Later that night, the three of them finished their supper and returned to their rooms.
Upon entering, Deanna curiously asked, "What did Eula say to you?"
"Nothing much, she just wanted to go out and have fun, and asked me to accompany her," Lance replied honestly.
Deanna paused for a moment upon hearing this and then casually asked, "And what did you say?"
Despite her nonchalance, Lance saw through her concern and pulled her into his arms from behind.
"Of course, I refused. Besides, I plan to introduce Ollie and the others to Eula."
"When?" Deanna asked, tilting her head with a smile.
"I'll send them a message in a bit to see when they're available," Lance said.
Half an hour later, after they had washed up and were lying in bed, Lance was messaging in a group chat while Deanna lay beside him, watching videos on her phone.
Soon, Lance's phone buzzed continuously with messages.
Ollie: Was that really Lance who sent the message just now?!
Ollie: Lance introducing female friends to us? This must be a fake Lance!
Seeing these messages, it was clear how shocked Ollie was by Lance's message. In contrast, the other two were much calmer, merely sending a question mark.
Lance explained via text, "She's a foreign partner of mine. It's not appropriate for me to host her, so I'm asking for your help."
"I get it, I get it. Lance is afraid his wife will get jealous!" Ollie's playful voice came through the phone.
Deanna couldn't help but mutter softly, "Who's jealous? I'm not a jealous person!"
She then glared at Lance and pouted, "Hurry up and explain. Don't ruin my reputation."
"Got it," Lance said indulgently, giving her a loving look before replying in the chat, "My wife is not a petty person."
After sending the message, Lance put his phone aside and turned over to press Deanna beneath him. His sudden move made Deanna blush as she pushed him away, "What are you doing?"
"You just said you're not jealous, right?" Lance raised an eyebrow as he held her hands.
Deanna didn't expect it to be about this and felt both amused and annoyed. She glared at him playfully, "If I say I'm not jealous, would you believe me?"
"Well, I don't care. You said you're not jealous, so I have to punish you," Lance said, lowering his head to kiss her soft lips.
Under the dim light, the room's atmosphere grew increasingly intimate.
The night was still long.
...
The next day, when Deanna woke up, Lance was already gone from the room.
She didn't mind and casually picked up her phone from the bedside table. Seeing that it was almost ten o'clock, she got up and went downstairs for breakfast after a quick wash.
In the living room downstairs, Eula was sitting on the sofa. Seeing Deanna come down late with obvious marks on her neck, Eula's jealousy flared up.
"Aren't Chiaz women supposed to be diligent and ambitious? Why is Miss Jones getting up almost at noon?" she sneered sarcastically.
Deanna frowned, her good mood from the morning somewhat ruined. "I stayed up late last night. Lance cares for me and didn't want to wake me up. When Miss Eula finds her other half someday, you'll understand."
Eula's face darkened further at these words. To her, it sounded like Deanna was flaunting her affection with Lance.
"Deanna, do you have a death wish?" Eula couldn't hold back and snapped angrily.
The servants and Sam nearby turned their heads at the outburst. Shannon and Nightingale also frowned and looked at Eula dangerously.
Deanna remained unusually calm. She looked at Eula coldly, "Miss Eula, what did you just say?"
Eula quickly calmed down too, her face full of regret. Damn it, she thought. If this gets back to Lance, how will she explain it?
But apologizing to Deanna? She couldn't do it!
"Forget it. I'm tired. I need to rest," Eula said, escaping upstairs.
Deanna watched her retreating figure with a frown, unable to decipher what she was thinking.
At that moment, Shannon and Nightingale approached her simultaneously.
"Missus, should we report this to Mr. Mercer?" they asked in unison.
Deanna looked at them and thought for a moment before saying, "Go ahead."
Now that Lance knew about Eula's feelings for him, there was no need for her to hide it anymore. Besides, she agreed with something Samantha had told her before: since this was a problem caused by Lance's charm, he should be the one to resolve it to deter others with similar intentions.