Samantha felt her heart melt at the sound of their voices.
She opened her arms lovingly to the two little ones.
They immediately ran over, each grabbing one of her hands.
"We missed you so much, Grannie."
"I missed you even more, Grannie."
The two little ones seemed to be competing, each trying to outdo the other with sweet words and exaggerated gestures.
Samantha was amused by their antics and couldn't stop laughing.
Logan watched from the side, feeling a pang of jealousy. "Since when did you all get so close?"
"We've been this close since we were abroad," Samantha boasted.
Logan thought to himself that he should have gone abroad with them. But he quickly dismissed the idea, knowing he couldn't leave his large company unattended.
He looked up at Lance and asked with concern, "How's your health now?"
"I'm fine. I can go back to work tomorrow," Lance replied calmly.
Logan nodded and then turned his gaze to Deanna. "We owe Dr. Deanna for saving Lance's life. I'll make sure to send a thank-you gift through Lance."
For some reason, Deanna felt uncomfortable hearing this. She understood Mr. Mercer's implication: when she received the thank-you gift, Lance's debt to her was over.
"No need for a gift. Mr. Mercer has already paid enough for the medical expenses," Deanna politely declined.
Lance added, "This is between Dr. Deanna and me. You don't need to get involved." He gave his parents a warning look.
Logan and Samantha realized their son had misunderstood their intentions. They just wanted to thank Deanna but decided not to explain further and changed the subject.
Samantha played with the two little ones while Logan discussed company matters with Lance. The atmosphere remained harmonious.
Later, Sam approached respectfully, "Sir, dinner is ready."
"I know," Lance said, waving him away.
Samantha, unaware that Deanna and her children were staying there, invited them, "Dr. Deanna, it's late, and it would be troublesome for you to cook dinner at home. Why not join us for dinner? It's already prepared."
Before she finished speaking, Lance interjected, "Dr. Deanna is staying here, so of course she'll join us for dinner."
"Staying here?" Samantha and Logan were surprised.
Deanna quickly explained, "Mr. Mercer was worried about the Valencia father and son causing trouble for me after they disappeared, so he asked me to stay here with my children and help him recuperate."
Upon hearing this, Samantha and Logan's expressions softened.
They all moved to the dining room for dinner. During the meal, Samantha took it upon herself to care for the two little ones, leaving Deanna feeling a bit uneasy as she frequently glanced over.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Mrs. Mercer; she just worried that Mrs. Mercer might not enjoy her meal properly.
Lance noticed Deanna's actions and felt uneasy himself. He thought she might misunderstand his parents' intentions toward the children.
Fortunately, by the end of the meal, Deanna hadn't said anything about it, which relieved him somewhat. It seemed she didn't mind his parents being close to the children after all.
During dinner, the two little ones grew more familiar with Logan as they shared stories about their time abroad in the living room while Deanna and Lance watched from nearby.
The scene was heartwarming, like a family gathering.
Meanwhile, Bella finally received news from her informants. After leaving the Mercer family yesterday, she had someone investigate Deanna and Lance's situation.
"According to the Mercer family's servants, Dr. Deanna and Mr. Mercer aren't together yet but are very close. I heard Mr. Mercer recently took Dr. Deanna and her children on a trip abroad. I've sent some information about their trip to your email; you can check it anytime."
"I understand. Keep monitoring Lance's situation," Bella said before hanging up.
She opened her email and saw photos of Lance and Deanna on their trip. In the pictures, they looked like a happy family of four.
She could even see Lance's affection for Deanna in those photos, which filled her with jealousy.
"Why is this happening? Where did things go wrong?!" Bella muttered to herself with a frown.
She knew all about Deanna's past scandals before her engagement that led her mother to commit suicide by lighting coal due to public pressure.
Could it be that Lance's feelings for Deanna had overcome these past grievances?
Regardless of the reason, Bella wasn't planning on letting Deanna off easily.