In the CEO's office, Xavier was reporting the situation downstairs to Lance.
"Jeffery is causing a scene downstairs, demanding to see you. The security threw him out, but he keeps coming back and won't leave."
"I understand. I'll go take a look," Lance said, rising from his chair and leaving the office.
When he arrived downstairs, he saw Jeffery embroiled in a scuffle with the company's security. Lance's face darkened immediately as he shouted, "Stop!"
Hearing his voice, Jeffery froze in place. He then turned sharply and saw Lance standing not far away.
"Lance, you finally showed up!" Jeffery gritted his teeth as he walked straight towards Lance.
Seeing Jeffery's hostile expression, others quickly moved to protect Lance, blocking Jeffery just two steps away from him.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Jeffery struggled and shouted.
But without Lance's orders, the security guards did not release him.
Furious, Jeffery cursed at Lance, "Lance, tell your lackeys to let me go! You heartless man, you've ruined my daughter and now you want to destroy my family completely. You deserve a fate worse than death!"
Lance's face remained expressionless as he ordered the security guards, "Let him go."
The guards exchanged glances but eventually released their grip.
Freed, Jeffery immediately rushed up to Lance. Grabbing Lance by the collar, he demanded through clenched teeth, "Lance, what do you want?"
Lance coldly pushed him away and smoothed out his wrinkled shirt. "What I want has been made clear by my father. Either your Cody family leaves Cloudmere for good or you disappear entirely."
His lips barely moved as he spoke, his eyes icy and devoid of warmth.
Jeffery was livid and swung a punch while cursing, "You beast!"
Unfortunately for him, Lance caught his hand before it could make contact. With a slight push, he shoved Jeffery aside.
Standing tall with a cold demeanor and an air of authority, Lance looked down at Jeffery and said impatiently, "I'm giving you two days. If you're not out of Cloudmere by then, don't blame me for what happens next."
With that, he turned and walked away. Xavier quickly followed suit.
Jeffery watched Lance leave with bloodshot eyes filled with hatred but also helplessness and regret. Leaving Cloudmere would mean the Cody family would fall from grace, possibly even losing their status as a second-tier family.
With these thoughts weighing heavily on him, Jeffery left Mercer Group in despair.
Meanwhile, back in his office, Lance received a call from his father.
"I heard Jeffery caused trouble at the company?"
"It's been handled," Lance replied calmly.
Logan sighed but remained silent for a few moments before changing the subject. "Since the Cody family issue is nearly resolved, when do you plan to reveal your identity to Gregory and Chloe? Your mother and I are still waiting for them to call us grandpa and grandma."
"There's no rush. We'll talk about it later," Lance said, feeling it wasn't the right time yet.
Logan had no choice but to compromise. "Then bring them over for dinner sometime soon so they can spend some time with us."
But Lance immediately refused. "No dinner."
"Why not?" Logan asked in confusion.
Lance replied indifferently, "Because I said I would bring their mother back too. But since you and mom don't like her, it's better if we don't meet to avoid any unpleasantness."
Logan was momentarily speechless and frustrated as Lance hung up the phone.
Lance didn't deny that part of his intention was to use the children to help his parents accept Deanna.
That evening, Logan returned to the Mercer family mansion. Samantha greeted him with a smile as she took his briefcase and asked, "Did you talk to Lance? When will he bring Gregory and Chloe over?"
"I did talk to him. That boy really knows how to get under my skin," Logan grumbled.
Samantha frowned. "What did he say?"
"He said if he's bringing the kids over, he'll have to bring Dr. Deanna too. But since we don't like her, he's decided not to bring them at all!" Logan relayed Lance's words.
As expected, Samantha was furious. "That boy must still be holding a grudge about me visiting Dr. Deanna's grandmother!"
Logan remained silent but clearly agreed with his wife. Thinking about how long it had been since he'd seen his beloved grandchildren softened his stance considerably.