Facing the oppressive gazes of Mr. and Mrs. Howard, Emily broke out in a cold sweat, unsure of what to do.
She held onto a sliver of hope that the police were here for something unrelated to her actions.
Mr. and Mrs. Howard were also displeased with Emily's silence.
Before they could question her further, Raphael put down his utensils and said in a deep voice, "Mom, Dad, shouldn't we invite the police in first?"
"You're right. Butler, please invite the police in and prepare some tea," Mrs. Howard nodded and instructed the butler.
The butler nodded and left.
As he departed, Mrs. Howard's stern gaze returned to Emily. "You better pray the police aren't here for something bad. If it affects the Howard family, you'll be sent back to the Jones family."
With that, she stood up and walked towards the living room.
Aiden said nothing but his expression showed he agreed with his wife.
Raphael was about to follow his parents when Emily grabbed him.
"Raphael, you'll help me, right?" she asked, her eyes red with desperation, not realizing she had misspoken.
Raphael narrowed his eyes at her, then slowly pried her hand off his arm. "As long as you haven't done anything illegal or harmed the Howard family, you are my wife, and I won't abandon you."
With that, he left the dining room without looking back.
Emily watched his retreating figure, feeling conflicted.
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Not doing anything illegal or harming the Howard family... She might have done both.
She hoped the police weren't here for that matter.
Thinking this, Emily slowly walked out of the dining room.
Unbeknownst to her, her fears were about to come true.
In the living room, Mr. and Mrs. Howard were negotiating with the police.
"Why are you looking for my daughter-in-law? She's been home all this time and hasn't gone out much," Mr. Howard said.
"Miss Jones is suspected of hiring someone to threaten others. The evidence is conclusive. We need to take her back to the station to close the case," the lead officer explained.
Mr. and Mrs. Howard were stunned, while Raphael remained calm.
Emily, just emerging from the dining room, heard the officer's words and turned pale. She frantically denied, "It wasn't me! I didn't hurt anyone! You must be mistaken!"
"Miss Jones, the evidence against you is conclusive. If you have any objections, you can have your family hire a lawyer to defend you later. For now, please come with us to the station," the lead officer said, taking out a pair of handcuffs from his waist pouch.
Seeing the cold metal glinting in the sunlight, Emily shook her head and backed away in fear.
She didn't forget to plead with Raphael, "Raphael, help me! I didn't break the law. Tell them not to arrest me."
Her words made Mr. and Mrs. Howard even more displeased.
Especially Mrs. Howard, who couldn't hold back her anger any longer. "If you didn't break the law, why would the police come to arrest you? And you have the nerve to ask Raphael for help? I regret letting Raphael marry such a troublesome woman like you. Look at all the bad things that have happened to the Howard family since you came!"
"Mom, you can't say that. I brought fame to the Howard family when I married in," Emily argued tearfully.
Seeing that they were about to start arguing, the lead officer interrupted them with a cough. "You can discuss this later at the station. We need to take Miss Jones into custody now."
Since it was an official matter, no one from the Howard family dared to interfere.
Emily was taken away by two officers.
After they left, Aiden and Mrs. Howard's faces darkened.
Mrs. Howard sat on the sofa angrily. "What a trouble she is. We let Raphael marry her for her fame and the Jones family's assets. Now we've gained nothing but trouble for the Howard family. This time it's a criminal case! If this gets out, it will be a crisis for Howard Group. Raphael, didn't you want to divorce Emily before? Do it now before the news leaks."
"No!" Aiden and Raphael objected in unison.
Mrs. Howard was stunned and looked at them in confusion. "Why not? We married Emily for the Jones family, but now they're struggling too. We can still take over without her."
"The Jones family is struggling now, but if they find out our intentions and Garrett gets desperate, he might give everything to Deanna," Aiden explained before his son could speak.
Raphael nodded in agreement. "I think the same as Dad."