"Again, you know how my mother passed away. I don't want to repeat that. My grandmother is my only remaining family. I've brought shame to my mother once; I can't let my grandmother suffer because of me again."
After saying this, Deanna pulled her suitcase and left without looking back.
Lance watched her retreating figure, his chest filled with anger.
Clearly, Lance hadn't expected his parents to still be trying to interfere in his relationship with Deanna.
He followed the direction Deanna had left but wasn't going after her; instead, he headed to the Mercer family mansion.
Inside the mansion, Samantha wasn't surprised to see Lance arrive; she just thought he came quickly.
As soon as he entered the living room and saw his mother sitting on the sofa, he asked in a deep voice, "Why did you go see Dr. Deanna's grandmother?"
"I just went to deliver a thank-you gift," Samantha tried to defend herself.
Lance pressed on coldly, "If it was a gift, why not give it to Dr. Deanna directly? Why see her grandmother?"
Samantha looked at her angry son and felt she had made a mistake.
But she didn't regret it. Seeing her son's angry demeanor, it was clear that Dr. Deanna must have left Hencard Villa.
"Alright, I admit it. I went to see Dr. Deanna's grandmother on purpose," Samantha finally confessed.
Lance's face darkened immediately, his eyes filled with anger. "Why?"
"Do you really not understand why? I've told you before that Dr. Deanna is not suitable for you. Your father and I absolutely do not approve. But look at you two now; you're getting closer. As the heir of the Mercer family, you shouldn't be so willful. If you can't keep a distance from her, I don't mind being the bad guy who breaks you up. You need to understand; I'm doing this for your own good!"
Samantha's tone became earnest towards the end.
In her view, her son should marry a woman of equal social standing to continue the glory of the Mercer family.
Lance laughed bitterly.
"No, you're not doing this for my good; it's for your vanity!"
He continued coldly before Samantha could respond, "You think Dr. Deanna's lack of a good family background will make others look down on us and tarnish your reputation."
"Nonsense!" Samantha was shocked by Lance's words.
She glared at him angrily. "When have we ever done anything for ourselves? We've always hoped you'd have a supportive wife who could help you expand Mercer Group."
Lance's deep gaze made Samantha feel uneasy.
She shrank back slightly and weakly asked, "What? Am I wrong?"
"Not only are you wrong, but you're also completely mistaken!"
Lance refuted in a deep voice, "Expanding the Mercer family doesn't require relying on a woman. Even without support, I can expand the Mercer family tenfold. Haven't my achievements over the years proven that?"
Samantha was left speechless by these words.
Indeed, Lance had done well even without a supportive wife over the years.
But despite this, Samantha insisted, "In any case, I won't agree."
Seeing his stubborn mother gave Lance a headache.
But soon enough, he had an idea.
"In that case, don't expect to see your grandchildren anymore since you don't like their mother."
"Lance!"
Samantha glared at him angrily.
Not seeing her grandchildren was some kind of torture for her.
Seeing this reaction, Lance knew exactly what his mother was thinking.
He smirked coldly and said, "You know Gregory and Chloe always hope I'll be with their mother. If they find out you don't like their mother, do you think they'll still be close to you?"
"Are you threatening me?" Samantha's chest heaved with anger.
Lance smiled faintly. "I'm not threatening you. To me, whether or not you and Father accept Deanna doesn't matter much. If you don't like her, I simply won't bring them back here anymore. In short, my marriage is none of your concern. Besides Deanna, I won't marry anyone else!"
After saying this, he ignored Samantha's darkened expression and turned to leave.
Back in his car, he couldn't help but feel another headache coming on.
He hadn't resolved things with the kids yet, and now Deanna was distant from him again.
Thinking about it, he couldn't help but ask Xavier in the driver's seat: "If you've upset a woman, how do you soothe her?"
Xavier looked at him speechlessly, thinking, 'Mr. Mercer, are you seriously asking me? I am single.'
Seeing Xavier's obvious expression made Lance realize and laugh. "I forgot; you don't have a girlfriend. I'll figure it out myself."
"Mr. Mercer, that really hurts," Xavier couldn't help but retort.