Xavier nodded after listening to Logan's words.
However, just as he hung up the phone, there was a knock on the door behind him, and Deanna walked in.
"Mr. Nelson."
"Ah, missus, what brings you here?"
Xavier was startled and turned around nervously.
Upon seeing his panicked expression, Deanna's heart sank. Her eyes fell on the phone in his hand, which didn't look like his usual one. She narrowed her eyes, "I have something to ask you. Are you busy right now?"
For some reason, looking at the enigmatic missus in front of him made Xavier even more uneasy.
He stammered, "N-no, not very busy. Missus, what do you want to ask?"
However, Deanna didn't immediately state her business but looked at him meaningfully.
"I noticed that the phone you're holding doesn't look like the one you usually use. When did you get a new phone?"
"Well, this is my other work phone. I've had it for a while but rarely use it," Xavier said, quickly putting the phone away, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
He couldn't help but wonder if the missus had discovered something; otherwise, why would she suddenly ask about the phone?
Unbeknownst to him, his explanation was too lame in Deanna's eyes, not to mention his guilty demeanor.
Thinking about the uncertain situation with Lance turned Deanna's face cold.
She didn't want to waste any more words and directly took out her phone, dialing Lance's new number.
Seeing Deanna's actions made Xavier's heart sink with unease.
Sure enough, the next second, his phone rang.
That distinctive ringtone-he didn't even need to look to know it was Deanna calling.
Cold sweat poured down his forehead.
Deanna had been watching Xavier's expression and didn't miss his panicked look. She said coldly, "Mr. Nelson, aren't you going to answer the phone? It's been ringing for a while; it must be something important."
Hearing this, Xavier looked up and met Deanna's icy gaze.
He slumped his shoulders and smiled bitterly, "Missus, you've already guessed the truth. There's no need to mock me."
Seeing him finally admit it, Deanna hung up the phone with a cold expression, anger surging in her chest.
"It's good that you admit it. Now tell me, where is Lance? And whose idea was this?"
"Mine. As for Mr. Mercer... it involves confidential matters, so I can't tell you right now. I hope you won't press further."
Xavier admitted to impersonating Mr. Mercer but wanted to keep Mr. Mercer's whereabouts a secret.
Not only was he following Mr. Mercer's instructions, but he also didn't want the missus to worry.
The missus had been mysteriously poisoned and fell into deep sleep frequently. If she got agitated and triggered the poison within her, he wouldn't be able to explain it to Mr. Mercer when he returned.
However, despite his thorough thinking, he couldn't prevent Deanna from guessing the truth.
Deanna's face tightened with anger. "Xavier, at this point, you still want to hide things from me? Do you think I'm so stupid that I'd believe your flawed explanation?"
"That's not what I meant..."
"If that's not what you meant, then what did you mean? Have you forgotten how Lance instructed you? There should be no secrets from me regarding his matters. If I ask, you must answer!"
Xavier weakly tried to explain but was interrupted by Deanna's stern voice.
Looking at the imposing woman before him, for a moment, Xavier thought it was Mr. Mercer standing there.
He smiled bitterly inside, realizing that he might not be able to complete the task Mr. Mercer had given him.
In the end, he chose to come clean. "You must have some suspicions already. The truth is that Mr. Mercer had an accident."
"What happened to him?"
Deanna looked over anxiously.
Seeing this, Xavier gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "Mr. Mercer and his ship sank into the sea. The wreck has been found, but Mr. Mercer and a few others are still missing. We asked nearby fishing boats, but no one had seen Mr. Mercer. Before the accident, Mr. Mercer instructed someone to tell me to keep this incident a secret because of your agreement with him. That's why I came up with the idea of impersonating Mr. Mercer."
At the end of his explanation, he looked at Deanna apologetically.
However, Deanna didn't hear his last words; all her attention was on the phrase "still missing."
Sank into the sea... still missing...
"When did this happen?"
Deanna clenched her fists and tried to stay calm but couldn't stop trembling.
Xavier noticed Deanna's distress and feared that it might trigger the unknown poison in her body. He quickly tried to comfort her, "Missus, don't panic. Although Mr. Mercer hasn't been found yet, it doesn't necessarily mean bad news."
"Tell me when Lance had his accident."