"Those who don't matter still call you Lance, so shouldn't I, as your brother, call you something even closer? Hmm-Lance."
Ollie said this with a playful shyness, pretending to be coy as he playfully punched Lance's arm.
Ethan and Jenson watched him do this and immediately felt a chill.
Lance's face darkened, and he turned his head to look, "Looking for a beating, huh?"
His voice was soft, yet it carried an endless threat.
Ollie, meeting Lance's unfriendly gaze, immediately shivered and chuckled awkwardly, "Just kidding."
"It's not funny at all," Lance said coldly.
After speaking, he walked past Leticia without looking back and left.
Seeing this, Ollie and the others hurriedly followed.
As for Leticia, being irrelevant, they naturally did not bother with her.
Soon, the group disappeared from Leticia's view.
Leticia's beautiful face instantly turned ugly, and she was furious.
Why? She had been so proactive; couldn't Lance see her good intentions?
Lance was unaware of these thoughts.
After leaving, his mood was indeed affected; he lost the desire to hang out and soon left with his friends.
Getting into the car, his eyes darkened as he instructed Xavier, "Check who leaked my schedule."
His schedule was known only to insiders at the company; outsiders couldn't possibly be aware of it.
Xavier looked puzzled.
He hadn't followed them to the shooting range but had waited outside, so he was unaware of what had happened there.
Seeing his confusion, Lance added, "I ran into Leticia."
The implication was clear.
Xavier immediately understood and frowned deeply.
"This woman really is persistent."
Lance neither agreed nor disagreed, his voice cold, "She's secondary. The important thing is the person who told her my schedule."
Hearing this, Xavier nodded and said, "Not many know your schedule. I'll investigate later; we should have results soon."
Lance nodded and didn't continue the topic.
He leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes to rest, and said softly, "Back to the manor."
"Yes," Xavier nodded in acknowledgment.
When they returned, it was still early, around seven o'clock.
Deanna was surprised to see Lance back so early.
She greeted him and dutifully took his briefcase and coat, asking, "Didn't you have a social engagement tonight? Why are you back so early?"
"Nothing much, just had a little issue and wrapped up early."
Lance didn't want Deanna to be affected by the mood and didn't mention Leticia.
Deanna sensed his reluctance to talk and nodded, assuming it was business-related. She didn't press further but changed the subject, "Have you eaten yet?"
"No. Is there anything to eat at home?"
As he spoke, Lance walked into the living room with his arm around Deanna.
Deanna tilted her head in thought, "Seems like there's nothing much to eat, but I can cook you some noodles."
With that, she slipped out of Lance's embrace and headed to the kitchen.
Lance followed without a second thought.
Leaning against the kitchen doorway, he watched Deanna bustling about. His previously gloomy mood seemed to lighten considerably, and an idea suddenly struck him.
"Deanna, if you're free these next few days, why don't you come out with me?"
"Why this sudden request?"
Deanna looked puzzled but joked, "Are you saying I should go to work with you?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Lance seriously nodded, "Yes, come to work with me. That way, I can see you anytime."
Faced with his earnest and affectionate invitation, Deanna paused but didn't refuse.
"Alright, I'm free these days anyway. I'll go to work with you."
...
The next morning, Deanna accompanied Lance to the company.
This was her first visit to the headquarters of Mercer Group.
Looking at the grand and iconic building before her, her eyes filled with admiration and awe. She smiled at the man beside her, "I've always heard that Mercer Group's headquarters is a landmark of Cloudmere. It's a pity I never visited before. Now that I see it, I realize those people weren't exaggerating at all."
"You can come every day from now on."
Lance smiled warmly and took Deanna's hand as they entered the company.
Their appearance caused a sensation throughout Mercer Group.
Especially the reception staff were stunned.
"Am I seeing things? Did I just see Mr. Mercer holding a woman's hand?"
"No, you're not seeing things. Mr. Mercer is really holding a woman's hand!"
"Who is that woman? I want all her information in three minutes!"
People whispered among themselves, their gossip-hungry eyes fixed on Lance and Deanna.
Of course, their gazes did not escape the couple.
However, they were accustomed to such attention and didn't mind it; they went straight into the elevator.
Meanwhile, Xavier lagged a few steps behind and went to the reception desk to instruct the staff: "Go out later and buy some snacks back for the secretary's office."