Deanna noticed her friend suddenly stop being angry and look guiltily at Lance. Curious, she asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Mr. Nelson, you can stop the car here. I just remembered I need to buy something, so you don't need to take me home," Julia said, eager to escape the scene. She decided to confront her friend another time when Lance wasn't around.
Watching her friend hurriedly get out of the car as if being chased by a ghost, Deanna felt puzzled. "What's wrong with her?"
"Uh, maybe she's feeling guilty," Lance said, watching Julia's retreating figure with a mischievous smile.
Deanna was even more confused. "What did Julia do to feel so guilty?"
Lance pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear, "Maybe because she said a lot of bad things about me."
"She said bad things about you? How..."
Before she could finish, Deanna finally understood. Previously, she and her friend didn't know Lance's identity and often cursed the father of the two little ones.
As she thought about it, Lance's deep voice sounded in her ear again, "I remember you also said bad things about me back then."
"How could I have known you're their father back then? I shouldn't be blamed for it." Deanna tried to defend herself.
Lance smiled at her stubbornness, his eyes filled with affection.
Soon, the family returned to the estate. Old Ashley had already gone to bed. The four of them quickly washed up and prepared to rest. However, the two little ones didn't want to return to their children's room and insisted on sleeping with Lance and Deanna. Although Lance was disappointed not to have a private moment with Deanna, he couldn't refuse the expectant looks of the little ones.
They all had a good night's sleep.
Meanwhile, news about Lance having two children spread rapidly throughout Cloudmere. Many people in various circles discussed it at home. Some media reporters also got wind of it and started reporting online and in newspapers.
The next morning, the news about Lance having two children was all over Cloudmere. Xavier noticed the external developments and immediately contacted Lance to report, "Mr. Mercer, the news online and in the newspapers is all about you and Master Gregory and Miss Chloe. Should we have it taken down?"
"Are there any photos in the reports?" Lance asked with a frown.
Xavier replied truthfully, "No, there aren't."
"In that case, there's no need to take it down. Let everyone know about this," Lance decided directly. He gave a few more instructions before hanging up.
The top social circles were shocked by the news online. They hadn't attended Landon's birthday party last night and didn't know what had happened. Although the Sherman family was wealthy, they were at the bottom among the many prestigious families in Cloudmere.
As the news spread more wildly online, the Mercer family remained silent. Many old friends familiar with the Mercer family called to inquire. By mid-morning, Logan and Samantha had received dozens of calls from friends. They hadn't expected such attention from the outside world but didn't plan to stop it. They even had their company release an announcement in their name, confirming that Lance indeed had two children and that they would formally introduce them to everyone soon.
With this announcement, the number of people bothering Logan and Samantha decreased significantly.
On the other side, Deanna received a call from a friend.
"Deanna, did you see the news online? The chairman and chairwoman of Mercer Group have released an announcement acknowledging Gregory and Chloe's identities."
"I saw it," Deanna replied with a smile. She wasn't surprised by Logan and Samantha's reaction but was surprised by how big this matter had blown up online.
Emily also saw the news online. Seeing Logan and Samantha personally acknowledge those two children as part of the Mercer family drove her mad with jealousy. The acknowledgment of those two children also meant acknowledging Deanna.
"Why? Why is this happening? Deanna used to be despised by everyone. How did she become the high-and-mighty missus of the Mercer family?" she ranted madly. Unfortunately, no one could answer her questions.
This scene was witnessed by Raphael, who had returned home to fetch some documents. He frowned deeply and said in displeasure, "What are you going crazy about now?"
Hearing his voice, Emily froze mid-rant. "Raphael, why are you back?"
She turned around in surprise, quickly thinking of an excuse to cover up her behavior.
Raphael seemed to see through her thoughts and said coldly, "I came back for some documents. I heard everything you just said. I'm warning you, don't provoke Deanna. If you drag the Howard family into this mess, Mom and Dad won't tolerate you anymore."