Old Ashley happened to see this scene when she walked to the balcony to check on the two little ones. She noticed how close the two children were with a middle-aged couple and frowned. Although she trusted the children and the community's security measures, she couldn't help but call them back.
"Gregory, Chloe, it's time to come back."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for the children to hear. Samantha and Logan also heard it and instinctively turned around. They saw an elderly woman with white hair standing on the balcony of a nearby apartment building. They were not unfamiliar with this woman; they knew she was Deanna's grandmother.
Just then, the soft voices of the children reached their ears, "Got it, Great-grandma."
After speaking, the children looked at Samantha and Logan to say their goodbyes.
"Grannie, Gramp, we have to go back now. Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
"Next time we have a chance, we'll play together again. Grandpa will definitely play with you until the end."
Logan felt regretful that he couldn't keep up with the children today. He decided he needed to start exercising from tomorrow; otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to hold his grandchildren in the future.
The children thought it would be difficult but didn't want to discourage the old man. Soon, they left the garden. The elderly couple watched them disappear into the apartment building before reluctantly leaving.
As they walked out of the community, Samantha couldn't help but take out her phone to call Lance, remembering how Chloe had eagerly looked for him earlier.
"Where are you?"
"I'm at the office. What's wrong?"
Lance's cool voice came through the phone with a hint of confusion.
Samantha said discontentedly, "You still ask me what's wrong? Let me ask you, have you not visited the kids these past few days?"
"I haven't. The company has been a bit busy..."
"Is being busy at work an excuse? I'm telling you, after work today, you better come and spend time with the kids. Do you know how much my precious granddaughter misses you!"
Samantha didn't wait for Lance to finish speaking and commanded forcefully.
Logan chimed in from the side, "If you're too busy at work, delegate some tasks to me. Also, find me a fitness coach; I need to get in shape. Otherwise, I won't be able to play happily with my grandchildren in the future."
Hearing this, Lance understood everything. He frowned and spoke disapprovingly.
"Did you go looking for the kids again?"
"What do you mean by 'again'? We were just passing by."
Samantha wouldn't admit it.
Lance didn't bother arguing with her and said in a deep voice, "As long as you know what you're doing. I'll visit the kids tonight."
Meanwhile, Old Ashley saw the children return, panting and sweating profusely. She couldn't help but scold them lovingly.
"Why did you run back? Aren't you afraid of falling? You can't do this next time."
"Got it, Great-grandma," the children replied in their sweet voices.
Old Ashley then took them to wipe off their sweat and change clothes before asking, "Who were those two adults playing with you downstairs? Do you know them?"
"They are..."
"They are the chairman and chairwoman who invested in our school. We met them once at school."
Gregory interrupted Chloe and answered seriously.
Chloe blinked in confusion. She didn't understand why her brother answered that way. Although there was nothing wrong with his answer, she felt something was off.
Old Ashley didn't notice Chloe's expression or doubt Gregory's words. She smiled kindly and said, "So they are your school's leaders. But remember to be careful outside and don't talk to strangers."
The children nodded obediently.
At the same time, Lance finished his call with his parents. He put down his phone as Xavier knocked and entered.
"Mr. Mercer, Miss Cody is here again. She's causing a scene downstairs insisting on seeing you."
"Drive her away!"
Lance refused without hesitation.
Xavier nodded and went downstairs to relay the message.
In the lobby downstairs, Bella stood at the front desk with an ugly expression. She never expected that Lance would insist on pursuing legal action against her for Deanna's sake, demanding compensation for Deanna's emotional distress and reputational damage totaling five million dollars.
Although giving five million dollars was a piece of cake for her, she would rather give it to beggars than Deanna. Moreover, this incident left her with a criminal record at the police station, which was a stain on her life. So no matter what, she had to make Lance withdraw the legal letter!
"I'm sorry, Miss Cody. Mr. Mercer is currently unavailable and cannot see you," Xavier conveyed Lance's message tactfully.
Bella bit her lip hard and questioned, "Is he unavailable or unwilling to see me?!"
"Miss Cody, you should know the answer to that," Xavier replied ambiguously.