After wandering around for a while, Lance received a call from his aunt, signaling that it was time to pick her up.
"I got it, we're on our way now," Lance replied before hanging up.
Putting away his phone, he turned to Deanna and said, "Let's go, my aunt has finished her work."
Deanna appeared a bit nervous. "Should I buy some gifts?" she asked, thinking it would be inappropriate to meet Lance's elder empty-handed.
Noticing her tension, Lance teased her, "Do you know what it means if you bring gifts to meet my relatives?"
"What does it mean?" Deanna asked instinctively, without much thought.
The two children, seeing their mother so clueless, felt exasperated and thought they needed to work harder to match make her and Uncle Lance.
Lance, not noticing the kids' expressions, continued to tease Deanna. "It means you're my girlfriend."
Deanna choked on her own saliva, coughing violently. Once she regained her composure, she quickly denied it, "I didn't mean it that way, Mr. Mercer, don't misunderstand."
"I know," Lance replied calmly, his eyes filled with a mischievous glint.
Seeing his expression, Deanna understood and felt both amused and slightly annoyed. She wasn't sure if Lance was testing her or just joking. Despite her thoughts racing, she followed Lance to pick up Aunt Amy.
Shortly after, the car stopped at Fashion Street. Amy Mercer, dressed in a black vest suit that combined individuality with femininity, made a striking impression. Upon getting into the car, she was stunned to see Deanna and her two children. Noticing the children's resemblance to Lance, she raised her eyebrows and did something that surprised everyone. She lifted her hand and gave Lance a hard knock.
"You rascal, you've been hiding this well! You have children with Anna, and you didn't tell the family!"
"Uh, Amy, Mr. Mercer and I aren't in that kind of relationship," Deanna hurried to explain, sensing a misunderstanding.
Amy, however, disagreed, "Anna, at this point, you're still defending this rascal? I'm not blind. These kids look just like him when he was young."
Deanna was at a loss for words. She looked at her children and then at Lance. Although there was some resemblance, she was sure Mr. Mercer wasn't the father, having confirmed it herself.
Thinking of this, she clarified again, "Amy, I'm serious. Mr. Mercer and I aren't in that kind of relationship, and the children aren't his. You can check my background if you don't believe me."
Seeing the earnest look on Deanna's face, Amy hesitated. "They really aren't his kids?"
"They really aren't," Deanna affirmed.
Amy was still skeptical. At this point, Lance spoke up with a hint of exasperation, "Aunt, stop it."
Despite his words, he gave his aunt a knowing look, which she understood immediately, dropping the subject and instead cheerfully greeting the children.
"Hello there."
"Hello, Auntie," the children responded sweetly, charmed by Amy's youthful appearance.
Amy was delighted and corrected them, "You shouldn't call me Auntie, you should call me Grandaunt, otherwise, the family hierarchy will be messed up."
The children obediently nodded and called her Grandaunt.
Noticing the sketches in their hands, Amy asked casually, "What's this?"
"This is a sketch a girl drew for us while we were playing at the church earlier. Grandaunt, do you think it's good?" Chloe, liking the kind grandaunt, eagerly showed her the sketch.
Amy, pleased with the little girl's affection, looked at the sketch, noticing something unusual but refrained from asking due to Lance's earlier signal.
After a while, the car stopped. Lance, seeing that his aunt had something to say to him, deliberately lagged behind, walking behind Deanna.
As for Deanna and her daughter, he wasn't worried since Xavier was leading the way.
Amy asked, "What's the deal with those kids? Are they really not yours and Anna's?"
"It's a long story, but I can't tell you now. Just don't ask, and you'll know when the time is right," Lance replied, unwilling to reveal the truth due to his aunt's unreliable nature.
Seeing his serious demeanor, Amy was left speechless. After a moment, she persistently continued, "Fine, let's not talk about the kids. What's going on between you and Anna? Are you pursuing her?"