Raphael met his father's stern eyes, knowing what he was worried about.
"Don't worry, our family will never go bankrupt."
"How can I not worry? Do you have a plan?"
Aiden frowned and asked, "If you have a plan, tell me so I can feel at ease."
He paused for a moment, "And that woman Emily, she's a ticking time bomb. You need to find her and divorce her."
"I know all of this. As for the plan, I only have a rough idea now. I'll tell you once I've figured it out."
Despite his words, Raphael actually had no plan at all.
Emily's actions had caught him completely off guard.
Although he had responded as quickly as possible, the reputation of the Howard family and the development of the situation were beyond his control.
Seeing his son's troubled expression, Aiden knew that pressing further would only lead to an argument. He decided to drop the subject. "As long as you have a plan, that's fine. I'll head back now."
Soon, Raphael was alone in the office.
He stared straight ahead, his eyes dark and brooding.
After some time, he finally moved, picking up the phone on his desk and dialing a number.
The call connected quickly, and he asked in a deep voice, "Did you hide Emily?"
"Yes."
The person on the other end did not deny it.
It was Duncan.
Upon hearing this, Raphael's eyes flared with anger.
"Why?" he asked through gritted teeth.
Duncan snorted coldly and mocked, "I don't need a disobedient dog."
Raphael gripped the phone tightly.
Duncan's cold, sarcastic voice echoed in his ears again.
"I told you before, I can help you become the winner, and I can bring you down. Without me, you wouldn't even have the right to speak to Lance. Don't think too highly of yourself."
With that, Duncan was about to hang up.
At that moment, Raphael's voice came through again, "What do you want?"
He couldn't afford to have this mysterious man as an enemy; otherwise, the Howard family would be finished.
Duncan wasn't surprised by Raphael's compromise.
"It's not about what I want; it's about how sincere you are."
Sincerity?
Raphael hesitated for a moment before realizing what the mysterious man wanted.
His heart sank as he asked, "What are your terms?"
"Transfer the Howard family and Mercer family shares to Emily!"
Duncan stated his long-prepared condition.
Raphael immediately refused without thinking, "Impossible!"
Duncan wasn't bothered by this response.
"Don't be so quick to refuse. I'll give you three days to think it over. If you still insist after three days, then forget it."
With that, Duncan hung up for real this time.
In a fit of rage, Raphael threw his phone across the room.
"Damn it!"
He cursed and kicked the leg of his desk hard but still couldn't vent his anger.
At the same time, he was puzzled.
Why was this mysterious man so protective of Emily?
He clearly had more advantages over Emily. Could it be...
An absurd thought flashed through Raphael's mind.
"Emily, how dare you?!"
At this moment, he felt like he had been utterly betrayed.
If it wasn't for them having an affair, why would the mysterious man protect Emily so much?
Of course, he hated Emily even more.
That vile woman dared to conspire with outsiders against the Howard family's assets. She must be tired of living.
Raphael seemed to forget that he was the one who first provoked Emily by swindling the Jones family assets from her.
Deanna was unaware of these matters concerning the Howard family.
Seeing that things had calmed down online, she allowed her two children to return to school.
She also returned to the research institute to continue developing special medicine with her master.
As the Mercer family resumed their peaceful and warm life, Eula was furious.
"Damn it, why is that woman unscathed?"
She cursed angrily, feeling extremely resentful.
Especially when she thought about how the Mercer family didn't care about Deanna's past at all. It made her feel even more frustrated.
Deanna's past was so disgraceful; why could the Mercer family and Lance accept it?
Avery understood her master's thoughts and tentatively suggested from the side, "How about we spread some more rumors? Didn't Emily say that Raphael gave Deanna to an old man? The father of those two children definitely isn't Mr. Mercer."
"Are you sure?"
Eula was tempted but still rational.
After all, she noticed that both Lance and Logan and Samantha cared deeply for those two little brats as if they were their own children.
Avery shook her head, "I'm not sure about that. But I can get hair samples from those two kids and do a paternity test with Mr. Mercer. Besides, even if the kids are Mr. Mercer's and Deanna's, it won't stop us from spreading rumors. Our goal is to ruin Deanna's reputation, isn't it?"