Emily was afraid of Raphael's gaze, but this time she didn't avoid it. She forced herself to stare back with a calm demeanor.
"What are you looking at? No matter how, it won't change anything. This is reality."
"Is what she said true?"
Raphael ignored Emily and stared intently at Duncan.
Duncan, observing the tension between the two, chuckled. "Yes, I do plan to make Emily the nominal manager of the Howard family's company."
Hearing this, Emily's expression grew even more smug.
"See? Now let go."
She tugged at the document on the table, glaring at Raphael.
Raphael didn't let go. Instead, he snatched the document back from Emily's hand, stood up, and said, "Since you have no sincerity, I think our deal is off."
With that, he grabbed his briefcase and prepared to leave.
However, as he reached the door, he was blocked by the guards outside.
Before Raphael could turn around to question, Duncan's cold laughter echoed behind him.
"Mr. Howard, you don't get to cancel the deal just because you say so."
"What do you want?"
Raphael turned around, his eyes dark and intense.
Duncan lounged on the sofa, looking up leisurely. "It's simple. Sign the contract you brought."
"Impossible."
Raphael refused without a second thought.
Duncan wasn't surprised. He smiled and said, "Impossible or not, you won't be leaving here today."
Hearing this threat, Raphael laughed.
"Can't leave? We'll see about that."
He then spoke into the button on his collar, "Enjoying the show? Isn't it time to act?"
The next second, Xavier's voice came through the button, "Sorry, got carried away with drinking."
Despite his words, Raphael detected a deliberate tone in Xavier's voice.
With a light snort, Raphael suddenly sprang into action before Duncan and his guards could react.
Taking advantage of their delayed response, Raphael broke through the blockade and ran downstairs.
It wasn't until he was out of sight that Duncan and Emily realized what had happened.
"Sir, he's gone! Quickly, send someone to catch him," Emily urged the man beside her.
She dreamed of seizing the Howard family assets and making Raphael beg for mercy.
Though displeased with Emily's tone, Duncan ordered his men to chase after Raphael, his face dark with anger.
Clearly, Raphael had come prepared.
Just as Duncan was about to contact people outside the bar, his phone rang urgently. "Sir, we're surrounded. The man leading them is Lance's assistant. I've seen him before. They're about to break through the outer defenses and storm the second gate. Sir, you need to leave through the back door immediately."
Hearing this, Duncan's expression changed. He quickly pieced together the situation.
"Damn Raphael! How dare he plot against me? Pack everything up. If we can't take it with us, burn it!"
He stood up from the sofa in a rage and hurried outside.
Seeing this, Emily immediately followed him. Without understanding what was happening, she asked anxiously, "Sir, aren't you going to catch Raphael?"
"Only if I live to do so!"
Duncan stopped and looked back at her.
He contemplated whether to take Emily with him but ultimately decided against it.
Without securing the Howard family assets, Emily was of no use to him.
Emily watched his panicked departure and the people evacuating around her. She realized something was wrong.
"Sir, where are you going? Aren't you taking me with you?"
She shouted as she chased after him.
Not knowing what was happening, she didn't want to be left behind.
However, before she could catch up, Duncan's voice rang out, "Stop her."
Duncan knew very well that Emily was also one of Lance's targets because she had done many things to harm Deanna.
So he believed that leaving Emily behind would buy him some time to escape.
Indeed, that was the case.
When Xavier broke through the second line of defense, he found that Duncan had fled.
Seeing the empty back door with only tire marks left behind made Xavier furious.
Damn it! He let him get away. How would he explain it to Mr. Mercer?
With a loud bang, Xavier vented his anger on a nearby trash can, cursing under his breath.
At that moment, a trusted subordinate approached and reported softly, "Xavier, we found nothing. They destroyed all the documents before leaving."
"I see. Did we capture anyone?"
Suppressing his anger, Xavier asked in a deep voice.
The subordinate replied, "We captured all the guards outside. Also, we found Emily in the restroom. She might know something."
"Emily?"
Xavier was surprised.
He had thought Duncan would take her with him.
The subordinate nodded. "Yes, it's her. But Xavier, you'd better hurry over. Otherwise, I think Raphael might beat her to death."