When Bella asked her question, the middle-aged woman was momentarily stunned.
After regaining her composure, she answered truthfully, "I overheard Mr. Logan and Madam talking. Dr. Deanna's children are actually Mr. Lance's child, and the changes in the house are to welcome the children of the Mercer family."
This revelation hit Bella like a thunderclap.
At that moment, her mind could only focus on one thing: Deanna's child is Lance's!
Bella had no idea how she left the hospital.
It wasn't until she got into the car that she managed to regain some semblance of composure, though she still found it hard to believe.
One was the abandoned daughter of the Jones family, and the other was the head of the Mercer family.
And this happened five years ago. She couldn't fathom how the two could have crossed paths.
Wait, five years ago-that was when Deanna's scandal was exposed!
With this thought, Bella formed a bold hypothesis, but she needed someone to investigate further.
She took out her phone and contacted her subordinate, instructing, "Look into what happened with the Jones family five years ago, especially anything about Deanna being involved with someone. Also, find a way to get hair samples from Deanna's two children."
After sending Lance off, Deanna quickly tidied up and went to the bank to cash a check for five million dollars.
Although she didn't plan to use the money for anything specific, since it was compensation given to her, she felt she should at least cash it.
After completing the transaction, Deanna drove her van to the hilltop estate and loaded some of the herbs she had processed the day before, intending to sell them to Hughes Pharmacy.
When she arrived, Old Hughes happened to be there.
Hearing that Deanna had come to sell herbs, he personally walked out from the inner courtyard.
He smiled at Deanna, who was busy verifying the herbs with the staff, and said, "I thought you wouldn't be selling herbs anymore."
It was a fair assumption since Deanna had started seeing patients and would need a large quantity of herbs for herself.
Deanna chuckled at his comment. "I can't use all these herbs by myself. Keeping them would just waste their potential."
"That's true," Old Hughes nodded. He then invited her, "Let them handle this. Let's go inside and chat. I have a few questions about some prescriptions I'd like to discuss with you."
Deanna didn't refuse and followed Old Hughes into the inner courtyard.
Once inside his office, Old Hughes didn't immediately bring up the prescriptions but instead started chatting casually with Deanna.
"Seeing that you're not affected by past events anymore puts my mind at ease. I heard you've started seeing patients again."
"Yes, but not too many," Deanna replied with a smile.
Although the official statement had cleared up the previous incident, most people were still wary.
Seizing the opportunity, Old Hughes said, "Why don't you come work at my clinic? I won't offer you a salary; instead, I'll give you a share of the profits. You can invest your skills."
Deanna found this amusing but still shook her head. "I'm used to my freedom. Thank you for the offer, Old Hughes, but if you ever encounter any difficult cases, I'd be happy to discuss them with you."
"That's fine," Old Hughes agreed. "But are you sure you won't reconsider?"
Old Hughes enjoyed discussing medical issues with Deanna but still hoped she would come work at his clinic.
However, Deanna was firm in her decision.
She was used to a laid-back lifestyle and also had elderly family members and children to care for, not to mention her herb garden that needed constant attention. She couldn't commit to being at the clinic every day.
Seeing Deanna's determination, Old Hughes knew further persuasion would be futile.
He smiled and changed the subject playfully. "So, nothing developed between you and that boy Lance during your trip? I've been waiting for some good news from you two."
Deanna was momentarily speechless.
She hadn't expected Old Hughes to bring up such a topic so bluntly.
Feeling a bit shy, she said, "Old Hughes, please don't say such things. Mr. Mercer and I are just friends."
"Exactly," Old Hughes teased. "That's why I'm asking when you'll move beyond just being friends."
Finally, he added with some frustration, "That boy Lance missed such a good opportunity when he went abroad. It's driving me crazy."
Deanna couldn't help but laugh at his words but also felt a twinge of anticipation.
She could sense that Lance treated her differently.
Since their time abroad, she had also noticed her feelings for him changing. However, she wasn't sure if Lance had picked up on it.
But she thought he probably hadn't.
Given Lance's decisive nature, if he had noticed, he would have confessed his feelings by now.
With this in mind, Deanna felt uncertain about what to do next.
As she hesitated, Old Hughes seemed to have an idea and grinned mischievously. "Anna, why don't I help you two out? I don't believe that boy Lance can stay calm."