When Deanna returned, her face was devoid of any emotion.
Old Ashley noticed her return and asked concernedly, "Where did you go so early?"
"Nowhere special, just took a walk to clear my head," Deanna made a casual excuse.
Old Ashley didn't suspect anything.
This was not unusual for Deanna; when she encountered problems in her pharmaceutical work, she would often go out to relax.
She nodded and continued, "Mr. Mercer came by this morning looking for you. When he saw you weren't here, he took the kids to school. I think he might come by again this evening."
Deanna was stunned for a moment.
As she realized what was said, a complicated look flashed in her eyes.
She didn't know how to face Lance.
If it was resentment, she had harbored that five years ago against the man who ruined her reputation and indirectly caused her mother's death.
But over the years, as time wore on, she had gradually forgotten and understood many things.
She realized that she couldn't blame solely that man for all her misfortunes.
Her mother's death had nothing to do with him; there was more to it.
And she could only blame herself for misjudging people, mistaking a scumbag for a good person.
What surprised her was that the person she had been trying to find was actually Lance, after all the twists and turns.
That evening, as Old Ashley had said, Lance came to the apartment again.
Seeing him, Deanna felt a bit unnatural and her breathing quickened.
Worried about showing her feelings, she clenched her fists tightly and forced herself to remain calm. "There's no treatment today, Mr. Mercer. Why are you here?"
"I'm here to see the kids."
Although he said this, Lance's eyes were fixed on Deanna.
He inexplicably felt that something was off about Deanna today.
But he couldn't pinpoint what exactly was wrong.
Deanna nodded and said indifferently, "Then you play with them. I'll go make some medicine."
With that, she headed straight to the pharmacy room.
Lance didn't think much of it and read to the kids.
But the next day, he noticed something was amiss.
He had something to say to Deanna, but every time, she would make an excuse. It aroused his suspicion.
Even Old Ashley and the two little ones noticed something was wrong.
That day, after Lance left, Old Ashley went to Deanna's room.
"Deanna, it's Grandma. Mr. Mercer has left. Can I come in?"
"Come in, Grandma."
Deanna's cold voice came from inside the room.
Old Ashley pushed the door open and saw Deanna sitting alone by the workbench. The tabletop was clean, clearly indicating she wasn't making any medicine.
"Deanna..."
"Grandma, I know what you want to ask, but I don't know how to explain it right now. Give me some time, and when I've figured it out, I won't hide it from you."
Before Old Ashley could finish her sentence, Deanna interrupted her.
Seeing this, Old Ashley remained silent for a moment and finally agreed.
On the other side, the two little ones escorted Lance downstairs.
Seeing their unhappy uncle, they comforted him in their childish voices.
"Uncle, don't worry. We'll help you find out what's wrong."
"Yes, we'll ask Mommy. She will definitely tell us."
Hearing their comforting words, Lance felt slightly better.
He patted their heads and advised, "Your Mommy is in a bad mood. Don't disturb her. I'll find a chance to talk to her."
After speaking, he urged the little ones to go back upstairs.
Reluctantly, they turned around and went upstairs under his gaze.
Lance watched them disappear at the stairway entrance, then turned and got into his car, looking displeased.
"Find out who Dr. Deanna has seen or spoken to in the past few days."
Clearly, something had happened to make Deanna suddenly ignore him, and he didn't believe it was for no reason.
Xavier nodded.
Meanwhile, the two little ones went back upstairs to probe their Mommy for Uncle Lance.
But just as they reached the door and were about to knock, it opened from the inside, and Great-grandma came out.
"Great-grandma, is Mommy busy?"
They asked eagerly, looking up.
Old Ashley knew what they were trying to do and sighed softly, saying gently, "Your Mommy is making medicine. Don't disturb her."
"Did Mommy and Uncle have a fight?"
Gregory didn't give up, knowing Great-grandma had asked Mommy something.
Seeing the clever little ones, Old Ashley felt helpless. Sometimes, having such smart children at home could be a headache.
She thought for a moment and said, "Your Mommy probably didn't fight with your uncle. She's just in a bad mood because she hasn't made progress with her medicine."
"Really?"
Gregory was skeptical but had no other choice.
The next morning, Deanna went to the paternity testing center early.
She received the test results, which confirmed a parent-child relationship, as expected.