Deanna accompanied Lance for another dinner.
Of course, she just watched Lance eat while she sipped some water.
After all, she had already eaten her fill at the restaurant earlier.
After dinner, the two sat on the living room sofa, watching TV and chatting casually.
Under the bright lights, their figures cuddled together looked very cozy.
However, this beautiful scene was soon interrupted.
It turned out that the two little ones from Cloudmere called Deanna to complain.
"Mommy, Daddy is bad! He didn't bring us to see you!"
"He even kicked us out of the car!"
The two little ones listed Lance's faults in unison.
Seeing this, Deanna glanced mischievously at the man beside her and laughed. "So, dear father of the children, do you have any defense against these accusations?"
"It's true I didn't let them come. When school started, the teacher clearly said this is an important year for their advancement, and they shouldn't take leave," Lance said seriously.
The two little ones listened and looked even more disdainful. "That's not true! Daddy just didn't want us to disturb your alone time together."
Deanna watched the three of them bicker and couldn't stop laughing.
In the end, it was only after Lance promised a lot of gifts that the two little ones calmed down.
After hanging up the phone, Lance held Deanna on the bed and talked about the plans for the next day. "We'll go back the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, let's have dinner with Mr. Grant and your new friend."
"Sounds good. I haven't had a chance to explore around here yet."
Deanna agreed.
With that, they talked sweetly and fell asleep in each other's arms.
The next day, since she didn't have to report to the research institute, Deanna woke up naturally.
When she got up, she saw that Lance was already dressed, sitting on the sofa with a laptop, seemingly handling some work.
"You're up."
Lance heard the movement from the bed and looked over with a gentle smile.
Deanna returned a sweet smile. "Good morning."
"It's not morning anymore; the sun has been up for a long time."
Lance teased Deanna on purpose.
Deanna felt a bit embarrassed and glared at him playfully. "I was too tired yesterday. Can't I sleep a bit longer?"
Seeing Deanna about to get angry, Lance quickly soothed her with a smile. "Of course you can. You can sleep as long as you want."
"Hmph, that's more like it." Deanna said proudly and took her clothes into the bathroom.
When she came out after washing up, she saw that Lance had already prepared breakfast.
After breakfast, they went to nearby attractions to buy gifts for the two little ones as promised by Lance.
They played until evening before returning to the city.
After Xavier booked a restaurant, Lance turned to Deanna and smiled. "Call your friends and tell them the restaurant address."
Deanna nodded and called Lionel and Aniyah.
About half an hour later, they arrived at the private room one after another.
Aniyah saw Lance and was momentarily stunned by his appearance but quickly composed herself.
Lionel, on the other hand, looked a bit downcast seeing Deanna and Lance together.
Even though he hid his emotions well, Lance noticed it and his eyes gleamed.
"Since everyone is here, let's sit down."
Lance smiled lightly and invited them to take their seats.
Aniyah didn't hesitate and sat next to Deanna.
Since that heartfelt conversation with Deanna, she had started treating her as a close friend.
She leaned closer to Deanna and whispered so only they could hear. "Your fiancé looks extraordinary and seems to care about you a lot. That's wonderful."
Hearing this, Deanna glanced at Lance who was talking to Lionel, her eyes filled with tenderness.
She turned back to Aniyah with a gentle smile. "You'll find someone who treats you well too."
"Maybe."
Aniyah forced a smile and couldn't help but look in Lionel's direction.
These days, she had restrained herself from seeking out this man. She thought he would miss her presence.
But she was wrong.
Whether she was there or not made almost no difference to him.
Maybe... she really should learn to let go.
Perhaps because her low mood was too obvious, Deanna noticed and looked at her with concern. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm planning to free myself."
Aniyah looked at Deanna seriously.
Her resolute eyes made Deanna pause for a moment.
After a while, Deanna reacted and held her hand in support. "Although I don't know why you suddenly made this decision, as a friend, I hope you find your happiness."
Compared to their warm conversation, the talk between Lance and Lionel was full of tension.
Lionel believed that since Deanna wasn't married yet, she had the right to choose.
Moreover, this was the first time in his life he was interested in someone outside of his research. He wanted to fight for himself once.