Empire 244

Chapter 244

Brianna felt like her very breath had frozen in her lungs. A twisted smile played on her lips as a strange numbness spread through her body.

“Daddy! Mommy!”

Just as the tension reached its peak, their son Milo’s voice came from the doorway. He had been sleeping in the next room but was woken by their arguing. He didn’t understand what was happening, but seeing his mother cry made his own heart ache. His dad had been ignoring them for days… did he really not want them anymore?

Seeing her son, Brianna forced herself to pull together. Wiping her eyes, she put on a smile. “Milo, what are you doing up so early?”

As she moved to hug him, Jotham grabbed her wrist.

Think about the compensation,” he said, his voice low and soft, yet sharper than any blade. “Let’s get this done in the next few days. Dragging it out won’t do either of us any good.”

Without waiting for a reply, Jotham turned and left.

Milo looked up at him, hesitantly calling out, “Daddy?” but this time, the man’s retreating back was resolute. He didn’t even seem to hear him.

“Is… is Daddy really leaving us?” Milo mumbled into Brianna’s embrace. His large eyes were filled with confusion, the usual mischievous glint gone, replaced by the helplessness of a small child.

A lump formed in Brianna’s throat, and she couldn’t find the words to comfort him. She just held him tighter.

No, she couldn’t lose. For her son’s sake, she had to keep fighting.

That evening, Jotham planned to talk to Brianna again about the divorce after Milo was asleep, but he found that she was gone. She had left in a hurry, taking only a few of her things and Milo with her. Her phone was off.

A sudden thought struck him, and he rushed to their room to search for something.

He had given her the flash drive with Ramona’s thesis on it, and she had never returned it.

After a frantic search, he found it in the nightstand drawer. He breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he had been overthinking things.

As night deepened, the city lights blurred into streaks of color across the window of a speeding car. Milo stared out silently, his small mouth pressed into a tight line.

Brianna finished a call, transferred some data from her laptop, and then noticed her son’s somber mood.

“Milo, don’t be scared. We’re just leaving for a little while. You trust Mommy, right?”

Milo immediately nodded. “Yes! I trust you, Mommy!” But then his lower lip quivered. “But… I don’t

18:27

want to be without Daddy. I don’t want him to be with that mean lady.”

“Don’t worry,” Brianna said, stroking his head. “As long as I’m here, Daddy will never abandon you.”

Jotham wanted a divorce? In his dreams. Ramona wanted to destroy them? She could dream on.

Brianna had already sent Ramona’s unpublished data to a publicly traded company in Kyro City–the same one where her parents worked. Her family wasn’t exorbitantly wealthy, but her parents were world–renowned academics, and the corporation they worked for was a major player in its field.

If she couldn’t make it in Havencrest City, she would go back to her home turf. She had already spoken with the company, and they were extremely interested in the data she provided, even offering her a position as head of a new subsidiary. All she had to do was go home, swallow her pride, and ask her parents for help. It wouldn’t be long before she and Jotham could build a new empire, one to rival the Holt Group.

She had wanted to prove she was better than Ramona. If Ramona could take the Holt Group public, she could help the Holt family rise from the ashes. But before she could even tell Jotham her plan, his family had turned on her.

Fine. She would show them just how insignificant Ramona really was compared to her.

Meanwhile, Ramona was working late at the Covington Group, finally approving the last of the protocols for the new drug project. A mountain of work had piled up in her absence. Fenton had handled some of it, but the core decisions still required her approval.

This time, however, Ethan had sent one of his own teams to help her, and they had completed the work in less than two days, ensuring the project stayed on schedule without compromising on quality. Ethan had insisted, knowing how stressed she was. He was still recovering at home, and the slightest cough or frown from him was enough to make her lose all resolve.

Besides, Ethan was a workaholic himself. He had been checking messages the moment their plane landed. To ensure he actually rested, Ramona knew she had to finish her work as quickly as possible. She’d already decided to take some time off to help him recuperate and had delegated a number of tasks to Nova and the others earlier that day.

Stepping out of the Covington Group building, Ramona immediately called Ethan.

Cedella

Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.