Deanna looked at Samantha and smiled faintly. "Lance has already done so much for me. I don't want to rely on him for everything; it would exhaust him, and I would feel bad."
She paused, then forced a lighthearted smile. "Besides, I think I can handle this matter myself."
Samantha's eyes deepened as she looked at the woman in front of her. After a few seconds, she spoke slowly, "I understand what you mean. It's not that I doubt your ability, but Eula is not an ordinary woman. She's different from Bella and the others before. She has a bond with Lance that spans nearly ten years, and she sacrificed her chance to be a mother to save him. Lance will always see her differently, and under these circumstances, she will never give up on him."
"So, you mean..." Deanna didn't finish her sentence because she couldn't guess Samantha's intentions.
Samantha noticed her unease and hesitation, and smiled gently. "Don't overthink it. What I mean is, let Lance handle what he needs to handle. You just need to take care of your grandmother and Gregory and Chloe. After all, this is a situation he brought upon himself. Moreover, you are recognized as the daughter-in-law of the Mercer family. Being with Lance is not meant to make you suffer."
Deanna was stunned by Samantha's words. She hadn't expected her to say that.
Before she could think of what to say next, Samantha's gentle voice sounded again. "Also, in the future, as long as you are with Lance, given how outstanding he is, such situations will keep arising. If you handle them every time, you'll be exhausted and it might even affect your relationship with Lance. You should let Lance deal with these matters, and it's best if he handles them firmly. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I think I do," Deanna nodded, somewhat understanding, then couldn't help but ask curiously, "Did you do the same when you were young?"
Samantha seemed to have anticipated this question. With a faint smile, she said softly, "Logan and I were not like you two. In modern terms, we had an arranged marriage and grew to love each other afterward. We respected each other after marriage because it was an alliance between our families. It wasn't until Lance was born that our feelings for each other began to change."
Listening to her aunt talk about her younger days, Deanna found it very interesting.
After some time, they walked around the garden and returned to the path leading to the living room.
Just as Samantha was about to let Deanna go rest, a tall figure appeared at the end of the path.
"Mom, Deanna," Lance called out as he walked towards them.
Samantha looked at him and asked, "Finished discussing business with your grandfather?"
"Yes, Father has already gone back to his room," Lance nodded, hinting that Samantha could go find him.
Samantha understood and glanced at Deanna with a meaningful smile. "I'll head back to my room then. You two can take a walk in the garden."
Deanna caught on and smiled as she nodded goodbye. "Good night, Samantha."
"Good night," Lance echoed.
Soon, Samantha left, leaving Deanna and Lance alone in the garden.
"Tired?" Lance naturally took Deanna's hand and looked down at her.
Deanna looked back at him and shook her head lightly. "Not really. Shall we take a walk?"
Lance didn't refuse and strolled through the garden with Deanna, chatting casually.
"Are Gregory and Chloe asleep?" he asked.
"They are. We can check on them when we go back," Deanna replied softly but was thinking about what Samantha had told her earlier.
Should she tell Lance about Eula now? But without concrete evidence, would he think she was being unreasonable?
While Deanna was hesitating, Lance noticed her preoccupation.
"What's wrong? Is there something you want to tell me?" Lance stopped walking and turned to look at her.
Deanna raised her eyes to meet his gaze and thought for a moment before asking, "Do you know that Eula likes you?"
As she spoke, a gentle breeze rustled the leaves around them.
Lance was stunned for a moment but quickly recovered. "You must be mistaken. Eula and I are like siblings."
He frowned slightly, reflecting on whether he or Eula had done something to cause this misunderstanding.
Deanna saw the surprise and disbelief in his eyes. "If I said I'm not mistaken and that Eula told me herself that she likes you?"
She looked at him seriously and continued, "If you don't believe me, I can prove it."
"I didn't say I don't believe you; I'm just very surprised," Lance said as he gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind Deanna's ear.