Lance looked their interaction between them. A sense of satisfaction washed over him. His children, his wife, everything was peaceful and perfect.
Nearly four hours later, the helicopter landed on a large lawn. Despite the noise, the two little ones remained undisturbed. With no other choice, Deanna and Lance each carried one child off the helicopter.
Once on the ground, Deanna immediately felt the temperature difference in the air; it was much warmer than Cloudmere. She followed Lance into the villa, carrying Gregory, and began to sweat. After putting the children to bed, she couldn't resist taking off her coat.
Lance also removed his overcoat and whispered to Deanna, "This place is great for winter, and it's evergreen all year round. We can bring the kids here often."
"That's a good idea," Deanna agreed with a nod. She couldn't help but yawn. After working all day and then taking a four-hour flight, her body was protesting.
Lance noticed the fatigue on Deanna's face and said tenderly, "Let's rest first. We can deal with everything else tomorrow."
Deanna didn't refuse and went to freshen up. However, after washing up, she found herself unable to sleep, perhaps because of the new environment. She tossed and turned in bed.
Unbeknownst to her, every time she moved, it was a temptation for Lance. "Weren't you tired? Why are you still tossing and turning?" he asked, pulling her into his arms and looking at her intently.
Meeting his deep gaze, which seemed to draw her in, Deanna couldn't help but move back a little. She knew all too well what that look meant. "Well, I'm really tired today. Let's not do anything tonight. Besides, we promised to take Gregory and Chloe out tomorrow. If I can't get up, they might be upset," she pleaded with an awkward smile.
Lance stared at her without blinking. "But you can't sleep, right?"
"Of course not. I'm very sleepy now. Look, I'll fall asleep in a second," Deanna said, closing her eyes immediately to pretend to sleep.
Lance could tell she was pretending but didn't expose her. With a doting smile, he held her in his arms and closed his eyes to rest. Deanna remained still in his embrace, not daring to move.
She thought she would still have trouble sleeping, but listening to the heartbeat from Lance's chest gradually made her drowsy. Before long, she fell into a deep sleep.
Feeling the steady breathing of the person in his arms, Lance opened his eyes and looked down at Deanna's sweet sleeping face. "Goodnight," he whispered softly and kissed her forehead.
As if sensing something, Deanna mumbled in her sleep, "Goodnight..."
Hearing this, Lance's eyes filled with love. He held her tightly and soon fell asleep as well.
The pale moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the scene of them sleeping in each other's arms, warm and beautiful.
The next morning, Deanna was awakened by the sound of birds chirping outside the window. She rubbed her eyes and got out of bed, realizing she was alone in the room. Not paying much attention to it, she went to freshen up.
Half an hour later, dressed and ready, she walked out of the room and heard laughter coming from downstairs.
"Daddy, will we really see bunnies later?" Chloe asked excitedly, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Lance.
It turned out Lance had been introducing the estate to the kids. This estate was comparable to Old Mercer's sanatorium, both situated on a mountain. Thanks to the mild climate in the south, even though it was already December, the plants on the mountain were green. With artificial cultivation, there were also many off-season fruits.
For this reason, small animals were very active on the mountain. Lance looked at his daughter's expectant eyes but didn't make any promises. "If we're lucky, we might see them. And not just bunnies; there are also sparrows, pheasants, and wild ducks."
"Oh, I really want to go up the mountain now! Daddy, can we go now?" Chloe said eagerly.
Lance chuckled at her enthusiasm. Just as he was about to say something, Gregory's serious voice interrupted him. "Chloe , wait a bit longer. Let's go after Mommy wakes up."
"Mommy is a sleepyhead! Who knows when she'll wake up," Chloe sighed dramatically and instinctively looked towards the stairs. To her surprise, she saw Deanna and exclaimed joyfully, "Mommy, you're up!"
Deanna raised an eyebrow at Chloe's quick change of expression. "Yes, I'm up. Otherwise, someone might start talking bad about me. In fact, I think I just heard someone calling me lazy. Who was it? Who was talking bad about me?"