After breakfast, Lance didn't stay any longer. He took Chloe and Gregory to school. As soon as he left Deanna's house, Bella received the news.
"Mr. Mercer stayed at that private doctor's house since yesterday afternoon and just left. He took the doctor's children to school before heading to the company."
Bella's face turned grim upon hearing this. She gritted her teeth and ordered, "Keep an eye on them!"
She hung up the phone but couldn't calm down. When Kelly came downstairs, she saw Bella's furious expression.
"What's wrong? Who upset you so early in the morning?" Kelly asked with concern.
Bella put down her phone and fumed, "Who else but that bitch Deanna?!"
"What did she do this time?" Kelly frowned in confusion.
Bella's eyes were cold as she spoke, "I don't know what tricks she's using, but Lance keeps staying over at her place. If this continues, she might end up marrying him!"
Kelly's face darkened at this. She had always considered Lance her future son-in-law. But seeing her daughter's gloomy face, she suppressed her displeasure and comforted her, "Don't worry too much. Samantha will never allow that woman to marry into the Mercer family. Besides, in our circle, which man doesn't have affairs outside? Just think of her as Lance's plaything. Once you two are married, you can deal with her then."
Bella nodded but remained concerned. Once she married into the Mercer family, she would never allow Deanna to stay in Cloudmere. This thought led her to another matter.
"Mom, you went to see Samantha a few days ago. What did she say? Why hasn't she taken any action?"
"Indeed, Samantha hasn't done much these days. It seems I need to give her a little push," Kelly said, her eyes gleaming with calculation.
In fact, Samantha had been taking action. She knew her son well enough to understand that once he made up his mind, it would be hard to change it without solid reasons. So she had been investigating Deanna's background, hoping to find something that would make Lance see that Deanna was not suitable as the future Mrs. Mercer.
However, before she could get the results of her investigation, she received anonymous photos sent by Kelly. These photos were taken by people Bella had hired to watch Deanna. The content of the photos infuriated Samantha.
In the photos, Lance, Deanna, and her children looked like a family. Samantha was shocked to see her pampered son cooking at Deanna's house. This made her decide to confront Lance immediately.
That afternoon, Samantha stormed into Mercer Group. She didn't call Lance home because he had been ignoring her calls lately. Lance was unaware of his mother's arrival and was instructing his executives when the office door was suddenly pushed open.
Samantha walked in with a stern expression. The executives greeted her, "Good afternoon, Mrs. Mercer."
"You all can leave now. I need to speak with your president," Samantha ordered coldly.
The executives exchanged glances and looked at Lance. He nodded and waved them out. Soon, only Lance and Samantha were left in the office.
Lance pressed his lips together and finally spoke, "Is there something you need?"
"Did you spend the night at Deanna's house again?" Samantha asked bluntly.
Lance frowned, displeasure evident in his eyes. "You've been having me followed."
"If you had listened to me and cut ties with Deanna, I wouldn't have had to," Samantha replied angrily. "I told you not to see her anymore. Why won't you listen? Do you realize how much of a laughingstock you're making the Mercer family?"
Lance's face tightened as he looked at his enraged mother. He couldn't understand why she was so against Deanna. Despite this, he wasn't willing to give up and said firmly, "I told you this is my personal matter. I hope you won't interfere!"
"You're wrong. This isn't just your personal matter. From the day you became the heir of Mercer Group, your life ceased to be private. If you continue to be stubborn, I'll have no choice but to confront Deanna myself!" Samantha threatened directly.