On the other side, Deanna went to see the two little ones. Although she hid her emotions well, the sensitive children still noticed something was wrong.
"Mommy, you're unhappy. Did someone upset you?"
"Mommy, did Daddy upset you?"
The two little ones looked at Deanna with wide, concerned eyes.
Seeing this, Deanna felt warmth in her heart, and much of her frustration dissipated. She ruffled their hair and smiled, "Mommy is fine. Don't worry about it."
The two little ones exchanged a glance but didn't press further. However, they made a note to talk to Daddy later and ask him to check on Mommy.
Soon, the room was filled with Deanna's gentle reading voice. Under the soft, yellow light, her voice had a magical quality that made one feel at ease and sleepy. The two little ones quickly fell asleep to the sound of her voice.
Deanna sat by their small bed, watching their innocent sleeping faces, radiating maternal warmth. When Lance arrived, he saw this heartwarming scene and felt a warm swell in his chest. He couldn't bear to interrupt and stood at the door, watching with a tender expression.
Deanna was unaware that Lance was standing outside. As she watched the two little ones sleep, she thought about Eula. This woman was proving to be quite a challenge. Compared to Bella and others before her, Eula's tactics were more straightforward and open.
The more Deanna thought about it, the more exhausted she felt, her expressions shifting constantly. Lance found this both curious and amusing from his vantage point outside.
After some time, Deanna decided it was time to return to her room. She was startled by the figure standing outside the door but quickly recognized Lance and covered her mouth to avoid waking the children she had just put to sleep.
She quickly stepped out, closed the bedroom door behind her, and glared at Lance, feigning anger. "Why are you standing here silently? Don't you know you could scare someone to death?"
"I saw you were deep in thought and didn't want to disturb you," Lance replied innocently.
Deanna didn't believe a word. She gave him a sarcastic smile and walked past him towards the bedroom. Lance was slightly taken aback by her mood.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing," Deanna replied coldly.
Of course, she wouldn't admit that she was taking out her frustration over Eula on him again. Watching her walk past him with a blank expression, Lance, no longer a novice in love, didn't believe her "nothing" for a second.
Before he could say anything else, Deanna had already entered the bedroom and turned to block the doorway. She flashed a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Mr. Mercer, you'll have to sleep in the study or living room tonight. I don't want to see you right now."
With that, she shut the door with a snap. Lance stared at the closed door in bewilderment. This was the first time since they had been together that he had been shut out like this. He couldn't figure out what he had done to upset Deanna.
Unable to understand, he decided to ask someone for advice. Initially thinking of his friends, he reconsidered and called his assistant instead.
"Mr. Mercer, what can I do for you?" Xavier's professional voice came through the phone.
Lance got straight to the point. "If your girlfriend gets angry for no reason, what could be the cause?"
"Mr. Mercer... I don't have a girlfriend," Xavier replied wearily, feeling like Mr. Mercer was rubbing salt in his wounds.
Lance frowned, clearly dissatisfied with this answer. "I said if."
Realizing he needed to provide an answer, Xavier adopted his professional demeanor and analyzed the situation. "Based on my years of online experience, if a girlfriend gets angry for no reason, it usually boils down to two possibilities: either it's she's in a period or she's jealous. Given what I know about Missus, it's unlikely to be the first option, so it must be the latter. Think carefully if you've done anything that might have caused a misunderstanding and explain it to Missus."
Xavier was confident in his assessment because he knew Missus almost as well as Mr. Mercer did.
Lance felt even more confused after hearing his assistant's explanation. What could he have done to make Deanna misunderstand?
Sensing Lance's confusion through the silence on the phone, Xavier tentatively asked, "Mr. Mercer, you don't know what you did to upset Missus, do you?"
Caught between denial and admission, Lance quickly chose the latter.