy with bad intentions. Keep your distance from him; otherwise, your mommy will be the one who gets hurt."
"Ah, will Uncle hurt Mommy?" Chloe asked in surprise.
Julia replied angrily, "A man who flirts but doesn't commit is unforgivable."
Gregory didn't fully understand but grasped the term "unreliable man" clearly.
After hanging up the phone, he told his sister, "If Uncle Lance comes again, we need to keep our distance and not give him a chance to hurt Mommy."
"I understand," the little girl nodded.
That afternoon, Lance had to leave for an urgent business trip abroad.
As a result, he didn't go to see Deanna immediately and missed the best opportunity to explain.
In the following two days, despite his efforts to suppress the rumors, they didn't die down but instead grew more intense and believable.
"Miss Cody bought a sky-high priced diamond wedding dress, suspected to be preparing for a wedding."
"Confirmed: The Mercer and Cody families are indeed forming an alliance. Yesterday afternoon, Miss Cody and Mr. Mercer were seen at a jewelry store picking out wedding rings."
"The most extravagant wedding invitation ever; truly worthy of Cloudmere's top elite families."
With these news reports circulating, Samantha received calls from friends and relatives questioning her.
The reason was simple: wedding invitations had started being distributed, but as friends and relatives hadn't received theirs yet, they were anxious since it was a matter of losing face if they were not invited.
Samantha was bewildered by these calls.
Initially, she had taken the online news lightly and didn't plan to address it since her son hadn't made any moves.
But now things were different.
Now it seemed that all their friends and relatives believed the Mercer family was indeed forming an alliance with the Cody family.
Additionally, she saw an opportunity to turn this situation into reality and finalize the marriage between the two families.
With this in mind, Samantha eagerly called Lance.
"Lance, when are you coming back?"
"One more day. Why?" Lance asked in confusion.
Samantha got straight to the point. "These past few days, the media has been reporting on your marriage with Bella. Our relatives and business partners believe it's true and are contacting us about why they haven't received wedding invitations. Your father and I think that we can let online rumors become true since we are satisfied with Bella as our daughter-in-law. When you return, we'll find time to meet with the Cody family elders to discuss your marriage with Bella."
Hearing this, Lance immediately frowned and his expression darkened.
"I've said it before; I'll decide my own marriage!"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Since ancient times, marriage has been decided by parents. Besides, things have escalated to this point. Bella's reputation has already been affected because of you. If you don't marry her, who will?" Samantha scolded over the phone. "Are you trying to shirk responsibility? Let me tell you, things are stirring up a storm now. You may be able to afford this disgrace, but our Mercer family cannot!"
"Your mother is right. Everyone in town now believes you'll marry Bella. You can't break your promise and make both the Mercer and Cody families a laughingstock!" Logan's warning voice also came through the phone.