Deanna was unaware of the commotion outside.
After speaking with several distinguished ladies, she found a secluded spot with her two little ones and Julia to rest.
Soon, they had finished all the snacks and drinks they had, and the little ones were still eager for more.
Seeing this, Deanna, realizing they hadn't eaten much that evening, asked Julia to watch the children while she went to get more snacks.
As she approached the snack area, she was surprised to see Garrett smiling awkwardly among the crowd not too far away.
It was Landon's birthday party, and knowing Landon, he wouldn't normally invite these people.
But Deanna also knew that even if Landon didn't invite the Jones family, given their opportunistic nature, they might show up uninvited.
While she was thinking this, a young man in a suit approached her and respectfully said, "Miss Jones, Mr. Landon asked me to tell you that the Jones family has arrived, and you should be careful with the children."
"Thank you, please tell Landon I got the message," Deanna replied, recognizing the man as Landon's assistant.
After completing his task, the assistant excused himself.
Deanna didn't linger; she gathered some snacks and returned to where the little ones were.
The children were delighted to see their mommy come back with a good amount of treats.
While feeding them, Deanna mentioned the arrival of the Jones family to Julia.
"I saw the Jones family while I was getting snacks."
"The Jones family? Are you sure?" Julia was surprised.
Deanna shook her head, "I'm sure. And Landon even sent his assistant to warn me. Besides the Jones family, Raphael is also here."
Hearing this, Julia became somewhat indignant.
"How could Landon do this? He knows you don't get along with the Jones family yet he invited them!"
"It probably wasn't Landon who invited them. You know what kind of people they are," Deanna replied, defending Landon.
Julia thought it over and agreed, deciding not to blame Landon anymore.
By then, the little ones had finished eating and indicated that Deanna didn't need to feed them anymore.
They also noticed their daddy surrounded by people and expressed concern, "Mommy, daddy hasn't eaten tonight either. Could he be very hungry?"
They remembered their daddy's poor health and how mommy always took care of him at home.
Worried about Lance's health, Deanna said to Julia, "Wait here for me. I'll take some food to Lance and come back."
"Mommy, we want to go too," the little ones eagerly said.
Deanna didn't refuse them and smiled, "Alright, come with me."
As they spoke, Julia pretended to be hurt and held her chest sadly, "You're leaving me behind, but how could you leave your Godmother too? Godmother is so sad."
"Godmother, don't be sad. We'll be back soon."
Even though they knew Godmother was pretending, the little ones still played along sweetly.
Julia was quickly appeased and urged them to hurry back as she waited for them.
Deanna nodded with a smile and led the little ones to get some snacks before heading towards Lance.
As they approached, the crowd around Lance parted ways for them, greeting them warmly.
"Mrs. Mercer is back."
"Is Mrs. Mercer bringing some food for Mr. Mercer?"
"I envy the love between Mrs. Mercer and Mr. Mercer."
Blushing at these compliments, Deanna nodded shyly at everyone and quickly walked up to Lance, whispering, "You haven't eaten much tonight. Gregory and Chloe were worried you might be hungry, so we brought you some snacks."
"You're thoughtful," Lance said with a pleased smile as he looked at the plate of snacks before him, feeling warmed by their care.
He wrapped his arms around Deanna and leaned his head against hers in an intimate gesture that made the surrounding ladies blush.
Embarrassed, Deanna struggled to pull away, "What are you doing? There are so many people here!"
She glared at him in annoyance.
Lance held her close but refrained from any more intimate actions, soothing her, "It's okay. I won't do anything. Just stay with me for a while."
Hearing this, Deanna no longer insisted on leaving.
Together with the little ones, she stayed by Lance's side to mingle.
Meanwhile, members of the Jones family noticed the activity and were shocked.
Especially Garrett, who regretted how he had treated Deanna in the past upon seeing company executives who previously ignored him now flocking to her side.
"If I had known Deanna could get close to Lance, I would have never treated her so poorly," he thought bitterly.
Mia also noticed Deanna being treated like a star and felt a pang of jealousy.
An idea then came to her as she scanned the crowd around Deanna.