Upon hearing Raphael's words, Deanna sneered.
"Do you think just paying compensation will settle this? This matter is serious. Let me tell you, you must compensate for the medicinal herbs, and she will definitely go to the police station!"
Her gaze turned sharp as she looked at Emily, her voice steady. "When you do something wrong, you must pay the price!"
Emily's eyes were filled with resentment, but she couldn't refute.
Seeing Deanna about to call the police, Emily couldn't hold back any longer and lunged forward.
"You can't call the police! Give me the phone!"
Her reputation was already bad; if she ended up in the police station and a scandal broke out, she would never be able to show her face again!
Unfortunately, she missed.
Deanna had anticipated Emily trying to grab the phone and dodged easily.
Looking down at Emily who had stumbled to the ground, Deanna mocked, "Do you think taking my phone will solve anything? My phone automatically backs up to the cloud. The recording has already been backed up. No matter how many times you take it, it won't help!"
Emily stood up from the ground, her face looking terrible.
Raphael's expression wasn't much better.
He was now married to Emily; their fates were intertwined.
Looking at the domineering Deanna in front of him, he frowned and said in a low voice, "How did you become like this? One should be forgiving whenever possible. Besides, we've already agreed to compensate!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Deanna sneered sarcastically. "Raphael, you really speak without feeling any pain. Ask Emily behind you, if I were the one caught today, would she let me go?"
Raphael was left speechless.
Seeing this, Deanna understood and snorted lightly. "If someone respects me, I will show respect in return. But if someone schemes against me, I will retaliate in kind."
She paused, her cold eyes sweeping over Emily.
"And stop standing on some moral high ground to criticize me. You'd better manage your wife properly!"
About ten minutes later, two police officers arrived at the villa.
They looked around at Deanna and the others and recognized them.
"Mr. Mercer, you're here too."
Seeing Lance, the two officers smiled warmly and greeted him.
The reason was simple: Mercer Group was a major taxpayer in Cloudmere and an advanced enterprise.
Therefore, the police were willing to give Lance some respect.
Lance nodded and said calmly, "My friend here has been wronged. I hope you two officers will handle this impartially."
"Of course," one of the older officers nodded and then turned to Deanna. "Miss, what happened?"
"It's like this. This woman named Emily maliciously instructed others to destroy my herb field. Here is the evidence."
Deanna produced the earlier recording.
After listening to it and with Lance watching from the side, the police immediately prepared to take Emily away.
Emily didn't dare struggle but was unwilling.
She glared at Deanna with dark eyes and gritted teeth. "Just you wait!"
Unexpectedly, Deanna complained directly to the officers.
"She's threatening me even now. Officers, you saw that."
The two officers frowned.
Seeing this, Raphael quickly scolded Emily. "Don't say anything!"
Emily looked at him, feeling wronged but not daring to speak further. She was eventually taken away by the police.
After resolving the matter, Deanna and Lance didn't stay long and left following the police.
On the way back, Lance thought about what had just happened and found it amusing.
Hearing him laugh, Deanna looked over curiously. "What are you laughing at?"
Lance chuckled. "I didn't expect you to be so brave and resourceful."
"I'm not that foolish," Deanna grinned.
She adjusted her sitting position to find a comfortable spot before continuing slowly. "Did you think I would act impulsively without preparation?"
Lance remained silent, but his expression answered for him.
Deanna was momentarily speechless. She snorted lightly. "You overthink. I was well-prepared. As for my stepsister, I know her well enough. She's brainless; a little probing easily reveals everything."
Lance nodded and then changed the subject.
"For this incident, I'll have my lawyer help you claim compensation. Not a penny less."
"Thank you, Mr. Mercer."
Deanna didn't refuse since Attorney Justin had indeed been very helpful last time, saving her a lot of trouble.
However, Lance felt uncomfortable hearing her polite thanks. "You don't need to be so formal."
"Hmm?" Deanna didn't understand and blinked at him.
Seeing this, Lance smiled faintly and said in a low voice, "I mean, you don't need to feel like you're troubling me. I'm doing it for myself. At least half of those herbs are for my use."
Hearing this, Deanna understood and agreed with his reasoning, so she ceased to thank Lance.
Later that evening when they returned home, Old Ashley saw them and immediately came forward with concern.
"How did it go? Is everything resolved?"
"It's all settled. Don't worry, Grandma," Deanna reassured her with a smile.