A day later, a significant yet not overly dramatic event occurred in Cloudmere's financial sector.
The Howard Group announced the acquisition of the Jones Group, propelling it into the top ten enterprises in Cloudmere.
When Deanna heard the news, she was initially stunned, followed by endless regret.
She never expected Emily to sell the Jones Group to Raphael.
This was so unlike Emily's usual behavior. If only she had known...
Deanna stopped herself there. Even if she had known Emily would do this, she couldn't have acquired the Jones Group.
She simply didn't have a billion dollars, and even if she borrowed from Lance, she couldn't have raised that much money in such a short time.
Old Ashley noticed Deanna's troubled expression after she hung up the phone.
Concerned, she asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Deanna looked up at her grandmother and didn't hide the news she had just received.
"Emily sold the Jones Group to Raphael."
"Emily sold it?"
Her grandmother was clearly surprised and asked, "What about Garrett? Did he allow this?"
Deanna replied truthfully, "As far as I know, Garrett is still in a coma in the hospital."
She let out a cold laugh and continued, "I'm afraid Garrett doesn't know about this. When he wakes up, there will be quite a show at the Jones family."
Seeing her granddaughter's somber expression, her grandmother felt a pang of sympathy.
She knew that her granddaughter harbored deep resentment towards the Jones family and wanted revenge.
"The Jones family has done so many bad things; their downfall is their retribution."
The old lady took Deanna's hand and said earnestly, "I know you wish the Jones family would disappear, but I don't want you to live in hatred. You have your own life now, a better life. There's no need to let these unrelated people affect your life. They've already received their punishment."
Deanna understood her grandmother's meaning and smiled softly at her. "I know what you mean. Don't worry. Although I hate everyone in the Jones family, I also know that this isn't everything."
She then spent some time walking with her grandmother in the garden before they parted ways.
Just as she was about to visit Lionel in the hospital, she received a call from a friend.
"Deanna, I have to tell you, Lionel's fingers moved just now. The doctor said it's a sign he's waking up."
"That's great! I'm coming over right now."
Deanna felt happy for her friend.
After hanging up, she immediately headed to the hospital.
When she arrived, the doctor had just finished checking on Lionel.
Julia saw Deanna and excitedly grabbed her hand. "The doctor said Lionel's consciousness is slowly returning. If I keep talking to him every day, he should wake up within a week."
"Finally, some good news today. You've worked hard, Julia."
Deanna smiled with relief.
Once Lionel woke up, her guilt would be eased, and she could devote more time and energy to developing the special medication.
Now, it wasn't just about helping other patients; her grandmother also needed this medicine!
Julia noticed Deanna's words and looked concerned. "Did something happen?"
Seeing the concern in her friend's eyes, Deanna didn't hide anything.
After all, it couldn't be hidden.
"This morning, the Howard Group announced the acquisition of the Jones Group. The Howard family is now one of Cloudmere's top ten enterprises."
"What?"
Julia was shocked.
After processing the information, she was filled with questions. "How did Raphael acquire the Jones Group? Didn't your father value the Jones Group more than his life? What happened?"
"The company wasn't sold by Garrett; it was done by Emily and Mia."
Deanna briefly explained what had happened in the Jones family recently.
Julia was dumbfounded and then both angry and relieved. "It seems we should thank Raphael for not marrying you back then. Otherwise, this scumbag would have deceived you. And Emily deserves it! She schemed to steal your man and claimed it was true love. Now I really want to ask her how it feels to be slapped in the face!"
After venting her frustration, Julia couldn't help but feel sorry for Deanna.
"Now that your mother's company has been taken by Raphael, won't you have to deal with that scumbag if you want to buy it back?"
"Whether or not I want to reclaim the company, Raphael and I have a score to settle!"
Deanna's eyes were resolute and filled with determination.
Julia was taken aback.
She couldn't help but probe further. "You don't still care about being rejected by Raphael back then, do you?"
"Of course not. The issue between us isn't that."
Deanna let out a snort and then recounted how she had been drugged and sent to another man's room.
Unsurprisingly, Julia was furious after hearing this. "I always thought Emily did that. I didn't expect it was that scumbag Raphael. You're right; this debt must be settled with him!"