Empire 176

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.

Chapter 176

Whatever happened at work, whatever chaos waited for him at home–even Brianna’s opinion–none of it mattered. All Jotham knew was this: if Ramona left him now, it would hurt more than death

itself.

Ramona sped through the city, weaving through the empty streets. She noticed Jotham’s car tailing her, so at several intersections she deliberately swerved and accelerated, losing him for good.

Frustrated, Jotham watched her car disappear. But suddenly, he remembered something Ramona had once mentioned: the name of her apartment complex.

It was right in the heart of the financial district, the most coveted address in the city. Not long ago, Ramona had demanded a hefty sum to buy a new place there.

Jotham pulled out his phone, punched in the coordinates, and raced toward the building.

The night was deep and the moon shone bright overhead.

Within the gated community, stone–paved walkways gleamed beneath warm golden lights. A row of manicured evergreens stood silent sentinel at the entrance to the private residences.

Ramona drove straight into her garage and killed the engine. But the moment she stepped out of the car, she was blindsided by a figure lunging at her from behind.

“So this was your plan all along? Is it because I treated you too well these past few years that you’re

sick of me now?”

Jotham’s voice was ragged, his words almost spat through clenched teeth. He shoved her hard against the car. His eyes were bloodshot, hands gripping her shoulders so tightly they left imprints. Fury twisted his voice into something unrecognizable.

“Tell me, who is he? Why can’t you wait to throw yourself into another man’s arms? After everything I’ve done for you, does my trust mean nothing to you, Ramona? Do you even have a heart?”

The thought of Ramona betraying him made Jotham want to throttle her, but as he stared into her face, his rage slowly gave way to something else—a wounded, desperate vulnerability.

Ramona had always been susceptible to pity plays. He knew arguing logic wouldn’t work. What mattered now was getting her back.

As for that other man… and her betrayal? He’d settle the score with her one day.

Ramona’s back throbbed from the impact, but her eyes turned cold as ice. She stopped struggling. Instead, she lifted her gaze, her eyes sharp as daggers, cutting straight through him.

“Jotham,” she said quietly, her voice low but chilling enough to freeze bone. “Stop pretending you care. Doesn’t this act disgust even you?”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jotham’s heart skipped. Panic flickered in his eyes.

She really did seem different now.

Ramona had always been strikingly beautiful, an ice queen when she wasn’t smiling. But after they got together, her eyes had always been soft, full of warmth and forgiveness. He’d grown used to her

12:05

gentle, yielding ways.

“You really want me to spell it out for you?” Ramona took a slow breath, fighting back the revulsion she felt just standing this close to him.

Sure, he had a handsome, refined face–but inside? He was already rotten. To her, he was no better than trash. Even talking to him felt dirty.

For a moment, Jotham looked lost. The veins in his forehead bulged as anger returned.

“So is this because I’ve been busy with work lately? Or because I didn’t give you the company shares you demanded? Ramona, after everything we’ve been through, six years, from college to building a home together, have I not done enough for you? How could you betray me over something like this?”

“Yes, you’ve done plenty for me.”

Ramona cut him off, her voice calm and deliberate.

“You went to great lengths to trick me into loving you. You spent years making me your shield between you and Brianna. You wove a web of lies and called it love, just so I’d raise your child with her. So thank you, Jotham. Really.”

Each word landed like a thunderclap, more shocking than the last.

Jotham’s grip loosened. He stared at her, stunned.

She… she knew everything?

Ramona squared her shoulders. She was smaller than Jotham, but at that moment her presence filled the space, fierce and unyielding. She was nothing like the gentle woman who used to stand quietly at his side. Now, every word she uttered cut him to the bone.

Jotham nearly lost his balance, stumbling backward until he crashed against the thick trunk of a nearby tree.

“Ramona, what are you saying? I… I would never–me and Ms. Prescott…”

Sweat beaded on his forehead, but he still tried to deny it.

Ramona had no patience left for his games.

“Our marriage license is a fake. You and Brianna are the real couple.”

She had planned to hold onto this card until she’d destroyed the Holt family completely.

But plans changed. Jotham just wouldn’t let go, and now, she was married to Ethan. There was no point in dragging this out anymore.

“Ramona… When did you-?” ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ Find★Novel.net

Jotham’s lips went pale, the light in his eyes fading. It felt like a bullet had punched through his chest, leaving him breathless and shaken.

In a sudden rush, the truth crashed over him. No wonder she’d become so cold, no wonder she’d demanded shares in the company, no wonder she’d brought another man around just to spite him.

She knew everything. She wanted revenge.

12:05

Jotham couldn’t think straight. Terror overtook him, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. His lips parted, but before he could say anything, his knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground in front of Ramona.

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.