On the other side, at Mercer Group, Lance was in a foul mood.
Deanna's attitude over the past few days had given him a vague sense of unease.
Just as he was racking his brain trying to figure it out, Xavier knocked and entered. "Mr. Mercer, I've got some leads on what you asked me to investigate. A few days ago, Miss Cody met with Dr. Deanna, but I don't know what they discussed."
"Bella again?"
Lance frowned, clear disdain in his eyes.
Seeing this, Xavier asked, "Do you need me to warn her?"
Lance thought for a moment and then said in a deep voice, "I'll handle it."
With that, he waved Xavier out.
Xavier nodded and left.
Soon, Lance was alone in the office. He picked up his phone and called Jeffery.
"It's rare for you to contact me. Is there something you need?" Jeffery's cheerful voice came through the phone.
Lance didn't bother with pleasantries and went straight to the point, coldly saying, "I hope Mr. Cody can keep your daughter in check. My patience is limited. If this happens again, I'll have no choice but to terminate all cooperation with your company and take a stand against the Cody family."
Jeffery was unsurprisingly furious but before he could respond, Lance had already hung up.
Staring at the disconnected phone, Jeffery felt a tightness in his chest and called for Bella.
"Dad, what do you want from me?" Bella knocked and walked into the office.
But before she could finish her sentence, an ashtray came flying at her. If she hadn't reacted quickly, she might have been injured.
"Dad, what are you doing?" Bella asked angrily, her face darkening.
Jeffery glared at her and scolded, "How dare you ask me that? Didn't I warn you not to provoke Lance again? Now he's called to tell me to discipline you! What did you do this time?"
Bella frowned immediately upon hearing this.
"I didn't do anything..."
But then she remembered something, a gleam flashing in her eyes. It seemed Lance had found out about her meeting with Deanna. This meant there was already a rift between Deanna and Lance.
Jeffery didn't notice her reaction and continued angrily, "You did nothing? Then why would Lance personally warn me?"
Bella chose not to explain.
Seeing his daughter remain calm, Jeffery felt both angry and helpless.
"Fine, if you won't say anything, I can't do anything about it. You're not fit to stay here anymore. There's a project abroad that needs developing. You'll be in charge of it and leave tonight."
Jeffery gave the order without giving Bella a chance to refuse.
Bella didn't argue and went to prepare her things. After all, she had achieved her goal. Whether she stayed in Cloudmere or not didn't matter anymore. In fact, being away from Cloudmere might make things more convenient for her.
Meanwhile, Deanna had been wandering aimlessly on the streets since receiving the identification report, her mind in turmoil. She didn't want to go home but had no idea where else to go. She felt an urge to drink herself into oblivion and did just that.
That evening, Julia came home from work. As soon as she walked in, she smelled a strong scent of alcohol. Looking up, she saw Deanna sitting on the floor in the living room, eyes glazed as she leaned on the coffee table surrounded by empty bottles.
"Deanna, what's wrong?" Julia asked in shock, full of concern and worry.
Her friend had never been one to drink excessively. Even five years ago when things were tough, she had never seen Deanna like this.
Hearing Julia's voice, Deanna opened her eyes slightly and looked over with a dazed expression. "Julia, you're back. I've been waiting for you for so long. Luckily your door code hasn't changed; otherwise, I wouldn't have had anywhere to go."
"How much did you drink?" Julia asked, wrinkling her nose at the smell coming from her friend.
Deanna smirked weakly. "I don't know. I was in a bad mood and just kept drinking."
She reached out and grabbed Julia's hand, her tone pleading, "Julia, drink with me."
"No more drinking. Look at the state you're in," Julia refused firmly.
She struggled to lift Deanna onto the sofa. Deanna complied without resistance.
Once they were both seated on the sofa, Julia was slightly out of breath. She looked at Deanna's obviously troubled expression and asked, "Why are you in such a bad mood? Did something happen?"
But Deanna's only response was the sound of her falling asleep.
Julia looked at her friend who had fallen asleep without her noticing and couldn't help but smile wryly.