Because she no longer harbored hatred, Deanna didn't mind finding the father of her children.
Thinking of this, she raised her eyes to look at the affectionate man in front of her, remaining silent for a long time.
Lance also gazed back at Deanna.
His expression clearly showed he was waiting for Deanna's final judgment.
For a moment, the air became very quiet.
Eventually, Lance broke the silence first, pressing Deanna for an answer.
"What are you thinking?"
Deanna bit her lip in silence, not knowing how to respond.
At this moment, her mind was in turmoil, and her head felt muddled.
Seeing the small woman in his arms remain silent for so long, Lance wasn't in a hurry and patiently waited.
After a long while, Deanna sighed, turned her head aside, and said faintly, "I can't give you an answer right now. Give me some time to think it over. During this period, please don't disturb me."
"I can give you time and won't disturb you, but I hope you won't refuse me from seeing the two children."
Lance made a promise while also setting a condition.
Deanna didn't explicitly refuse but said, "I've been out for a long time; I should go back."
Saying this, she struggled to get out of Lance's embrace again.
This time, Lance did not restrain her, allowing her to leave easily.
Watching the woman preparing to leave, Lance spoke again in a hoarse voice.
"Also, I hope you don't tell the two children about my relationship with them just yet. I want to wait until they can accept me better."
Deanna paused slightly, thinking that Lance didn't need to be so cautious.
The two children already liked him very much; they would definitely accept him.
However, she didn't say these words out loud in the end.
Without looking back, she quickly disappeared down the corridor.
Lance watched her leave, unable to hide the bitterness at the corners of his mouth, but feeling more relieved than anything else.
At least he no longer had to hide things from Deanna.
Thinking of this, he quickly left the apartment as well.
On the other side, Deanna calmed her emotions outside the door for a long time before returning to the apartment.
Old Ashley and the two little ones were curious when they saw only her return.
"Deanna, where is Mr. Mercer?"
"Mommy, did Uncle leave?"
Seeing their questioning looks, Deanna forced a smile and explained, "He had an urgent matter at his company and had to leave first."
"Oh, he had something urgent. But he should have stayed for dinner first."
Old Ashley frowned disapprovingly. "It's a pity; we made so much food today."
Deanna felt somewhat uncomfortable hearing this.
Clearly, Lance had not only won over the children's affection but also gained her grandmother's approval.
"It's okay; we can enjoy the food ourselves."
She said this while inviting her grandmother and the two little ones to sit down for dinner.
Later that evening after dinner, Old Ashley went to wash up.
Deanna took the two children to do their homework.
During this time, she was frequently distracted, which made the sensitive Gregory very worried.
"Mommy, did you have a fight with Uncle Lance?"
Gregory leaned closer to Deanna and asked in a voice only they could hear.
Deanna snapped back to reality and looked down at the little guy's worried eyes. She forced a smile and reassured him, "Don't overthink it. Just focus on your homework."
The little guy was very dissatisfied with this response.
He snorted softly and muttered under his breath, "Even if Mommy doesn't say it, I know you definitely had a fight with Uncle Lance."
Deanna couldn't help but laugh but did not deny it.
Then she thought about her conversation with Lance tonight. After hesitating for a moment, she looked at the two little ones.
"Gregory and Chloe, if-just if-your daddy was found, what would you think?"
"Did Uncle Lance agree to be our daddy?" Chloe looked over with delight.
Seeing this, Deanna's face stiffened, unsure how to respond.
Fortunately, Gregory broke the awkward silence. "Silly sister, Mommy is talking about our biological father, not Uncle Lance."
"Oh, if it's not Uncle Lance, then never mind."
The little girl lost interest immediately and went back to her homework.
Deanna was puzzled by her attitude. "Chloe, you don't like your biological father?"
"No, I like Uncle Lance," Chloe answered in her childish voice with great determination.
Gregory nodded in agreement beside her. "I also like Uncle Lance more."
"Why?" Deanna asked instinctively.
The two little ones tilted their heads and thought for a moment before saying, "Because Uncle Lance plays with us and helps Mommy solve problems. But our biological father has never appeared or been with us or protected Mommy. I don't like him."
Hearing these words, Deanna didn't know whether to feel relieved for Lance or worried for him.
But after a moment, she realized her thoughts were wrong.
Why should she worry for Lance?
And there was one more important thing-she had forgotten to settle accounts with Lance earlier.
Lance had let his parents interact with the two children without her knowing. Clearly, he had ulterior motives!