Mia was left speechless, unsure of how to respond.
At that moment, she saw Raphael walking through the lobby and her eyes lit up. "Raphael, we're here," she called out, waving her hand.
Raphael saw Mr. and Mrs. Jones in the hallway, his expression unchanged. Clearly, he had anticipated that Emily would call them.
"Mom, Dad," Raphael greeted them calmly as he approached.
Garrett, playing the role of the stern father-in-law, nodded slightly and asked, "Are you here to learn about Emily's situation?"
Raphael nodded lightly, about to speak when Garrett's dissatisfied voice interrupted him.
"If you're here for Emily, why did you arrive later than us?"
"Dad, you misunderstood. I was late because I went to the company to find a lawyer. This is our company's consultant lawyer, who is very capable. With his help, Emily will have a chance no matter what she's done," Raphael explained, pointing to the lawyer beside him.
He then looked at the office behind Mr. and Mrs. Jones and asked, "Mom, Dad, have you finished discussing Emily's case?"
"We just came out and were about to see Emily. You don't need to go in; I'll tell you what happened on the way," Garrett said, signaling Raphael to follow him.
Garrett was worried that Raphael might give up on Emily after hearing the police's version of events. After all, Emily had crossed Deanna, who had the backing of the Mercer Group.
Raphael didn't refuse and followed him with the lawyer.
Mia watched the three of them walk ahead, feeling somewhat relieved. Fortunately, the Howard family hadn't abandoned Emily; otherwise, she wouldn't know how to save her.
On the other side, Garrett shared the information they had just received from the police.
"The police said Emily hired thugs to intimidate Deanna in a brutal and bloody manner. Deanna wants to press charges, and if convicted, Emily could face three to five years in prison."
"Why did she provoke Deanna again?!" Raphael's face darkened instantly.
He had clearly warned Emily not to mess with Deanna again. Did she take his words as a joke?
Seeing Raphael's dark expression, Garrett was also furious. Emily hadn't informed him about her actions against Deanna. He wondered if Lance would hold the Jones family responsible.
If so, the Jones family couldn't withstand Lance's wrath. However, he felt somewhat relieved knowing that Emily was married into the Howard family. If Lance sought revenge for Deanna, the Howard family could help share some of the burden.
With this in mind, Garrett looked at Raphael with feigned dissatisfaction and lectured, "As Emily's husband, don't you know what she's been up to?"
Raphael remained silent, lips pressed together. He had been deliberately distancing himself from Emily and truly didn't know she had done something so serious behind his back.
Mia, seeing his expression, spoke angrily, "Of course he doesn't know what Emily's been doing. Someone who wants a divorce wouldn't care about his soon-to-be ex-wife's actions."
Raphael's face darkened further at her words.
Garrett frowned but didn't scold Mia. Clearly, he agreed with his wife's opinion and wanted to hear Raphael's stance on whether he truly intended to divorce Emily. If so, he needed to make arrangements soon.
Mia, emboldened by their silence, continued criticizing Raphael. "I believe Raphael is partly responsible for Emily targeting Deanna. If he hadn't neglected her, she wouldn't be jealous of Deanna's happiness and resort to intimidation."
"So Mom, you're saying that Emily's actions are my fault?!" Raphael almost laughed in anger at Mia's words.
Mia coldly raised her chin and questioned him, "Isn't it? If you weren't divorcing her and paid more attention to her, would this have happened?"
Raphael's anger flared at her self-righteous words but he refrained from lashing out at Mia. It wasn't the right time to break ties with the Jones family.
Garrett, seeing Raphael's grim face and thinking it was enough, intervened. "Enough. The situation has already happened; blaming won't help. We need to figure out how to get Emily out. Deanna and the Mercer family won't let her go easily."
At this, both Raphael and Mia fell silent.
Raphael turned to the lawyer beside him and asked, "You've heard what happened. What do you think we can do to get the police to release Emily?"