Hearing this, Lance immediately refused without a second thought, "No need, I don't know her."
After saying this, he didn't even bother to glance at Leticia and walked away briskly.
Seeing this, Leticia instinctively wanted to follow, but Xavier stopped her.
"Miss Walsh, you better leave quickly before Mr. Mercer loses his temper. You don't want to face the consequences of angering him," Xavier warned with a mocking look in his eyes.
He couldn't understand what this woman was thinking, daring to show her face in front of Mr. Mercer after what she had done.
Leticia froze in place upon hearing this.
Xavier, seeing her subdued, turned and left without another word.
Watching Xavier's departing figure, Leticia clenched her fists in anger but ultimately did not dare to pursue.
On the other side, Mr. Bishop, observing Lance's stern demeanor, joked, "Mr. Mercer is decisive in business, making firm decisions. I always thought Mr. Mercer was single; I didn't realize how well he kept his secrets."
"The woman just now, I truly don't know her. Also, Mr. Bishop, you are mistaken, I am not single," Lance explained calmly.
Then, with a slight smile softening his voice, he added softly, "I've already found the person I want to spend the rest of my life with."
Hearing this and seeing the expression on Lance's face, Mr. Bishop was utterly surprised.
He joked, "Mr. Mercer, your secrecy is quite extreme. I'd love to meet the woman who could capture your heart."
"Perhaps next time I'll introduce her to you," Lance replied without refusal, nodding with a smile.
Meanwhile, he also had an idea in mind but needed to discuss it with Deanna first.
Thus, the two men chatted casually, gradually shifting the conversation to business matters.
That night, after entertaining guests, Lance returned home late at midnight.
Entering the living room of the villa, he saw Deanna sitting on the couch, her head slowly tilting as she dozed off. Her usually cold features softened instantly as he carefully approached, intending to lift her into his arms.
Unexpectedly, just as he touched Deanna's body, she woke up startled.
"You're back," Deanna said sleepily, glancing at the clock on the wall and frowning upon realizing it was nearly midnight. "Why are you home so late today?"
Lance didn't hide anything and confessed, "I was entertaining Mr. Bishop. He insisted on celebrating when he learned I was no longer single, so it took some time."
After speaking, he looked at Deanna's drowsy and adorable expression and felt an urge to pinch her fair cheek-which he indeed did.
Perhaps because it was his first time doing so, he didn't gauge his strength properly and pinched Deanna painfully.
"Ouch," Deanna cried out in pain and quickly tilted her head back to escape his grip.
Her sleepiness vanished due to the discomfort, and she looked at him somewhat displeased.
Lance noticed the red mark on her cheek and felt a twinge of regret. "How about I let you pinch me too?" he suggested sheepishly.
After saying that, he leaned his face closer, signaling Deanna to pinch his cheek.
Deanna pushed him away with a laugh and retorted, "Your skin is too thick; I won't pinch."
Saying this, she turned to leave.
Seeing her reaction, Lance quickly pulled her into his arms, resting his chin in the crook of her neck with a low magnetic voice asking, "Are you angry?"
"No," Deanna shook her head.
She wasn't really angry or upset over such a small matter.
Lance knew this too and smiled slightly, changing the subject. "I'm really hungry. I'd love some noodles cooked by you."
"Didn't you have dinner tonight?" Deanna asked as she turned to look at him.
Lance's chin rested on her shoulder as he murmured, "I did eat, but not much. Mr. Bishop kept trying to ply me with drinks; thankfully Xavier blocked most of it for me."
Hearing this made Deanna smile with satisfaction.
She turned back to him with a sweet smile and praised, "Well done. As a reward, I'll go make something delicious for you."
Later that night after their meal, they went upstairs to rest.
Before sleeping, Lance remembered the idea from earlier that afternoon and while embracing Deanna asked softly, "Would you like to meet my friends?"
However, after waiting several seconds without a response from Deanna in his arms, he frowned slightly and looked down only to find that she had already fallen asleep. A helpless look crossed his face.
But he didn't have the heart to wake her up again; instead, he kissed her forehead gently and whispered, "Good night."
Perhaps sensing something in his gesture, Deanna snuggled closer into Lance's chest and slept even more soundly.
A night of sweet dreams followed...
The next morning, Deanna woke up early and noticed that Lance hadn't gotten up early as usual.
She stared at his face for a while before tiptoeing out of bed.
While brushing her teeth, a sudden thought struck her-she remembered that Lance seemed to have said something to her before they slept last night.
But she had been too tired at the time and hadn't heard clearly.