After listening to Eula, Lance found some sense in her words and agreed. "I'll be counting on you for the next few days."
"We're close, don't make it sound like we're not," Eula teased, glancing at her watch. "It's still a while before dawn. Since Miss Jones is fine for now, you should get some rest too."
Lance nodded in acknowledgment. After seeing Eula and Angelo off, he returned to Deanna's side, gently tucking a stray lock of her black hair behind her ear.
He gazed at Deanna's sleeping face, his mind occupied with the results from the report, sensing something was amiss. A few minutes later, he decided to stop dwelling on it and made a phone call.
The call was quickly answered by Gunner, who sounded irritated at being woken up. "Why are you calling me so late?"
"Something happened to Deanna," Lance said directly, recounting the events of the previous night. With a serious expression, he added, "Although nothing problematic was found in the check-up, I don't trust that the person behind this would make it so simple. I need you to come and take a look at Deanna."
Gunner took the matter seriously. He knew Deanna was targeted because of the special medicine and felt responsible. "I understand. I'll wrap things up here and head over as soon as possible."
After hanging up, Lance returned to Deanna's side to keep watch. Time passed slowly as the dark sky outside began to be pierced by rays of golden light. Soon, the sun rose in the east.
As if sensing the sunlight, Deanna woke from her unconscious state. She stared at the ceiling in confusion. Where was she?
Instinctively trying to sit up, she noticed someone beside her. Turning her head, she saw Lance asleep by the bed, dark circles under his eyes, and felt a pang of guilt.
The events of last night replayed in her mind like a movie. She knew Lance must have stayed up all night caring for her. Not wanting to disturb him, she carefully tried to get out of bed, but it didn't go as planned.
"Deanna, you're awake," Lance said, standing up excitedly as he noticed her moving.
"I'm sorry for waking you," Deanna said apologetically.
"You didn't wake me; I was just lightly asleep," Lance reassured her, not wanting her to blame herself. He held her shoulders and gently guided her back to bed. "You just woke up. Let me know if you need anything. Are you feeling unwell?"
Deanna shook her head. "I'm just a bit thirsty, but otherwise, I feel fine." She looked around the room, realizing it didn't look like a hotel. "Where are we?"
"This is Eula's estate. When you had an incident last night, I intended to take you to the hospital, but Eula's place was closer and she has a top medical team here, so I brought you here," Lance explained while handing her a glass of water.
Deanna nodded and took the water, drinking it slowly. Then she heard Lance's voice again. "What happened after you went to the top floor last night?"
Deanna frowned in thought. "I followed the address given by that mysterious person and went to the top floor. I quickly found the innermost room and knocked, but there was no response. The door opened by itself, so I went in to check but found no one inside."
"Just as I was about to leave, I smelled a faint fragrance and then lost consciousness. I don't know what happened after that. What was my condition when you found me?" She looked at Lance nervously.
Lance met her dark eyes and didn't hide anything. "When you didn't report back at our agreed time, I went straight to the top floor. The door was closed and there was no response when I called for you. I suspected something had happened and broke in, finding you unconscious in the bedroom."
"In the bedroom?!" Deanna was shocked and instinctively checked herself.
Seeing her reaction, Lance chuckled softly. "Don't worry; your clothes were intact when I found you. There wasn't enough time for anything bad to happen."
"If nothing bad could happen, why did they knock me out?" Deanna felt even more confused.