Mr. Cole's words hit the Jones family like a slap in the face.
Garrett's act of selling his daughter was confirmed.
Mia, Emily, and even Raphael were likely implicated.
The crowd buzzed with gossip, and Mia simply left the scene.
Garrett stood there, his face ashen.
Today's events had pushed him into the spotlight.
Emily's face turned pale, and the Howard family members didn't look any better.
She exchanged a glance with Raphael and sighed.
The banquet ended in disarray, and the scandal about Jones family spread quickly.
Both the Jones and Howard families were in a frenzy, making calls late into the night.
Garrett, Mia, and Raphael immediately contacted all the media outlets on their list.
"Raphael, thank you for all your hard work for Emily. No matter what, tonight's incident must not get out, or Emily's reputation will be ruined!" Mia thanked Raphael anxiously.
Raphael sighed and replied politely, "Mom, given the situation, we can only do our best."
Emily sat on the sofa, her eyes swollen from crying.
Aiden and Abigail entered the room, displeased with Garrett and his wife. "Mr. Jones, Mrs. Jones, why did you make such a scene tonight? We've lost face and indirectly offended Mr. Mercer."
Aiden sat heavily on the bed, fuming.
"The wedding was supposed to be a smooth affair!"
They had hoped to use the occasion to build connections, but it was all ruined.
Garrett had no choice but to apologize. "We're truly sorry; we didn't expect things to turn out this way."
The Jones family's idea of marrying off Deanna into the Cole family had implicated the Howard family.
In truth, Garrett couldn't understand how Deanna, an abandoned daughter, had managed to climb up to the Mercer family.
On the other side, Deanna remained silent after being taken away from the banquet hall.
It wasn't until she got into Lance's car that she spoke up to thank him.
"Mr. Mercer, thank you for helping me out earlier."
Otherwise, she might have been forcibly taken to the Cole family.
Lance's voice was clear as he replied, "No need to thank me. You're my doctor; it was a small favor."
In fact, he wasn't sure why he felt an urge to help her when he saw her in trouble.
Perhaps because he needed her for treatment...?
Lance suppressed his emotions and continued driving.
Deanna smiled and chatted with him. "It didn't seem like a small favor. From what you said, it seems you know a lot about the Jones family. Have you been investigating me?"
She wasn't surprised; someone like Lance always acted cautiously. It made sense that he made an investigation on her before being treated by her.
She was genuinely glad that Lance didn't humiliate her but helped her instead after knowing about her situation.
So, she wasn't upset about being thoroughly investigated.
Lance remained silent, but Xavier spoke up.
He admitted, "Dr. Deanna, don't blame Mr. Mercer. It was not his idea, but my decision. I have to be cautious of anyone trying to get close to him. After all, Mr. Mercer has been injured. I hope you understand, or you can blame me for this."
His words completely absolved Lance of any responsibility.
Smart as he was, Xavier had noticed that Mr. Mercer treated Dr. Deanna differently.
He would take all the blame for Mr. Mercer's sake.
Deanna hesitated and asked, "Then why did you attend the wedding banquet..."
Were they not there specifically for her?
Xavier explained, "Well, the Mercer family was invited to the banquet. We just didn't expect to see you being bullied there."
Deanna felt a bit disappointed but nodded and raised an eyebrow at him. "How did you know that the son of the Cole family is an uneducated cripple?"
Xavier replied, "I heard about it by chance before and learned about the Cole family."
Deanna felt an inexplicable discomfort in her heart.
But on second thought, what he said seemed reasonable.
She nodded knowingly and said nothing more.
After leaving that place, she was overcome with exhaustion.
She yawned, feeling both physically and mentally drained.
The emotional impact of tonight's events was overwhelming.
Recovering from it wouldn't be easy.
She sighed and leaned back in her seat to rest.
Her mind was in turmoil, making it hard to sleep. She stared out the window instead.
The passing scenery gradually calmed her heart.
Lance saw her through the rearview mirror, noticing the necklace she held tightly in her hand.
After some thought, he hesitantly asked, "Is this really your mother's keepsake?"
He wondered if she might have been deceived by Garrett with a random necklace to lure her in.
But if it truly was her mother's keepsake, his question might seem offensive.
Deanna paused, looked at the item in her hand, and nodded.
It was a heart-shaped necklace symbolizing love.
She gazed out the window and said softly, "If not for this, I wouldn't have come."
Lance remained silent; he should have anticipated this.
After a long while, he chuckled lightly, his voice fading into the wind.
"They certainly know how to take advantage of your weak spot."
Her mother was her Achilles' heel.