Empire 107

This chapter makes a quiet but clear adjustment to the story. Small choices and brief pauses point the plot in a new direction. The shift is steady, not loud, and it sets up what comes next.

A few actions and reactions stand out. A held-back answer, a quick decision, or a look that lingers changes how characters see each other. These beats feel small now but carry weight forward.

Emotions sit just under the surface. The tone shows doubt, hope, or pressure even when the words stay measured. What is not said guides the scene as much as what is spoken.

Earlier choices and old tensions shape how people act here. History does not repeat, but it limits and nudges. The present is easier to read when the past is kept in view.

Trust, distance, and leverage shift by degrees. Roles adjust, and the space between characters changes shape. By the end, connections are not exactly what they were.

Objects, gestures, and setting notes do quiet work. They mirror the mood and hint at motives. Paying attention to them clarifies what is at stake.

Short remarks, paused replies, and choices made too quickly point to what will matter soon. The chapter plants markers that future scenes will pick up.

A few sentences carry the heart of the scene. They show fear, resolve, or longing in simple words. These are the lines that will echo next chapter.

“Grandma, please let me explain. There’s nothing between me and Brianna except work.

Ramona hasn’t been in the office lately, and the project needed someone in charge. Brianna happened to have some useful contacts, so she helped out. Dad knows all about it. Last night, Brianna and I only met up for work. She wasn’t feeling well, so I took her to the hospital…”

Jotham quickly regained his composure, his expression calm and unwavering as he offered his explanation.

His gaze flickered briefly to Winnie.

Winnie understood this wasn’t the time to vent her frustrations. Liliane still controlled a good portion of the family assets. The priority was to keep her calm, so Winnie had no choice but to help Jotham smooth things over.

“Mom… I actually knew about this. And I already gave Jotham a piece of my mind! Of all the people he could ask for help, he just had to pick Brianna–she just can’t seem to stay away! But you really have it wrong. Jotham and Ramona are doing just fine. There’s nothing going on between him and Brianna. It’s all for the company.”

“So you’re telling me Griffin knows about this too?” Liliane took a deep breath, her face flushing with

anger.

Brianna showing up in Jotham’s life again was no small thing, and yet the whole family seemed to be in on keeping it from her?

She’d never had a high opinion of Winnie, and Jotham always seemed a little too easily swayed by women, but Griffin Holt’d always been the one she trusted.

And now even he…

“Grandma, Dad already scolded me for this. It was my mistake to let Brianna get involved, but she’s already left the company now.”

Jotham hurried to speak, stepping forward to steady Liliane as he bowed his head and let her vent her disappointment.

Seeing Jotham’s humble attitude, Liliane’s anger finally began to ebb.

Still, she gave Jotham a sharp smack on the shoulder. “Jotham, you’ve really let me down! No wonder Ramona moved out. She must have found out about all your past nonsense, right?”

“Grandma, don’t worry, Ramona doesn’t know anything about me and Brianna,” Jotham said quickly.

“How could she know? Ramona may look gentle, but she’s got quite a temper. If she ever learned about this, she’d be filing for divorce faster than you could blink!”

Winnie nodded in agreement, rolling her eyes as she mentioned Ramona. She’d never really liked her, always thought she was too easy to push around, but now that Jotham doted on her, Ramona had become impossible to handle.

Hearing this, Liliane finally relaxed a little. After a moment’s thought, she instructed, “Bring me my

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phone. I want to call Ramona.”

“Grandma…” Jotham looked at her with worry, as if afraid she might side with Ramona and say too much.

“Hurry up!” Liliane snapped, impatient. “Even if Brianna isn’t the reason, do you really think just wait for your wife to come home on her own, instead of reaching out?”

you should

Realizing she was actually trying to help him, Jotham couldn’t help but smile. He immediately handed her the phone. The thought of Ramona possibly coming home sent an indescribable wave of joy through him.

Winnie pursed her lips. In her opinion, Liliane was making a fuss over nothing.

If Ramona wants to move out, let her. It’s not like the Holt family won’t survive without her. Sooner or later, Ramona will come crawling back to Jotham, just like Winnie herself had once gone out of her way to win the family’s favor, all for the chance to marry in. There’s no way Ramona would give up a marriage she’d worked so hard to get.

When Liliane’s call came through, Ramona answered right away. She was in the middle of a team meeting at Covington Group, but she excused herself and stepped into a private room.

“Liliane?”

“Ramona, dear, I’m not feeling well. I’m at the hospital as we speak!”

The moment she heard that, Ramona’s concern was immediate. “What happened? Are you alright? Is it your old condition acting up again?”

She knew Liliane’s health was fragile. Even though Liliane didn’t like being fussed over, Ramona still arranged for the best health supplements to be sent to her regularly, always through Jotham.

“Oh, honey, I’m just getting old. There’s only so much time left. It’s nothing serious, just a bout of bad nerves, according to the doctor. He says I worry too much and need to stay for observation a few days. I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately. Would you come visit me?”

Liliane’s voice sounded genuinely weak, her tone low and dispirited.

Ramona was struck with guilt.

Had Liliane gotten sick out of worry because she’d moved out? Liliane might be eighty, but her mind was still sharp. Jotham’s clumsy excuses probably hadn’t fooled her at all.

“Of course. I just have a little something to finish up here, but I’ll come by as soon as I can. Text me your hospital room, okay?”

x F

Thinking of all the times Liliane had treated her kindly, Ramona agreed without hesitation.

After hanging up, she called her assistant and asked them to prepare a thoughtful gift for Liliane.

As soon as her work at Covington Group wrapped up, Ramona grabbed the package and drove to the hospital.

The whole way there, she was preoccupied with how to reassure the old woman. She didn’t even notice Ethan’s messages popping up on her phone.

When she finally arrived at the hospital’s parking garage, Ramona parked and gathered the gift, ready to head upstairs.

“Bad woman! You’re a bad woman! You’re always mean! Give Ms. Prescott back!”

A familiar child’s cry rang out.

Ramona turned and saw Milo, who was being brought down by Jotham’s assistant. It was getting late, and the assistant was obviously taking Milo home.

Milo, sharp–eyed as ever, spotted Ramona and immediately wriggled free, running over to her. He picked up something off the ground and hurled it at her arm. Thɪs chapter is updated by find⁂novel.net

The scene closes, but its pressure does not. Something has shifted, and the next step will have to meet it. The feeling is unfinished on purpose.

Expect tighter tension and fewer safe options. Hidden truths may press forward. The path ahead should feel earned and a bit sharper.

Which choice will echo the longest? Who revealed the most by saying the least? How might today’s restraint become tomorrow’s turning point?

Rules, memory, and the setting frame each decision. Inside that frame, even small moves gain size. The chapter belongs to its world as much as to its people.

With this chapter done, the story steps forward—quieter, clearer, and ready to show what those choices mean.