Aniyah noticed that only Deanna and Lionel were left in the lab. She frowned slightly but quickly relaxed and asked with a smile, "Are you done? I came to fulfill my promise from this afternoon and treat Miss Jones to a meal."
"Almost..."
"I still have some data to review, it might take another hour. Why don't Mr. Grant and Miss Woodard go ahead and eat, and bring me back a meal?"
Deanna interrupted Lionel before he could finish speaking.
She winked at Aniyah as she finished her sentence.
Aniyah understood immediately that Deanna was creating an opportunity for her. She smiled knowingly and nodded, "That works. Lionel, let's go eat so we can bring dinner back for Miss Jones sooner."
Lionel didn't notice the subtle exchange between the two women, but he didn't want to have dinner with Aniyah. He knew Aniyah had a crush on him, but he didn't feel the same way and didn't want to mislead her.
"A little bit of data can be reviewed tomorrow morning. Besides, Miss Jones came here directly with me today without resting properly. If your master knew I was overworking you like this, she wouldn't let me off easily."
"Mr. Grant, you're joking. My master wouldn't worry about me. Besides, I believe in finishing today's work today. I want to help Mr. Grant solve this problem as soon as possible so that the medicine you are developing can be available sooner to save more lives." Deanna declined again.
Her words left Lionel with no room to argue, so he had to leave with Aniyah.
Shortly after they left, Deanna received a video call from Lance.
"Mommy, what are you doing?"
As soon as the call connected, two little faces appeared on the screen, curiously looking at her.
Deanna smiled, "Mommy is reviewing some data. Are you home from school?"
"Yes, Daddy picked us up."
The two little ones nodded and asked about Deanna's situation over there. "Mommy, are you okay over there? Are people nice to you? Are you being bullied?"
Seeing them act like little adults, Deanna felt warm.
"Don't worry, Mommy is doing well here. You don't need to worry about me. I'll be back soon."
"Then remember to buy us gifts, Mommy."
Chloe looked at Deanna with sparkling eyes.
Deanna naturally wouldn't refuse, "Okay, I'll buy you gifts."
After chatting for a while, Lance sent the kids to do their homework and finally got a chance to take the phone.
He looked at Deanna on the screen with a gentle expression.
Then he noticed something off about the background behind Deanna and asked with concern, "Are you at the lab?"
"Yes, I still have some data to review. I plan to finish it before going back."
Deanna didn't hide her intentions and nodded with a smile.
Lance frowned and asked, "How much more data do you have?"
"About an hour's worth."
Deanna glanced at the remaining files in her hand and gave an estimate.
Hearing this, Lance's expression turned sour. "So, you haven't had dinner yet? Did you forget what you promised me before you left?"
You clearly said you'd take care of yourself. It's only the first day and you're already not eating on time!
Deanna immediately sensed the displeasure in his voice and knew what he was upset about.
"I'm not skipping dinner; my meal just hasn't arrived yet. I asked a colleague to bring it for me. Please don't be mad."
She coaxed him softly over the phone.
Her gentle words quickly soothed him.
After all, Lance wasn't really angry; he was just worried that Deanna was neglecting her health for work.
After talking for a while, Lance realized Deanna still had a lot of data to review and decided to end the call himself. "Call me when you're done."
"Okay, you go ahead and get busy too."
Deanna nodded with a smile.
After putting down her phone, she continued reviewing the data.
Just as she was about to finish, Lionel returned with a food box.
Seeing that Lionel was alone, Deanna casually asked, "Didn't Miss Woodard come back with you?"
"I let her go home first."
Lionel replied calmly and then added warmly, "I packed two dishes that I think are quite good. They're specialties from Sealand. Try them and see if you like them."
As he spoke, he placed the food box on an empty table nearby.
Deanna nodded and put down her data to walk over.
Just as she was about to start eating, she noticed Lionel still standing nearby and asked in confusion, "Mr. Grant, aren't you going back to rest?"
"I'll wait until you finish reviewing the data so we can leave together. You can share your insights with me on the way."
Lionel smiled gently.
Deanna thought Lionel was eager to solve the problem and didn't suspect anything. She began eating while discussing the issues and questions she had encountered in the data.