The next two days were calm for Deanna.
In contrast to her tranquility, the Howard and Jones families were in chaos because of Emily.
Since Raphael mentioned divorce, Emily seemed agitated and followed him everywhere.
When Raphael went to the company, she followed. When he met clients, she was there. When he attended social events, she tagged along.
Her actions caused quite a stir, becoming the talk of Cloudmere's high society.
Deanna heard plenty about it but paid little attention. She was focused on managing her company well.
One day, Xavier brought the head of the technical department to Deanna.
"Missus, Bentlee Fernandez has something to report."
Bentlee Fernandez was the head of the technical department that Xavier had brought along.
Deanna invited them to sit and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Missus, while inspecting our products, I found a sealed semi-finished product. Out of curiosity, I studied it and discovered that its core technology is very valuable. If completed, it could open up the chip market for us and even introduce a more advanced system," Bentlee explained.
Deanna, no longer a novice in business, immediately sensed something was off.
She frowned and asked, "That's strange. If this research is so profitable, why did Jones Group seal it?"
"I might know the reason," Bentlee continued.
Deanna looked at him in surprise. "You know?"
Bentlee nodded and explained, "There was a note from an employee in the semi-finished product's documentation. It stated that due to a lack of funds and no progress in development, Jones Group decided to seal it."
"So, I picked up a gem from Jones Group," Deanna couldn't help but laugh. She then asked, "Have you calculated how much funding is needed to restart this project?"
Bentlee replied honestly, "I've already calculated. Including initial research and later maintenance, it will require at least one billion dollars, possibly more."
Hearing this, Deanna gasped. "One billion dollars? That's a lot."
"One billion is a conservative estimate; it might need more. But once this research succeeds, the returns will far exceed this amount," Bentlee corrected her.
Deanna couldn't help but say, "Even so, I can't come up with one billion dollars."
"Missus, you can't provide it, but you can ask Mr. Mercer." Xavier, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
Deanna was stunned and frowned in disagreement. "One billion is no small amount. If I ask Lance for it, it will definitely alert Mercer Group's board of directors. They might have opinions about Lance."
Since being with Lance, he had kept nothing from her. Although Mercer Group was controlled by the Mercer family and other directors dared not overstep, if Mercer Group allocated funds for her, those directors would be displeased.
Deanna didn't want Lance to be troubled by the board because of her. Moreover, Lance had already done so much for her; she didn't want to owe him more favors.
Besides, she could hold onto this project and research it once she had enough money.
Xavier didn't know Deanna's thoughts. But hearing her words, he realized she misunderstood him.
"Missus, I didn't suggest you ask Mr. Mercer for money. I meant to involve Mercer Group in this project's research. As for profit distribution, you would need to discuss that with Mr. Mercer."
"Oh, that's what you meant. I misunderstood," Deanna laughed dryly but thought it was a good idea.
Since it was a collaboration, she felt no discomfort about it.
She instructed Bentlee, "Prepare a project proposal and give it to me before the end of the day."
"Understood. I'll get on it now," Bentlee nodded and left.
Xavier followed suit.
In the evening, Deanna took Bentlee's proposal back to the estate.
However, Lance hadn't returned yet. He had informed Deanna that he had a social event and would be back late.
Around ten o'clock at night, Deanna heard an engine in the courtyard and knew Lance had returned.
She went downstairs to greet him and saw Xavier helping Lance into the living room.
"Missus," Xavier greeted respectfully.
Deanna nodded and noticed Lance didn't look well. Concerned, she asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm fine, just a bit tired," Lance waved his hand, not wanting Deanna to worry.
But Deanna didn't believe him and looked at Xavier. "You tell me, what's going on?"