I feel like right now, she HAS to maintain herself and make sure she's not put down.
Because she killed GP, there is a need to maintain structure around BW.
That is where the group as well as meetings come in between the 4 families. Unfortunately, because she WAS the one that caused all the problems, the other 3 did not trust her, so they tried to downplay her power.
Now, MF isn't power hungry. She dealt with men trying to put her down as some frail woman. Hell, even one of the men there mocked her like the misogynist he was, but her initial decision was not to kill. GP would just straight up kill to get what he wants.
Since she isn't trying to be like him, she tried diplomacy with one of the 3 to get some of her power back to be on equal footing. She only wants balance; however, the man she went too refused her and now wants her dead. MF now must go into self defense. If she sits idly, a hit will be put out on her, and she will be killed. If she decided not to have get him to join her and only sat and wait, they would have continue voting against her until she was powerless.
Even if she didn't kill GP, this would have hurt because she IS a player in BW. Her influence just happens to be at the forefront now.
So. What does she do? Wait until they kill her off or fight back? She fights back. This is why she set up the meeting in the end and killed 2 out of 3. She did not do it because she is cruel. She did it in order to survive. Leaving one of them alive is to send a message, so she can avoid an incident like this again.
So why all the GP comparisons? We can see how bloody and dangerous the occupation holds. GP killed his father the same way Sarah "killed" him. She's walking the same path as him NOT because she is vengeful and hate-filled, but because she is trying to make things better. The road to hell is often paved with good intentions. She is not him. She understands now that vengeance is fruitless and leaves you empty. She is not out to seek blood, and she wants to go the most peaceful way possible. Her situation just doesn't permit it.
In the end, I see her steering toward's the route GP took, albeit unwillingly, in order to not only preserve herself but to also keep the balance and order. Sarah isn't an evil or malicious woman, but the business she's in requires a certain amount of...blood-lust and relentlessness in order to stay on top. People will follow and work with you out of respect, but they will also submit and not question anything you say out of fear.
She just prefers respect, and we see how far that got her in the comic.
