Empire 75

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. Discover more novels at find✦novel.net

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.

“Ms. Prescott, please head over there as soon as you can.”

It wasn’t until someone prompted her again that Brianna snapped out of her daze. She nodded, “I’ll be right there. You go ahead.”

As soon as the person left, Brianna pulled out her phone and dialed Jotham’s number.

Jotham happened to be out of the office on business that day.

“Jotham, what do I do? Your father’s here at the office right now!”

The moment Jotham heard that, his face drained of color. He had been in the middle of a meeting with a client, but now he couldn’t sit still. “Are you sure?”

“He called me to the executive office. Do I have to go…?” Brianna’s voice trembled as she hurriedly grabbed her bag and headed for the door.

Just the mention of anyone from the Holt family made her anxious.

“Brianna, calm down. If Dad specifically asked for you, just go. He’s more reasonable than Mom, he won’t do anything drastic. I’ll head back to the office as fast as I can. Just hang in there for a bit.”

Jotham knew exactly what Griffin was like. If Brianna tried to run now, Griffin’s anger would only flare up more, and might even land on Jotham himself.

“I can’t. I really can’t face him…”

Brianna had no intention of listening to Jotham this time, but before she could even get off the floor, several security guards blocked her path.

Griffin was clearly prepared.

Soon enough, Brianna was escorted straight to the executive suite.

Griffin had just finished reviewing the company’s latest projects and financial reports, and his expression was thunderous.

So much had gone wrong, yet Jotham hadn’t said a word to him.

When Ramona was still around, the company thrived. That’s why Griffin had fully stepped back, letting Jotham take over.

But in less than two weeks, everything had tanked.

If the board hadn’t called to complain, he wouldn’t have known that Jotham had brought Brianna back to the company while Ramona had been gone for so long.

After hearing the news late last night, Griffin was so furious he’d nearly lashed out at Winnie. A crisis of this scale, and she was still covering for Jotham!

Winnie had spent the whole night in tears. She’d tried to warn Jotham, but Griffin had confiscated her phone and told the staff to keep an eye on her. The matter of Brianna and everything happening at the office, he intended to deal with himself.

19:00

“Mr. Holt, you’re here…”

Brianna’s legs threatened to give out at the sight of Griffin, but she forced herself to greet him.

A stack of files landed on the desk with a harsh slap, making Brianna flinch.

“I don’t want to dredge up what happened between you and Jotham. But you must know that, given your position, you shouldn’t be anywhere near him, let alone working at Holt Group.”

It took a long moment before Griffin finally spoke, his voice low and cold. His eyes bored into her before dropping to his own hands, the pressure in the room nearly suffocating.

“Mr. Holt, please don’t misunderstand. Jotham and I are just colleagues now. You know the company desperately needs people… Ramona left on a whim, and her whole team resigned. I’m the only one who can help with Jotham’s projects-”

“If you’re just colleagues, Ms. Prescott, then you should remember to use proper titles.”

Griffin’s tone was ice. He cut her off and raised a hand; someone immediately handed him a document.

“Ms. Prescott, I don’t tolerate inefficiency. I’d like you to sign this resignation form of your own accord. Let’s try to preserve a bit of dignity for both of us.”

He slid the voluntary resignation papers across the desk. If she signed, it would take effect immediately.

There was also a supplemental agreement: Brianna was forbidden from having any private contact with Jotham. If she violated that, she’d be held liable for all losses the company suffered since her

return.

“…Mr. Holt, you expect me to sign this kind of draconian contract?”

Brianna couldn’t help but let out a laugh, though it came out more as a scoff. She was livid.

But before she could do more than raise her voice, the security guards behind her clamped down on her shoulders, forcing her into the seat opposite Griffin.

Griffin leaned his elbows on the desk, his tone unchanging and impassive.

“Ms. Prescott, of course you don’t have to sign. But I have my ways. If you insist on clinging to Jotham, then be prepared to deal with the consequences. I’d think you’d learned that the hard way five years ago.”

“Mr. Holt, with all due respect, I haven’t done anything wrong! Jotham needed me, that’s why he called me back. If there’s a problem with the company, it’s on Ramona! I know you’re a reasonable man and can tell right from wrong. Are you really going to hold a grudge over the past at a time like this instead of doing what’s best for Holt Group?”

Pinned to her seat, Brianna nevertheless raised her voice. Her words were pointed, her tone unyielding.

Griffin allowed himself a faint, cold smile. “I am thinking of Holt Group. That’s precisely why I’m asking you to leave.”

“You claim all the company’s problems are Ramona’s fault, but the biggest project was lost because

19:00

of you.”

“And from what I hear, Ramona’s team quit because of your mismanagement.”

“I won’t comment on your abilities, Ms. Prescott, but the whole company is watching. I think it’s clear enough who’s actually needed here.”

As soon as Griffin finished speaking, the guards seized Brianna’s hand and forced her to sign the agreement.

“Mr. Holt, you have no right-”

“I have every right. And I’ve already suspended Jotham’s authority. From now on, every decision he makes will go through me.”

Griffin took the signed agreement and signaled for the guards to let her go.

Brianna shot Griffin a furious glare before getting up to leave.

With Jotham gone, no matter how angry she was, she knew better than to pit herself against a brick wall.

Chapter 76

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.