Deanna naturally didn't tell Lance the truth.
She glanced at the two little ones and smiled lightly, saying, "It's nothing, I was just playing with them."
Lance, of course, didn't believe her words.
But Deanna clearly didn't want to say more, and he didn't want to press her.
He gently patted the two little ones behind him and smiled, "Your mommy is just playing with you, go over there."
Gregory and Chloe, upon hearing this, instinctively looked at their mommy and couldn't help but feel that her smile resembled that of the Big Bad Wolf.
For some reason, the two of them shivered and felt that going back wouldn't end well, so they simply clung to Lance and started acting cute.
"Uncle, I want to sit next to you," the two little ones said in unison.
"Um, can I sleep with you tonight, Uncle?" Gregory added.
He was more farsighted. With Uncle around now, Mommy might not say anything, but once they returned to the hotel, Mommy definitely wouldn't let them off easily.
At this moment, Chloe also thought of this and quickly changed her tune, "I want to sleep next to Uncle too."
Lance was a bit stunned.
He didn't expect the two little ones to suddenly make such a request.
Of course, he didn't want to refuse either.
So he looked at Deanna with some anticipation and asked, "Is it okay?"
Deanna looked at the hopeful gazes from the three of them and inexplicably found it difficult to refuse.
She actually understood the intentions behind the two little ones' actions.
But some things weren't as simple as they thought.
She didn't want people to misunderstand.
So in the end, she reluctantly refused, "No!"
Upon hearing this, the two little ones immediately drooped their heads.
Lance also saw Deanna's insistence and although he wanted to say something, he didn't know how to start.
For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat strange.
To change the subject, Lance took the initiative to talk about tomorrow's plans.
"Oh right, my aunt called me just now. She knows we're in Feblesh and wants me to take you out for a meal tomorrow."
"Take me out for a meal?" Deanna was a bit surprised.
After all, she and Lance were just friends. Why did it feel strange to meet his relatives?
Lance seemed oblivious to her doubts and nodded, continuing, "You've met my aunt before. She's the one who did your makeup and styling before. She happens to be here for Fashion Week."
"Well then, I guess I'll go along with it," Deanna responded when she heard that it was someone she knew.
Later in the evening, they finished their meal and headed back home.
Because they had been playing all day, Deanna was worried that Lance might be tired and suggested giving him a treatment session.
Lance didn't refuse.
And in order to create an opportunity for them to be alone, the two little ones pretended to be tired and wanted to go back to rest.
"How about I have Xavier accompany you back to wash up?" Lance arranged for Xavier to take care of them in the room because he was worried about leaving the two children alone.
Xavier naturally wouldn't refuse and soon took the two little ones back to their room.
Deanna followed Lance for the treatment session.
By the time the treatment ended, it was already late.
Deanna told Lance to rest early and left.
When she returned, she saw Xavier sitting in the living room of the room with a laptop in front of him, seemingly working.
Xavier heard the noise and stopped what he was doing, getting up to greet Deanna.
"Dr. Deanna."
"Thank you for your hard work tonight. You can go rest now," Deanna lightly nodded in response.
Not long after, Xavier left.
Deanna didn't immediately go wash up and rest. Instead, she decided to go next door to check on the two little ones.
In the bedroom, the two little ones were sleeping soundly.
The little girl seemed to be having sweet dreams as she smacked her lips.
Gregory also slept peacefully, but for some reason, his delicate eyebrows furrowed tightly as if he was dreaming about something unpleasant.
"Daddy, don't go..."
Deanna heard these words and felt like she had been struck by lightning. A sharp pain spread throughout her chest, making it difficult for her to breathe.
She walked over to the little one's side and looked at her with a mix of guilt and tenderness.
"Do you really want a dad that much?"
Even in her dreams?
Deanna felt distressed but didn't know what to do.
She quietly stayed in the room for a while before leaving.
That night, she didn't sleep well.
When she woke up in the morning, she looked a bit haggard.
To avoid worrying others, she put on light makeup before leaving her room.
At this time, Lance had finished getting ready and came over to knock on her door, calling for Deanna and her two children to have breakfast together.
During the meal, he mentioned their plans for the morning. "After we finish eating, we'll visit Picasso Church. Then around noon, we can conveniently go to Fashion Street to meet my aunt."
"Sounds good. I have no objections," Deanna smiled and nodded.
It was the two little ones who chattered on about what fun things they could do at Picasso Church.
Lance patiently answered each of their questions. "I heard that it's the biggest gathering place for pigeons over there. You can feed pigeons... There's also an art exhibition where you can appreciate art. But most importantly, there are artists who can draw portraits on-site. You can each get a portrait done by an artist."