Thinking of this, Lance ordered, "No need to keep an eye on her. Arrange for her to be sent back home."
"Yes, sir."
The bodyguard nodded and left.
On the other side, Bella had just returned to the villa when she saw her luggage placed at the entrance. Her face darkened instantly.
At the same time, Hector noticed Bella and approached her. "Miss Cody, you're back. Mr. Mercer called earlier and instructed me to arrange for you to return home. The car and plane ticket are ready. You can head to the airport now."
"Return home?"
Bella was stunned, then her face fell as she gritted her teeth. "I never said I wanted to go back."
Hector replied professionally, "This is Mr. Mercer's decision. I hope Miss Cody won't make things difficult for me."
Hearing this, Bella's expression became even more unpleasant.
She pursed her lips and said, "I need to call Lance."
She took out her phone from her bag and dialed Lance's number.
The call connected quickly.
"Lance, the butler said you want me sent back. Why?"
"You're unmarried and staying in my house. It's not good for either of our reputations."
Lance's distant and cold voice came through the phone.
Bella wanted to retort that Deanna was also unmarried, yet she stayed here without issue. But she held back because she knew that in Lance's eyes, she and Deanna were treated completely differently.
If she asked that question, Lance would only dislike her more.
"Can I stay at a hotel instead? Please don't send me away. I'm worried about you since you're still injured."
By the end of her plea, Bella's voice carried a hint of coquettishness and supplication, hoping to soften Lance's heart.
Unfortunately, Lance felt nothing for any woman other than Deanna.
"My injury has nothing to do with Miss Cody. I hope Miss Cody won't use my name for anything; it's all in vain."
With that, Lance decisively hung up the phone.
Holding her phone, Bella's face was both ugly and embarrassed. She couldn't bring herself to stay any longer.
In the end, she agreed to Hector's arrangements and left the villa to return home.
Just as she left, two small heads popped up at the entrance.
"She's finally gone. Brother, do you think she'll come back?" Chloe wrinkled her nose and looked over.
Gregory blinked and shook his head. "I don't know."
"Uncle Lance seems quite popular. When will Mommy win him over so he can be our daddy? I hope no one else takes him away." The little girl spoke with a worried expression on her delicate face.
Gregory was less concerned. "Don't worry. Uncle won't be taken away. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent her away."
Hearing this, Chloe finally stopped worrying.
"You're right. I should trust Uncle."
As they were talking, Samantha's voice came from behind them.
"What are you two doing?"
Samantha found it strange to see the two little ones squatting at the entrance.
Hearing her voice, they quickly stood up and replied in unison, "Nothing."
They ran towards Samantha, changing the subject.
"Grannie, are we going to the hospital now?"
"Yes, it's about time to leave." Samantha nodded.
Half an hour later, the three of them arrived at the hospital.
"Uncle, we came with Grannie to see you and Mommy."
Each of the little ones carried a thermos as they entered the ward.
But seeing their still-unconscious mommy on the bed made their smiles fade instantly. "Mommy hasn't woken up yet?"
They ran worriedly to Deanna's bedside.
Samantha was also concerned about Deanna's prolonged unconsciousness.
"Dr. Deanna has been unconscious for so long. Did you call a doctor?" she asked Lance.
Lance replied, "Braylon checked on her. She's fine, just very tired and sleeping deeply. He said she'll wake up by tomorrow at the latest."
Hearing this, Samantha and the two little ones finally felt relieved and then turned their attention to Lance's condition.
That night, Deanna finally woke up slowly.
She stared at the white light above her, her mind blank for a moment.
Lance noticed she was awake and looked over joyfully. "Dr. Deanna, you're awake."
Hearing his voice, Deanna reacted and sat up abruptly from the bed, only to be hit by a wave of dizziness that nearly made her faint again.
Fortunately, she grabbed onto the bed rail in time and didn't fall.
Seeing her discomfort, Lance immediately became worried.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? I'll call a doctor."
"I'm fine. I just got up too quickly and wasn't ready for it."
Deanna waved her hand to indicate she was okay.
But Lance wasn't reassured and called Braylon anyway.
After a thorough check-up, Braylon smiled and said, "Deanna is fine. She just slept too long, causing a temporary lack of oxygen to her brain. Plus, she hasn't eaten in two days, so she's a bit weak."
Lance nodded and instructed the bodyguard outside to buy some food.