Hearing Deanna's words, Lance's face darkened. "Leave this matter to me." He would not give Garrett any chance to ruin the banquet.
Deanna saw the man's cold expression and did not object. After all, she didn't want such an important occasion to be spoiled.
On the other side, Garrett had just returned home from the company. Mia saw him and immediately approached, asking with concern, "How did it go with Deanna today? Did you see her?"
"Don't mention it. That wretched girl is just like her mother," Garrett said angrily as he sat on the sofa, tugging at his collar in frustration.
Seeing this, Mia understood the outcome. A gleam of satisfaction flashed in her eyes, but she maintained a gentle demeanor as she tried to console him, "Alright, don't be angry. Considering how we treated Deanna before, it's normal for her to hold a grudge and refuse to see you. Just try a few more times."
Garrett remained silent, but he was thinking the same. He knew how much Deanna valued Olivia's possessions. As long as he held those shares, he didn't believe Deanna would remain indifferent. If necessary, he could directly approach Lance. However, he wasn't sure if Lance would see him, so he decided to start with Deanna.
Mia was unaware of Garrett's thoughts. Seeing him silent, she squinted her eyes and continued, "Did you mention the shares to Deanna?"
"I did, but that wretched girl didn't take the bait. She guessed I wanted to exchange the shares for something," Garrett said with a dark expression.
Mia understood and suggested, "In that case, tell her that if she doesn't want the shares, you'll deal with them. After all, with the company's current problems, we can't just watch it fall apart."
The next morning, Lance went to the company. As usual, Xavier reported the day's schedule punctually. After listening, Lance changed the subject and instructed, "Look into the recent situation of Jones Group and Garrett's current relationships."
"Garrett?" Xavier was momentarily stunned before realizing it was the missus's father. He looked at Mr. Mercer in confusion, not understanding why Mr. Mercer wanted to investigate the missus's father. Although curious, he didn't ask further and nodded before leaving.
About half an hour later, he returned to the office and respectfully placed a document on Lance's desk. "Here is the information you requested."
"Got it. Leave it here and get back to work," Lance said without looking up.
Xavier responded and left the office. After finishing his work, Lance picked up the document and began reading. The information was comprehensive, detailing all the issues within Jones Group. After a quick read-through, Lance had a good guess about Garrett's intentions in approaching Deanna.
That evening, he brought the document home for Deanna to review. "I think this is why Garrett came to see you," he said seriously.
Deanna took the document and read through it quickly. Her face turned extremely pale as she finished. "I wondered why he suddenly cared about Gregory and Chloe. So it's because of the company's problems," she said with a cold laugh, disgusted by Garrett's actions.
Although she had never expected fatherly love from Garrett, at this moment, she truly felt that his so-called love was cheap and even tainted the word itself.
Seeing Deanna's distressed expression, Lance pulled her into his arms and comforted her. "He's just an insignificant person. Don't let him affect your mood."
"I know. I'm just expressing my feelings," Deanna explained as she leaned against Lance. Then she thought about her mother's shares and said worriedly, "Now that Garrett has run the company into the ground, I must find a way to get back my mother's shares."
"If you really want those shares back, I'll help you," Lance said, looking down at Deanna in his arms.
Deanna hesitated and said, "If you step in, I'm afraid Garrett will demand an exorbitant price." She understood Lance's desire to protect her but didn't want Garrett to benefit from it.
Lance saw through her thoughts and smiled. "Don't worry. I won't suffer any losses. I'll make sure Garrett hands over those shares with minimal cost."
Hearing this and seeing the confidence in his expression, Deanna no longer said anything more. She hugged him back with a sweet smile and said, "It's so good to have you."
"Of course. Your matters are my matters. Otherwise, what's the point of having a fiancé?" Lance said affectionately.
Deanna smiled softly, her face full of happiness.