Little did she know, her pretentious behavior disgusted everyone around her.
Lance made no effort to hide the disdain in his eyes and coldly said, "Stay away from me."
After speaking, he ignored Leticia's embarrassed expression and turned to Old Walsh, nodding politely. "Mr. Walsh, your praise is too generous. I hope you don't mind my unannounced visit."
"How could I? With your status, it's an honor for the Walsh family to have you here," Old Walsh responded courteously.
As for the disgraceful scene his granddaughter had caused earlier, he chose to forget it.
He then invited Lance, "If Mr. Mercer doesn't mind, why not stay at our home tonight? I'll have someone arrange a welcome dinner for you."
Lance was about to decline, as he wasn't accustomed to staying in others' homes, but before he could speak, Old Hughes chimed in mischievously.
"That sounds like a great idea. You should arrange for him and Anna to stay together."
"Stay together?" Deanna looked over in shock, nearly choking on her own saliva.
Old Hughes, pretending not to notice her surprise, nodded seriously. "Of course. Lance traveled all this way to see you. Do you expect him to stay alone?"
"It's not like I asked him to come find me. And even if he did, why should we stay together?" Deanna muttered quietly.
Her voice was so low that only Lance, who was very close, could hear her.
Old Hughes saw her lips move but didn't catch what she said and asked, "What did you say?"
"I..." Deanna was about to refuse the suggestion of sharing a room when she was interrupted.
Hassan, with a stern expression, asked, "Miss Jones, what is your relationship with Mr. Mercer?"
He felt he couldn't rest easy without knowing the answer.
Deanna looked back at him, suddenly unsure of how to respond.
She knew Hassan's intentions. If she said she and Lance were just friends, Hassan would certainly not give up on her. But if she admitted to a love relationship with Lance, it would be hard to explain their situation.
While she was torn, Lance's deep, magnetic voice came from beside her. "Then please make the arrangements, Mr. Walsh."
This statement implicitly confirmed their love relationship.
Deanna was dumbfounded. She glared at Lance and whispered so only he could hear, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"What nonsense did I say?" Lance looked back innocently.
Deanna was at a loss for words.
Indeed, the man hadn't said anything specific; he had merely agreed to Old Hughes's suggestion.
Watching the two whispering to each other as if no one else was around, Old Walsh glanced at his old friend and jokingly scolded, "No wonder you refused my proposal the other day; now I see why."
He referred to the time he had tried to matchmake his grandson with Deanna.
Old Hughes raised an eyebrow proudly. "I set them up myself. Of course I won't give you a chance to break them up."
While the two elders were in high spirits, Hassan and Leticia were feeling utterly miserable.
Especially Leticia, who was seething with jealousy.
She found that anything or anyone related to Deanna always went wrong for her.
Damn it, was this woman born to ruin her life?
Despite this, Leticia didn't give up.
In her eyes, Deanna, just a doctor, was not worthy of someone as distinguished and handsome as Lance.
Only a lady of her own standing could be by Lance's side.
After some polite conversation, everyone sat in the living room chatting.
The men discussed financial matters.
Deanna didn't understand and sat quietly nearby.
Leticia kept an eye on her actions. Noticing the distance between Deanna and Lance, her eyes gleamed with realization.
She seemed to have discovered something significant.
If Deanna and Lance were truly together, they wouldn't be sitting so far apart and looking so distant.
Excited by her discovery but quickly restraining herself, Leticia couldn't help but feel elated.
Deanna accidentally noticed Leticia staring at her with a strange smile and frowned.
What scheme was this woman plotting now?
Unaware that she had caught Deanna's attention, Leticia eagerly approached Hassan and whispered, "I discovered a secret about Deanna. If you want to know, follow me."
Leaving that message behind, she walked away without waiting for Hassan's response.
Hassan frowned as he watched her leave but ultimately let curiosity get the better of him and followed her.
Unbeknownst to them, Deanna saw the entire exchange.
Though puzzled, Deanna had no intention of investigating further. She simply reminded herself to stay away from Hassan in the future.
No matter what, Hassan was Leticia's cousin. Even if they had conflicts, they were still family.