A few minutes later, Shannon appeared in the office carrying a three-tiered lunchbox.
She noticed Lionel sitting on the sofa, nodded politely, and then placed the lunchbox on the coffee table. She respectfully said to Deanna, "Missus, your meal is ready."
"Alright."
Deanna responded and looked at Lionel, extending a courteous invitation, "Mr. Grant, would you like to join me? It looks like there's more than enough food."
At that moment, Shannon chimed in, "Mr. Grant, you can stay. Our boss anticipated that Missus might invite someone to join her, so he prepared food for three."
Hearing this, Lionel lost his appetite.
Especially with Shannon repeatedly addressing Deanna as "Missus," it made him feel even more disheartened.
"No need for me. Miss Jones, you enjoy your meal. I'll bring over the package later when it arrives."
Without waiting for Deanna's response, he got up and left.
Shannon watched his hurried departure and discreetly rolled her eyes.
With such little composure, he dares to covet our Missus? Truly wishful thinking.
Deanna didn't notice Shannon's expression; instead, she was startled by the amount of food in the lunchbox.
"Why did you bring so much food?"
She had thought Shannon was just saying that for politeness. After all, she didn't believe Lance would be generous enough to prepare Lionel's meal.
Contrary to her expectations, the reality was different.
Shannon replied, "Mr. Mercer said Mr. Grant likes to invite Missus out to eat. He thought it would be boring for Missus to eat alone, so he asked the kitchen chef to prepare extra food. That way, Missus could invite Mr. Grant to join and have some company."
Deanna was speechless.
It was indeed something Lance would say.
She felt relieved that Lionel had left earlier; otherwise, she couldn't imagine how he would react to hearing this.
Thinking about the favor she owed Lionel, she lightly scolded, "Don't say that again; it's impolite."
Shannon saw that Deanna was genuinely displeased and nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Deanna didn't say anything further. She separated the extra food and instructed, "I can't finish all this. When you leave later, if you see any homeless people or stray animals, give it to them."
"Okay."
Shannon nodded again.
Later, after Deanna finished her meal, Shannon packed up the lunchbox and prepared to leave.
Before leaving, she asked Deanna, "Missus, is there anything specific you'd like for dinner? I can have the kitchen prepare it."
Deanna was surprised.
"What? You're delivering dinner too?"
"Yes. Mr. Mercer said that since you've resolved some issues and will be fully focused on the project at the research institute, he doesn't want you to skip any meals. He instructed me to deliver meals daily to ensure you get proper nutrition."
Shannon answered truthfully but skillfully.
In reality, it was arranged by Deanna's children, and it was only this morning that Mr. Mercer informed her to send meals in his name.
Deanna didn't know this but was touched by Shannon's words.
"I don't have any specific cravings. Just let the kitchen decide."
"Alright."
Shannon nodded and quickly left with the lunchbox.
Deanna was left alone in the office.
She stretched and checked the time, planning to take a nap before continuing her unfinished tasks.
She slept until nearly 2 PM.
Just as she finished freshening up in the break room, she heard a knock on the door and Lionel's slightly breathless voice.
"Miss Jones, I'm coming in."
Almost immediately after speaking, Lionel entered, struggling with a large package.
Seeing this, Deanna quickly moved forward to help.
But Lionel stopped her, saying, "Miss Jones, don't touch it. It's very heavy. Just clear the coffee table for me so I can put it down."
"Okay, I'll do that," Deanna responded and cleared the coffee table.
Once she finished, Lionel placed the box on it with a thud.
"Phew, that was exhausting."
Lionel exhaled heavily and wiped the sweat from his forehead before explaining to Deanna, "This is the package I mentioned earlier. It contains all the books and notes I've used for my postgraduate studies. It's quite comprehensive."
Deanna felt grateful upon hearing this.
After all, these were invaluable resources that couldn't be bought elsewhere.
That evening, she used all her strength to carry the box of books back to the manor.
In the living room, where the father and children were playing along with Old Ashley, they all turned their heads upon hearing the commotion.
"Mommy, what did you buy?"
The two little ones asked curiously as they ran towards Deanna.