Lance recounted how he met Eula.
After a pause, he continued, "After Eula and I started working together, we not only solved our respective problems but also seized resources from those arrogant nobles in Espuenia."
"As the situation stabilized, I graduated from school and handed over some of my power to Eula, making her the leader of the local forces on the surface while I was the boss behind the scenes and returned home to take over Mercer Group. Unless there's something Eula can't handle, I don't interfere with matters here."
"This room and the study were prepared by Eula at that time. As for the decorations in the room, they were indeed gifts Eula intended for me, but I didn't accept them. Perhaps that's why she left those gifts here."
At this point, Lance tightened his embrace around Deanna and chuckled, "Are you jealous because you think there's something between Eula and me?"
"A bit jealous," Deanna admitted frankly, nodding. "With the room and the gifts, it's hard not to misunderstand."
The most troubling part was that Miss Eula had said some ambiguous things in front of her, which made Deanna uncomfortable.
Lance was unaware of their confrontation.
Seeing Deanna's candid admission made Lance's smile grow more content. He explained, "Don't overthink it. Eula and I are just collaborators. Besides, Eula sometimes says things without much thought. If she says something offhand, just ignore it."
"I understand," Deanna nodded, though she thought differently.
A woman's intuition told her that Eula's earlier words were not mere teasing but genuine boasting.
However...
Deanna looked up at the man before her and sighed inwardly.
Julia often said she was too thoughtless. In her view, Lance was equally oblivious.
Otherwise, how could he not see through Eula's obvious confession?
Thinking of this, Deanna didn't know whether to laugh or feel helpless.
But since Lance only saw Eula as a collaborator, there was no need to expose Eula's intentions to him.
She decided to handle it privately.
Lance didn't know what Deanna was thinking. Seeing her relax, he changed the topic to casual conversation.
Perhaps due to the unknown substance injected into her, Deanna soon felt drowsy.
Lance coaxed her to sleep.
Not long after, Deanna fell into a deep sleep, and Lance's tender expression turned serious.
According to Deanna's routine, this wasn't her usual nap time.
With this in mind, Lance immediately contacted Angelo to bring a team for a check-up.
Angelo quickly arrived with his team.
Eula also came along.
Entering the room, she saw Deanna lying on the bed and a dark glint flashed in her eyes. She asked with concern, "Lance, what's wrong with Miss Jones?"
"Nothing, she's just asleep," Lance replied, turning to Angelo and his team. "Check her out. This isn't her usual nap time. See if it's a reaction to the substance previously injected into her."
"If that's the case, we'll need to draw blood for testing," Angelo said, looking to Lance for approval.
He was mainly worried that Lance might object.
After all, it hadn't been 24 hours since the last blood test.
And drawing two vials of blood each time could weaken her body.
Lance knew this too. Though he felt sorry for Deanna, he agreed.
Better to endure some hardship now than let unknown dangers linger.
Seeing this, Angelo and his team prepared the blood-drawing tools.
Lance stepped back to give them space.
Eula watched the serious-faced man beside her and kindly advised, "Miss Jones will be fine."
"I know, and I won't let anything happen to her," Lance replied, turning to look at Eula with sharp eyes.
Their gazes met, and Eula felt uneasy and a bit guilty under his scrutiny.
She sensed Lance's suspicion.
Feigning calmness, she met his gaze and questioned, "Why are you looking at me like that? I haven't done anything to you."
"Didn't I tell you not to make misleading jokes, especially in front of Deanna? This time I'll let it slide. If it happens again, I'll have to talk to your parents," Lance warned.
Though he understood that Eula might have been joking without ill intent, he didn't want Deanna hurt by such jokes.