In the blink of an eye, two days passed. Since the last time they played together at the horse farm, Deanna's relationship with Logan and Samantha had eased considerably.
Samantha often took the children to the Mercer family mansion to play.
Old Ashley, upon learning of this, didn't say much.
As she had said, she wouldn't interfere in Deanna's relationships unless Deanna was wronged.
Deanna was very satisfied with her current peaceful life.
Nowadays, except for occasionally going out with Lance and the two children, she rarely went out, preferring to stay at home and focus on her medical studies.
One day, while she was in the pharmacy making a new pill, she heard her grandmother knocking on the door.
"Deanna, Kade is here."
"Okay, I'll be right out."
Deanna responded and then quickly tidied up before getting up and leaving the room.
As soon as she went out, she saw Kade sitting on the living room sofa. After a polite and distant greeting, she directly asked, "Are you here to get medicine for Aunt Grace? Considering the time, the last batch should not be finished yet."
Although they had cleared things up last time and Deanna had declined Kade's advances, Kade didn't take it to heart and continued to seek Deanna's help for his mother's medication.
He hadn't given up; he wanted to show Deanna his sincerity and determination.
Knowing this, Deanna maintained a distant attitude toward Kade.
Kade, seeing the indifferent Deanna not far away, looked a bit hurt and said, "The last batch of medicine is indeed not finished yet. I came today to invite you and the children to dinner tonight. A friend told me about a new music restaurant in the city center with a professional pianist. I think you might like it."
"Dinner is unnecessary. I don't really like eating out," Deanna declined with a slightly troubled expression.
Kade wasn't surprised but remained persistent, saying, "You can come with me to check it out. You might like it."
Looking at the man trying to persuade her, Deanna couldn't help but remain silent for a few seconds.
Then she sighed and said, "Kade, I think you shouldn't focus on me. I have two children. Since having them, I haven't thought about getting married again."
However, Kade didn't approve of Deanna.
"So what if you have children? I'm in love with you. I don't care about your past. Besides, being a single mother is exhausting. The children need a complete family, a father. For children's sake, you should find a life partner. Though I'm not their biological father, I promise to treat them as my own and never let them suffer."
He promised earnestly.
Unbeknownst to him, Lance was standing outside the door, hearing everything. His handsome features darkened, and a gloomy aura surrounded him.
Xavier, standing beside him, sensed the change in Mr. Mercer's demeanor and couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the man inside making bold claims.
He wondered why the man inside had the courage to covet Mr. Mercer's lover.
Deanna didn't know Lance was outside.
After hearing Kade's words, she was momentarily speechless.
Her silence gave Kade a glimmer of hope.
Kade thought he had struck a chord with Deanna and suddenly stood up, striding towards her with a sincere expression.
"Trust me, I will be good to you and the children. If you don't believe me, we can start by dating. I'll prove with my actions that every word I say is true."
As he finished speaking, he tried to place his hand on Deanna's shoulder.
At this moment, Lance, unable to listen any longer, pushed the door open, just in time to see this scene.
As a result, his already darkened face became even more severe.
"What are you doing?"
He glared angrily at Kade's hand suspended in mid-air, his gaze sharp enough to cut it off.
Kade was startled and then recognized Lance as the man he had seen at the restaurant before. He immediately frowned and questioned, "It's you. What are you doing here?"
Lance glanced at him coldly, not responding immediately. Instead, he walked towards Deanna.
Deanna, seeing the cold expression on his face, felt inexplicably guilty.
She awkwardly asked, "Why are you here?"
"Why, do you think I came at a bad time?"
Lance, knowing full well that Deanna didn't mean that, couldn't help but speak in a harsh tone, driven by the jealousy in his heart.
Deanna was at a loss for words and quickly shook her head, "I didn't mean that."
"That's good."
Lance snorted lightly, then raised his eyes to look at Kade, his brows furrowing unkindly. "I heard you want to be the stepfather to my two kids. You've got some nerve!"