Lance listened to Deanna but disagreed. He felt it was like exposing Deanna's past wounds for everyone to see.
"No need, I'll find a way to handle the online issues."
"But what about next time? We can't let this keep causing us trouble," Deanna tried to persuade Lance.
She paused and continued, "I know what you're thinking. You don't want my past to be brought up and discussed, worrying it might hurt me. Don't worry, I've moved on from those things. They can't hurt me anymore; at most, they just annoy me."
Seeing Deanna's persistence, Lance finally agreed with a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
Half an hour later, with the help of the Mercer Group's PR department, Deanna used her verified social media account to release a statement. Attached were a disownment letter and a support agreement, both stamped by the court.
In her statement, Deanna explained that she had severed ties with Garrett seven years ago and that Garrett might have been an accomplice in her mother's murder. Unfortunately, due to the passage of time, she couldn't find any evidence. She stated that as long as Garrett behaved himself, she would still fulfill her duties as a daughter.
After reading this information, people who initially disliked Deanna began to sympathize with her. Although there was no evidence, they felt Deanna's claims might be true. Garrett's actions made it hard not to believe her.
As a result, public opinion online shifted in Deanna's favor. Eula and Duncan, who had been manipulating things behind the scenes, found themselves at a loss for what to do next. The online uproar gradually subsided.
However, the matter was far from over. Just because they stopped causing trouble didn't mean Lance would let them off the hook. Based on his investigation, Lance was certain that Duncan was likely pulling the strings behind the Howard family and Cain family.
To force Duncan out, Lance spared no effort in suppressing both companies. The Cain family couldn't withstand Lance's pressure for even three days. Watching bank liquidation staff coming in and out of their villa, Brock's face was filled with despair. Amber's face was covered in tears and regret.
"Brock, is our company really bankrupt?" Amber asked through her sobs.
"Can't you see for yourself?" Brock replied with a dark look.
Amber couldn't accept it. "Brock, why don't we beg Mr. Mercer and Mrs. Mercer to spare us?" she cried, grabbing Brock in desperation.
"Do you think I haven't tried? I couldn't even get past the gates of Mercer Group!" Brock's expression turned even darker as he recounted the events of the past three days.
He glared at Amber with venomous eyes and couldn't hold back his anger any longer. He kicked her hard and shouted, "You still have the nerve to cry here? I've had the worst luck marrying a jinx like you! You've squandered millions of dollars!"
Amber fell to the ground, screaming in pain and clutching her stomach, unable to stand up for a long time.
Meanwhile, a similar scene played out in the Howard family. However, Raphael wasn't taking out his anger on Emily since she had disappeared after holding a press conference. Instead, he was berating his trusted assistant.
"Are you all useless? It's been almost a week, and you still haven't found her! How dare you come back and report this to me?"
The assistant remained silent under Raphael's scolding. Raphael grew even angrier seeing this and shouted, "What are you standing here for? Get out and keep looking for her!"
As he spoke, he threw a document at the assistant. The assistant didn't dodge and let it hit him before picking it up and placing it back on Raphael's desk. Then he turned and left.
Watching him leave, Raphael breathed heavily in anger. After some time, he finally calmed down. At that moment, Aiden walked in from outside.
Seeing his son sitting expressionless at his desk, seemingly unaware of his presence, Aiden cleared his throat.
"Dad, what brings you here?" Raphael asked in surprise.
Aiden approached and said, "I came to discuss something with you."
"If you needed me, you could have called me up," Raphael replied, feeling both honored and surprised. He stood up and gestured for his father to sit in his chair.
Aiden waved his hand dismissively. "I was passing by your floor and suddenly remembered something."
"What is it?" Raphael asked.
"The Cain family has gone bankrupt," Aiden said gravely. He paused before continuing, "We might be next. What do you think?"
He finished speaking and looked directly into Raphael's eyes as if trying to discern something from them.