Lance looked into Deanna's dark eyes and said hoarsely, "You have been asleep for two days."
Deanna's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.
Although she hadn't kept track of her previous episodes of unconsciousness, she knew the duration was increasing each time.
A wave of panic surged within her.
Would there be a day when she simply never woke up?
At this thought, Deanna began to tremble.
Perhaps her emotions were too obvious, as Lance immediately saw through her thoughts. He grabbed her hand forcefully and said in a deep voice, "Don't think like that. I won't let anything happen to you, and I won't allow anything to happen to you!"
Deanna's eyelashes fluttered as she looked at Lance, seeing the determination in his eyes.
At that moment, her initial panic slowly subsided.
"I won't overthink it anymore. For you, Gregory and Chloe, I must strive to live. I can't let my grandmother suffer the pain of losing another loved one."
Deanna regained her confidence as she looked at him.
Lance noticed the change in her demeanor and sighed in relief.
At this moment, Gunner spoke from the side, "You are my chosen successor. Without my permission, not even the Grim Reaper can take you."
Hearing this, Deanna's confidence grew even more.
"Of course, I believe in Master. Master would never let anything happen to me!"
She smiled sweetly at Gunner.
Gunner looked at her playful expression and chuckled, "Stop flattering me. Now that you're awake, give me your hand so I can check your condition."
Deanna obediently extended her hand.
Lance stood by nervously watching.
During this time, Eula seemed like an outsider, unable to join their conversation.
She watched as Lance showed concern for Deanna, her eyes flickering with mixed emotions. Then she spoke up, "Since Miss Jones is awake, I'll instruct the kitchen to prepare some food. Miss Jones has been asleep for two days; she must be very hungry."
Hearing this, Lance remembered and looked apologetically at Deanna.
"I'm sorry, I was so worried that I forgot..."
"No need to apologize. I understand."
Deanna gently covered Lance's mouth with her hand.
Lance looked at her tenderly and then thanked Eula, "Thank you. Please ask the kitchen to prepare something light. Deanna hasn't eaten for two days; her stomach must be very weak."
Eula nodded and left the room.
As soon as she stepped out of the room, her expression turned cold.
She thought about the fleeting idea she had earlier but quickly dismissed it.
With Gunner in the house, poisoning Deanna was impractical and easily traceable back to her.
Although she wanted Deanna gone, she wasn't willing to risk herself.
Moreover, her goal was to win Lance's heart, not to become his enemy.
Deanna was already suffering from a mysterious poison; perhaps one day she would indeed sleep and never wake up. Eula decided to wait and see.
If necessary, she would find another opportunity to act later.
Deanna had no idea that another person now wanted her dead.
She looked at her master with furrowed brows, feeling uneasy again despite having been comforted earlier.
"Is it still undetectable?"
"Aside from some weakness, there are no other issues. It's really strange," Gunner said, looking puzzled.
He was also secretly worried about Deanna's condition.
He hadn't figured out what kind of poison Deanna had been exposed to, and her symptoms seemed to be worsening each time. He couldn't wait any longer.
Thinking of this, he withdrew his hand from checking Deanna's pulse and said gravely, "Given your current condition, there's not much more I can do here. So I plan to return to Abla tonight to check the notes left by your grandmaster for any similar symptoms."
"Thank you for your hard work, Master."
Deanna looked at him gratefully.
Lance also nodded solemnly, "I'll arrange a private jet for you later to save some time."
If it weren't for the Martinez family's secrets being involved, Lance would have sent more people with Gunner to help him search for information.
That night, Gunner left Espuenia.
When Eula received the news, she was momentarily stunned.
Did he leave just like that?
But after hearing the rest of the report from her subordinates, she couldn't help but laugh.
It seemed that perhaps she didn't need to do anything; Deanna might die from her mysterious illness on her own.
For the next two days, Eula surprisingly refrained from causing trouble for Deanna.
She even showed some consideration by suggesting they bring Deanna's two children over.
However, Deanna declined.
"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Eula. But the children have school and shouldn't be disturbed."
In truth, she didn't want to put her children in danger or let them know about her condition and worry about her.