For the next two days, Deanna was busy developing a special medicine at the research institute. Emily, on the other hand, was keeping vigil for her mother. Everything seemed calm, but it was actually a sign of an impending storm.
On the third day, the day of Mia's burial, Emily held her phone, trying one last time to contact Raphael. Unfortunately, the call still didn't go through. She hung up with a fierce look in her eyes. Ciara, who was beside her, shook her head and said, "Forget it. It doesn't matter if the Howard family doesn't come. Let's go; don't miss the auspicious time for your mother's burial."
Emily nodded, but she had other thoughts in her mind. Since the Howard family was being unkind and unjust, she wouldn't hesitate to retaliate.
Thinking this, she turned to her grandmother and said, "After the funeral, you all should go back."
"So soon? We've only been here a few days and haven't even had a chance to look around," some relatives protested upon hearing Emily's words.
Emily knew they were reluctant to leave because they hadn't gained any benefits from her yet. "I'll give each of you thirty thousand dollars. Tomorrow, you can take Grandma back."
She didn't want to waste time on these people and directly offered them money to send them away. Hearing about the thirty thousand dollars, they were satisfied and quickly agreed to leave the next day.
Later that day, after the funeral, Emily transferred the money to them and then left without paying them any more attention. Since she had decided to deal with the Howard family and Deanna, she needed to be well-prepared. At the very least, she wanted to make them suffer significantly.
That afternoon, Emily made a rough plan and contacted a mysterious person. "I plan to take action against the Howard family and Deanna."
"What are you going to do?" Duncan wasn't surprised by Emily's decision. Garrett had caused Mia's death, and knowing Emily, he was sure she would blame Deanna. Coupled with the Howard family's recent actions, it was the final straw for Emily.
Emily was a bit surprised that the mysterious person didn't try to stop her but instead asked about her plan. Although she found it strange, she still explained honestly, "Regarding Deanna, I plan to build a connection between Garrett's murder and Deanna. I also suspect that my mother's insanity is related to Deanna. If these two points are used well, Deanna's reputation will be ruined, and the Mercer Group will also be affected."
"And what about the Howard family?" Duncan asked calmly, his tone revealing nothing about his attitude toward Emily's plan.
Emily replied sternly, "The Howard family is easier to deal with. Raphael drugged Deanna, his fiancée at the time, and sent her to another man's bed just to marry me. Later, he forced me to sign over company shares. These actions are enough to ruin the Howard family and cause infighting between the Mercer and Howard families."
"I knew I wasn't wrong about you; you're ruthless," Duncan said coldly, though it was unclear if he meant it as praise or criticism.
Emily pressed her lips together and said coldly, "I was forced into this. You won't help Raphael, will you?" This was her ultimate reason for contacting the mysterious person. She knew this person had dealings with Raphael and feared he might help him. Compared to Raphael, her usefulness was mostly in targeting Deanna.
Little did she know that she underestimated herself. Compared to Raphael, Duncan valued her more because she was easier to control.
"Don't worry; I won't help Raphael. Moreover, I'll assist you in acquiring shares of the Howard family so you can become its leader," Duncan revealed his previous thoughts. He had come up with this idea because he felt Raphael was becoming increasingly difficult to control lately. Often, tasks assigned to him weren't completed on time.
Emily was stunned by his words. "You want to give me the Howard family?"
"Not just the Howard family; I can also give you Raphael's shares in the Mercer Group. But first, you need to thoroughly disrupt the Howard family," Duncan said, painting a grand picture for Emily.
Realizing what this meant, Emily made up her mind and said excitedly, "Watch me; I'll definitely stir things up for you."
After hanging up the phone, she couldn't calm her excitement. Especially when she thought about becoming the head of the Howard family and having Raphael live under her thumb; it felt particularly satisfying.
Of course, despite her excitement, she didn't forget her main task and continued making phone calls.
A few minutes later, Eula's confidant hung up the phone and reported to Eula, "Emily just contacted me. She said she has a way to deal with Deanna."
"What way?" Eula asked eagerly.
The confidant then explained the plan in detail. Afterward, he gave his opinion, "According to this plan, Deanna's reputation will indeed suffer and might even affect the Mercer family's company. At that time, we can secretly create some trouble for the Mercer family to increase their losses. The elders of the Mercer family might then have issues with Deanna. When that happens, Master, you can step in to help the Mercer family and gain their elders' favor."