Lance ignored Deanna's words and directly hung up the phone, then turned it off.
Deanna was furious about this.
"Are you crazy?" she shouted, lunging to grab the phone again.
This time, Lance didn't dodge and let Deanna take the phone back.
Once she had the phone, Deanna quickly turned it back on.
Her urgent actions made Lance misunderstand. With a displeased expression, he asked, "Are you that anxious about that man?"
"What?"
Perhaps due to the noise around them, Deanna didn't hear Lance clearly. After turning on the phone, she looked at him in confusion.
Seeing this, Lance felt a surge of frustration. He couldn't swallow it or spit it out, making him feel very uncomfortable.
Gritting his teeth, he continued, "Isn't it inappropriate for you to chat so intimately with another man? Have you considered the children's feelings? Have you asked if they accept this man?"
Deanna laughed angrily at being accused without Lance knowing anything.
"Does it matter if they accept him? As long as I like him, what opinions can they have?"
Deanna looked at him defiantly.
Lance's face turned dark. "What if I have an opinion?"
"In what capacity do you have an opinion?"
"As their father, isn't that enough?"
Lance glared at Deanna, expressing his concern. "I don't want my children to be unhappy, and I certainly don't want them calling anyone else 'Dad'!"
Deanna was stunned by his words.
After a moment, a complex expression appeared in her dark eyes.
"Don't worry, I won't let them call anyone else that. Now can you leave me alone?"
She turned and walked away after speaking.
Lance watched her retreating figure, his brows furrowed tightly, a look of regret in his eyes.
He hadn't intended to argue with Deanna, but somehow, every time they talked, things fell apart.
Thinking of this, Lance walked in the direction Deanna had left, wanting to find her and talk things over properly.
Unbeknownst to him, their conversation had been observed by Julia, Xavier, and the two little ones from a distance.
"Why are Uncle and Mommy fighting again?"
The two little ones frowned, troubled.
Julia was also exasperated and couldn't help but complain to Xavier. "Is your CEO still clueless? He had such a good opportunity to make her happy but ended up making her angry instead. Does he even understand what feelings are?"
Xavier was equally speechless.
If Mr. Mercer continued like this, Xavier really worried whether he could ever win over Dr. Deanna.
Seeing Uncle Lance walk away, the two little ones tugged on Julia's sleeve and asked, "Godmother, what do we do next?"
"We can't do anything now. It's all up to your Uncle Lance."
Julia shrugged, indicating she was out of ideas.
The two little ones were worried. "Can Uncle Lance do it?"
"He definitely can. You need to have faith in Mr. Mercer," Xavier spoke decisively, cheering for Mr. Mercer.
Julia chuckled and didn't want to say anything discouraging. She took the two little ones by the hand and turned to leave. "Alright, let's go have some fun."
On the other side, Lance chased after Deanna but couldn't find her.
He tried calling her, but the call was quickly hung up.
Clearly, Deanna didn't want to talk to him right now.
With no other choice, Lance left alone.
Holding her silent phone, Deanna felt a mix of disappointment and relief.
But soon she had no time for her feelings.
A crowd suddenly surged around her, pushing her forward against her will.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the crowd dispersed and Deanna regained her freedom.
Looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings, she was stunned.
Where was she?
The area was remote and old, unlike the bustling center of the ancient town she had seen before.
She wanted to retrace her steps but couldn't find any familiar shops or streets.
As noon approached, Deanna decided to swallow her pride and ask for help with her phone.
But when she reached into her bag, she found it empty.
For a moment, she was dumbfounded. Only one thought crossed her mind: her phone had been stolen!
With no other option, Deanna decided to ask passersby for directions.
However, when she tried to ask for help, she realized she didn't even know what to ask.
She hadn't remembered the name of the inn where she was staying.
"Damn it! It's all Lance's fault!"
Deanna kicked a stone by the roadside as if it were Lance himself, venting her frustration.
If that man hadn't deliberately provoked her, she wouldn't have stormed off in anger.
So it was all Lance's fault!