After the applause, Old Mercer raised his hand, signaling everyone to quiet down.
The room fell silent almost immediately.
Seeing this, Old Mercer smiled kindly and said joyfully, "My eldest son should have explained it to you earlier. Today's banquet is mainly for my two grandchildren to acknowledge their ancestry. Gregory, Chloe, say hello to everyone."
As he spoke, he gently nudged the two little ones.
The children were not shy and introduced themselves confidently.
"Good evening, uncles and aunties. My name is Gregory Mercer, and I am the older brother. I am five and a half years old."
"My name is Chloe Mercer, and I am the younger sister. I am also five and a half years old."
Since they were acknowledging their ancestry, their last names were changed to match Lance's surname.
Their sweet introductions melted the hearts of many noblewomen and young ladies in the audience.
"So adorable!"
"Mr. Mercer is so lucky. I never imagined that such a cold man could have such cute and well-behaved children."
"I think the children are so adorable because of their mother."
At this point, many people became curious about the children's mother.
Someone whispered, "Does anyone know who the mother of these two children is?"
"I really don't know."
"Previously, only the two children were exposed online. There was no information about their mother."
"On such an important day, the children's mother should be here too, right?"
With these words, many people began to look around.
Little did they know that the person they were looking for was upstairs, observing them from a vantage point where they couldn't see her.
At this moment, an old friend familiar with Old Mercer couldn't help but ask curiously, "Old Mercer, you've introduced your grandchildren. Shouldn't we also meet your granddaughter-in-law?"
"Go away! If you want to meet my granddaughter-in-law, do you have enough gifts?" Old Mercer joked.
Many socialites in the room were keenly watching Old Mercer, eager to see what kind of woman had captured Lance's heart.
They also had personal motives, wanting to see how they compared to her.
Seeing everyone's curiosity about the children's mother, Old Mercer decided not to keep them guessing any longer. He smiled at the spiral staircase and said, "Lance, you heard your uncles and aunts. Bring out your fiancée."
Hearing this, Lance extended his hand to Deanna beside him.
"Let's go."
Deanna nodded and took Lance's arm.
Soon, the two appeared at the top of the staircase, a beam of silver light shining on them as if casting a halo around them.
Their striking looks left everyone in awe.
Facing the crowd's gaze, Deanna became nervous, her movements becoming awkward.
Lance noticed her change immediately and whispered softly so only she could hear, "Relax. Just think of them as your subordinates during a meeting."
Perhaps Lance's vivid description worked because Deanna relaxed instantly.
In no time, they descended the staircase. The crowd snapped out of their daze and began scrutinizing Deanna with curiosity and jealousy.
Deanna sensed some negative vibes but paid them no mind.
She followed Lance to the stage. The two little ones immediately ran over and sweetly called out, "Mommy, Daddy."
"Good kids, stand next to Mommy," Deanna said as she called them to her side.
Lance looked at his family tenderly. Once they were all in place, he picked up the microphone and said slowly, "Tonight, besides my two children acknowledging their ancestry, I have another good news to share with everyone."
Hearing this, the crowd began to speculate wildly.
The loudest guess was that Lance was going to announce his wedding.
And indeed, that was the case.
After a brief pause, Lance continued, "I know many of you are curious about the mother of my children. Let me introduce her to you. This is my beloved, the future Mrs. Mercer, the mother of my children. I am very fortunate because we had some misunderstandings in the past that led to our separation. Fortunately, we have reconciled now. We plan to hold our wedding next year and hope everyone here can witness our happiness."
"Congratulations, Mr. Mercer!"
"We never knew Mr. Mercer had such a romantic history! He hid it so well!"
"Indeed! Mr. Mercer owes us a drink for keeping us in the dark for so long."
Many people started to cheer.
The loudest among them was Ollie, whose voice drowned out everyone else's.
Lance noticed him and chuckled as he hugged Deanna. He whispered something only she could hear, "I'll introduce you to some friends later."