Empire 46

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. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ FιndＮovel.net

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.

“You sit there glued to your phone, waiting for her messages, always defending her, but what does she do? She’s off having fun at some reunion, not a care in the world!”

Brianna’s words landed one by one, each like a knife twisting in Jotham’s

chest.

She was right. He’d only ever used Ramona, and though he’d never treated her poorly, here they were at a critical juncture for the company, and Ramona had chosen this moment to be petty.

Maybe Brianna was right-he really had misjudged Ramona.

Brianna didn’t wait for him to reply. She scooped up her laptop and marched off to the study.

It was several minutes before Jotham followed. When he found her, Brianna was hunched over the desk, quietly crying.

“I’m sorry. This is all my fault.”

Seeing her like this, so vulnerable, so broken, made his heart ache.

Brianna had always had it the hardest, sticking by him through thick and thin. She’d borne the pressure from her parents, kept their marriage a secret, even had his child in silence. If anyone had suffered, it was

Brianna-far more than Ramona ever had.

Now, with the mess Ramona had left behind, Brianna didn’t hesitate to roll up her sleeves and fix things. They were the real team, the real couple.

“Brianna, once we get through this, once things settle down, I promise-I’ll convince my family. My parents, my grandmother, all of them. I’ll make sure they finally accept you.”

He pulled her into his arms, repeating his promise as he gently stroked her back, wiping away her tears.

Jotham’s grandfather, Alaric Holt, had made it clear in his will-Brianna was not to be allowed into the family. He’d even put all the Holt assets in Jotham’s grandmother Liliane’s care to enforce it.

If their relationship became public now, Liliane would, as the doctors advised, transfer the entire Holt fortune to the family foundation. Jotham and everyone else would lose everything. He had to work even harder-get Holt Group listed, secure enough capital and influence so that his parents couldn’t stop him, and with Liliane’s age, eventually, when her mind faded, their time would come.

Brianna could sense his sincerity, and soon a small smile broke through

her tears.

“Jotham, just don’t let me lose. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Jotham nodded solemnly, cupping Brianna’s face and kissing her.

But as he closed his eyes, another image flickered-Ramona. A shudder ran through him. Abruptly, he pulled away from Brianna, suddenly at a

loss.

“What’s wrong?” Brianna, unsettled by his rattled expression, looked at

him with concern.

“It’s nothing, I just remembered… I have an important meeting tomorrow. Ramona’s supposed to be leading it.”

He turned away, avoiding her gaze.

Any project Ramona handled, no matter who else was assigned to it, the clients only wanted her. No one else would do.

Tomorrow, the client’s team was coming. Without Ramona, something was bound to go wrong. And the company couldn’t afford another hit.

“I’ve looked over the project. It’s a key account for us, but the data analysis isn’t that complicated. I can handle it.”

211

22:37

Brianna’s tone was eager, almost proud, as she opened her laptop to show him her proposal.

Jotham glanced at it, surprised. “You did all this yourself?”

He hadn’t expected Brianna to pick things up so quickly, after so many years away from this kind of work. Her data analysis was genuinely impressive-on par with Ramona’s, even.

Jotham’s own university had a stellar reputation, one of the best in the country, and Brianna had once been a lecturer there. She’d always been top of her field.

But to become a tenured professor in finance, she’d have to start as an advisor, working her way up with further study. Unfortunately, after getting together with Jotham, Alaric had made her life hell, forcing her to give up her career. She’d spent the past years focused entirely on Jotham and their child, leaving Ramona to steal the spotlight.

Now Brianna was determined to reclaim her place. Whether as Jotham’s wife, or as part of Holt Group, these were her rightful positions. Ramona wasn’t going to take a thing from her, ever again.

“That’s right, it’s not that hard. If Ramona can do it, so can I, maybe even

better.”

She stood, wrapping her arms around Jotham’s lean waist, her affection

clear.

He understood what she meant, but gently took her hands.

“You did great. I’m sure the clients will be impressed by your analysis. If Ramona doesn’t want to come back, then you’ll take over the project.”

“It’s late. You’ve had a long day. Let’s get some rest.”

Brianna was buoyed by his recognition, though a hint of sadness crept in

at his words.

Was the stress of the company getting to him? It had been days since

314

they’d been intimate.

Back when Jotham lived with Ramona, they’d barely gone a day without being together…

The next morning, Jotham personally escorted Brianna to the client’s office. Even though the client’s project lead insisted repeatedly that they wanted Ramona to handle everything, Jotham was confident-once they saw Brianna’s expertise and sincerity, they’d come around.

“I’ve reviewed your proposal. Your revisions are actually more thorough than Ramona’s original work.”

As they waited for the meeting, he offered Brianna a quiet word of

encouragement.

She nodded, taking a deep breath. No matter what, she couldn’t lose to

Ramona.

Minutes dragged by. Finally, the conference room door opened. But it was just a junior assistant.

“Mr. Holt, I’m terribly sorry, our CEO had an urgent matter come up, and we’ll have to reschedule the meeting.”

The assistant’s tone was polite, but there was no room for negotiation.

“Reschedule?” Jotham’s expression remained calm, but his fist clenched. “The project launch is imminent. We can’t just push this back.”

“Yes, but…” The assistant shot a furtive look at Brianna. “Is Ms. Ramona

not coming today?”

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.