Empire 122

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.

Jotham had barely stepped into the office that morning when he was greeted by a flurry of whispered conversations rippling through the open–plan workspace.

He caught Ramona’s name more than once, and immediately called someone over to find out what was going on. It didn’t take long for the article to land in his hands.

The writer seemed to know everything about Ramona, painting her as a scheming woman who’d always juggled men since her school days. According to the article, after graduation she married into money and used her husband’s company to continue her supposed “affairs,” all while engaging in shady competition and under–the–table deals…

“Bastard!”

Jotham didn’t even make it halfway through before his blood pressure was about to hit the roof.

He slammed his palm on the desk so hard that his assistant jumped, eyes wide with alarm.

“Mr. Holt, please, try to calm down. If this really is Ms. Jarrett’s doing… For the sake of the company’s reputation, should we notify HR first-?”

“Notify them about what? I’m not talking about Ramona, I’m talking about the piece–of–trash who wrote this article!”

Jotham couldn’t be bothered to keep up appearances. He cursed furiously, flinging the assistant’s phone across the room in a fit of rage.

“Mr. Holt!”

The assistant sucked in a breath through clenched teeth, clearly pained, but could only scurry to retrieve the phone. Find the newest release on Fɪnd-Novel.net

Without waiting for his assistant to catch up, Jotham stormed out of his office and summoned all the department heads for an emergency meeting.

Everyone assumed there must be some company crisis brewing. No one expected the meeting to revolve around a single online article.

“Don’t believe everything you read on the internet,” Jotham announced, his voice cold and cutting. “The person described in that article is absolutely not Ms. Jarrett. All of you know firsthand what kind of person she is. Her character and work ethic speak for themselves.

Spread the word: I don’t want to hear a single rumor about Ms. Jarrett in this company. If anyone is caught sharing that article, they will be immediately terminated and face legal action. Understood?”

He enunciated every word, then slammed the door behind him as he left.

Jotham had always been the epitome of calm and composure in front of his staff, but lately, it was as if he’d become a different man, his actions more impulsive, his temper far shorter.

Back in his executive office, Jotham tore off his tie, his breath coming fast and shallow, unable to contain his fury.

Every insult hurled at Ramona online landed like a punch to his own gut.

1/3

20:54

He’d been with her six years. He knew better than anyone how stubborn, earnest, and innocent she was. Ramona wouldn’t even give a male celebrity a second glance unless it was strictly for work. She was, at heart, still that naïve girl he’d gently led by the hand out of her own private Eden, guiding her step by step into his life.

It took a long stretch of heavy breathing before he could pick up his phone, intending to call Ramona.

But as he opened his alumni group chat, he saw the article being shared everywhere. People were openly mocking Ramona; some even tagged him, expressing their ‘sympathy.’

Jotham typed out a message with trembling fingers and hit send.

[This article is pure slander. Ramona and I are doing just fine, but thank you for your concern.]

I

The words felt too weak. He quickly typed another, longer message.

[Ramona works incredibly hard and is highly respected in the company. Every single partner we work with vouches for her professionalism. There is absolutely no truth to the accusations in that article. Please don’t spread rumors. I’ll be contacting our lawyers about this.]

Only after sending that did his anger subside a little.

But barely a moment passed before Brianna’s name flashed on his phone.

He answered. On the other end, Brianna’s voice was sharp with outrage: “Why are you defending Ramona in the group chat? Are you really going to stand by her after she’s made you a laughingstock?”

“Brianna, have you lost your mind too? That article is slander. I know Ramona better than anyone, and she’s not that kind of person!”

His unwavering defense left Brianna cold. She’d actually been enjoying the spectacle of Ramona getting dragged through the mud, but she hadn’t expected Jotham to leap to Ramona’s defense in front of everyone.

What was wrong with letting the Holt family see Ramona’s true colors? Maybe then they’d finally stop bending over backward for her. Maybe they’d even drive her away for good!

Brianna scoffed, her voice icy, “That article was posted by a real Havencrest City reporter. How could it possibly be fake?”

“Reporters can print lies too. That journalist is just another hack. Stay out of this, Brianna, and don’t you dare go spreading any more of this garbage.”

Without waiting for a reply, Jotham hung up and immediately tried to call Ramona. But her line was busy.

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

Ramona was on the phone with the head of Havencrest City’s TV station. She’d seen the article first thing that morning, but while Nova and the others were up in arms, Ramona remained remarkably calm.

It was just a smear job, after all–clearly someone was out to ruin her reputation.

But Covington Group was the most powerful player in Havencrest City. Whether the article was true

or not, it could be buried with a single phone call. Whoever thought they could take her down with such a petty trick was both laughable and pathetic.

Ramona ran through a mental checklist. Melinda? Holden? Brianna? Or maybe some old classmate with an axe to grind?

As soon as she hung up, her suspicions were confirmed. A name popped up–Kendall.

She vaguely remembered him as a classmate. Did they have some sort of history?

Before she could think it through, Nova burst into her office.

“Ramona, do you know who started the rumors?”

She nodded. “Don’t worry. The article will be deleted soon, and I’ve already made sure it’ll disappear from the trending lists too.”

Someone had dared to use such a high–profile reporter’s account to post the slander. But for Ramona, tracking them down would take nothing more than a few quick taps on her phone.

Chapter 123

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.