The man's gentle voice made Deanna's lips curl into a satisfied smile.
She then remembered the time difference between their countries and urged, "Alright, you should go rest now. It's still early morning over there, you can still get some sleep."
Lance didn't want to hang up, but he couldn't argue with Deanna, so he finally agreed.
Before ending the call, he reminded her, "Stay where you are. Someone will come to pick you up soon."
"Okay," Deanna nodded and hung up the phone.
As she put away her phone, she heard Kade's gentle voice beside her.
"Finished your call? Was it a friend?"
Deanna paused slightly and nodded lightly, clearly not wanting to elaborate.
Remembering the purpose of her outing tonight, she changed the subject and said politely, "Thank you for inviting me tonight. The opera was wonderful, though it's a pity."
Kade, being sensitive, immediately understood Deanna's polite words.
He realized he was being gently rejected.
But he didn't want to give up so easily.
He looked at Deanna with intense eyes and asked calmly, "Can you tell me why?"
"I think you deserve someone better," Deanna replied gracefully.
Perhaps wanting Kade to give up completely, she added deliberately, "You know I have two children. Their father is unknown, and some things happened a few years ago. Although it's in the past, it still has an impact."
Kade listened and frowned in silence.
He knew what Deanna was referring to and his eyes flickered.
"I don't mind what you said. As for the children, though I haven't spent much time with them, I can see they are well-behaved and raised well by you. I would treat them as my own."
Deanna was momentarily speechless and didn't know how to respond.
Kade observed her expression and recalled her demeanor during the phone call. He couldn't help but guess, "Deanna, do you have someone you like?"
Deanna was stunned for a moment but then nodded in acknowledgment.
"Yes, I have someone I like. So don't waste your time on me."
Kade felt a pang of discomfort in his heart, "Can you tell me who that person is?"
Deanna shook her head apologetically, "Sorry, that's my private matter."
Seeing the polite yet distant woman before him, Kade knew that pressing further would only annoy her.
He decided to give up questioning and was about to say something when an untimely voice interrupted them.
"Dr. Deanna, Mr. Mercer sent me to take you home."
A young man in a black suit approached Deanna respectfully.
Deanna recognized him as the son of Lance's butler.
She nodded slightly and turned to Kade, "Kade, I'm heading back now."
Kade could only watch Deanna leave with a complicated expression.
After a moment, he took out his phone and dialed a number, "I need you to check a license plate number. I want to know who owns that car."
He then recited a string of numbers.
Meanwhile, after Deanna got home, she went straight to rest.
The young man who escorted her called Lance to report after seeing her upstairs.
Although Lance had hung up with Deanna, he hadn't gone to rest immediately.
Due to the operations of Explority Group behind the scenes, Mercer Group's branch in New York had been troubled these past few days.
Especially with the families of accident victims causing disturbances at the company's entrance.
"I understand," Lance responded and hung up the phone.
He then gave Xavier a look, signaling him to continue their previous conversation.
Xavier nodded and continued his report, "Yesterday evening, a police representative informed me that the mine collapse was a natural occurrence. However, our people found traces at the scene indicating it was man-made. I'm still investigating who is responsible, but I suspect Explority Group is involved."
His face turned grim as he finished speaking.
Lance's expression grew colder.
"Alonso Valencia really has a long reach. He doesn't fear that will come back to bite him," Lance remarked.
Alonso Valencia was the current head of Explority Group. He was the same age as Lance but known for his arrogance.
After speaking, Lance tiredly rubbed his forehead.
It was evident that the intense work of the past few days had taken a toll on him.
Despite this, he persisted in giving orders, "Increase efforts to investigate this matter thoroughly. How is the investigation on Explority Group going?"
"We've uncovered some dirt on them but not enough. I've instructed our people to dig deeper," Xavier reported honestly.
Lance nodded approvingly, "Good. Go get some rest."
"You should rest well too," Xavier advised before leaving.
Meanwhile, at the Cody family residence.
Since learning about the troubles at Mercer family's overseas branch, the Cody family had been observing quietly.
But as online rumors intensified, Bella grew restless.
She saw this as another opportunity to mend ties with Lance.
Unable to hold back any longer, she suggested again, "Dad, this is a rare opportunity. Let me go to the Mercer family. Even if I can't help much, showing goodwill now will make them remember our kindness."