The next morning, before dawn, Deanna woke up thinking about the medicinal herbs. She glanced at Lance, who was still asleep beside her, and carefully got out of bed to avoid waking him. However, as soon as she moved, Lance opened his eyes.
Lance looked at the still-dark sky outside and frowned as he sat up in bed. "It's not even light yet. Why are you up?"
"Thinking about the research institute, I couldn't sleep. I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep," Deanna said apologetically.
Although they had discussed a solution last night, she still wanted to find a way to solve the shortage of medicinal herbs. It was the first serious task her master had given her, and she wanted to do it perfectly without disappointing him.
Seeing her determination, Lance felt sorry for her but didn't stop her. Instead, he got up as well. "I'll take you to the research institute."
Deanna wanted to refuse. She cared for Lance and wanted him to rest more. But no matter how she tried to persuade him, she couldn't change his mind. In the end, she agreed.
When they arrived at the research institute, only the cleaning staff were there since it wasn't working hours yet. As Deanna headed to her office, she noticed the lights on in Lab A and saw Lionel busy inside. She wasn't surprised and quietly left without disturbing him.
It wasn't until the official work hours that Lionel realized Deanna was already at the institute and quickly came to find her.
"Miss Jones, any news from the herbal suppliers?" he asked.
"Not yet, but I've asked people to search diligently," Deanna replied seriously. She paused, recalling what Lance had told her last night, and decided to give Lionel a heads-up. "Mr. Grant, if we don't find a supplier today, we need to prepare for the worst."
She wanted to complete her master's task perfectly but knew that some things couldn't be achieved through effort alone. Lionel understood this too.
"I understand. If we don't hear from a supplier by this afternoon, we'll visit our clients tomorrow and explain the situation. Hopefully, they'll understand our difficulties," Lionel said.
"I agree," Deanna nodded.
The entire day, they both contacted their networks, trying to find a supplier with surplus herbs. Unfortunately, by evening, they hadn't received any good news.
Just as they were discussing contacting clients, Lionel's phone rang. He answered immediately, and his previously worried expression brightened.
Seeing this, Deanna had a good guess about the call's content. Sure enough, after hanging up, Lionel announced excitedly, "We've found a supplier! The herbs are on their way and will arrive by midnight. We'll have half the production line work overtime tonight and the other half tomorrow. In two days and nights, we should be able to produce the client's required medicine."
Deanna agreed and instructed Brent to notify the production line. Once everything was arranged, both she and Lionel felt relieved.
"Looks like we got lucky," Lionel said with a smile.
Deanna nodded in agreement and sincerely thanked him. "It's all thanks to you, Mr. Grant. Without your connections, we wouldn't have solved this issue. I owe you twice now and don't know how to thank you."
Lionel silently thought of a cheeky response but didn't dare say it aloud. Instead, he smiled modestly. "Miss Jones, it's nothing. Just a small effort."
"Even so, thank you, Mr. Grant," Deanna insisted.
Moved by her sincerity, Lionel jokingly suggested, "Since you're so insistent, how about treating me to a meal and showing me around Cloudmere? I've been here for a while but haven't had a chance to explore."
"Of course! How about this weekend?" Deanna readily agreed.
They set a date for their weekend outing. Before leaving, Deanna asked with a smile, "Mr. Grant, do you mind if I bring someone along?"
Lionel looked at her innocent smile and wanted to say he minded but knew better than to reveal his feelings. So he shook his head and smiled back. "I don't mind."