The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 127

Ramona was deeply moved by his words. Even if he was only saying them to comfort her, in that moment, it was enough to soothe her sensitive heart.

But what Ramona didn’t realize was that Ethan wasn’t merely offering empty promises. He’d already heard about the news that afternoon—the moment he got word, he ordered his people to pull the trending topic and started investigating what had really happened.

As it turned out, his actions and Ramona’s had been almost simultaneous. By the time Ethan gave the order, the culprit had just been taken into police custody.

But after everything Ramona had endured, there was no way Ethan would simply let it go.

By this time, a recording had surfaced online. It was a snippet of a phone call between Brianna and Kendall.

In the recording, Brianna slandered Ramona with absolute certainty, even urging Kendall to dig up stories from their old school days to “expose Ramona’s true colors.”

There were even records of money transfers between the two, serving as undeniable proof.

With this bombshell, the tables instantly turned. The internet exploded as everyone started digging for the real mastermind. Ramona’s name all but disappeared from the web, while Brianna’s entire background was picked clean.

“Once the most admired advisor at a prestigious university, beloved by her students, turns out she was secretly jealous of the campus queen,” read the trending headline that shot to the top of the news feeds.

Countless students came forward, shocked and bewildered. Brianna, in their eyes, had always seemed gentle and caring, dedicated to her work and students. No one could have imagined she was hiding such a side.

Some insiders even claimed that Brianna had tried to sabotage Ramona’s marriage.

Supposedly, Brianna and Ramona’s husband had always been close—maybe, over all these years, there’d been something more going on, some secret scandal waiting to be exposed.

Yet most people dismissed the speculation. In the end, all eyes were fixed on Brianna’s sudden fall from grace.

That night, Brianna and Jotham were shaken awake by their buzzing phones.

Jotham had a dozen missed calls, all from Winnie. Brianna’s inbox, too, was flooded with messages from friends asking about the scandal.

Only then did the two realize that, in just a matter of hours, Brianna’s actions had been exposed to the world.

In the alumni group chat, everyone was baffled and furious, openly demanding that Brianna explain herself: Why would she try to destroy someone else’s family? Why was she targeting Ramona?

Her reputation was in ruins. Even the students who’d once been close to her were now speaking up for Ramona.

Unable to bear it, Brianna immediately left the group chat. When she looked at Jotham, she saw him getting dressed, clearly preparing to leave.

“Jotham! What are we supposed to do now? Everything’s falling apart…”

At the airport, Jotham bought her a ticket to a visa-free neighboring country on the spot.

“Lay low for a while. I’ll have someone help with your visa and school application. Once things calm down, Milo will join you.”

“If I leave like this, what if I can never come back? What then?” Brianna’s fear cut through her panic, leaving a trace of rationality.

She’d spoken to a lawyer earlier—while Kendall’s slander hadn’t yet caused major damage, she herself might face up to a year’s punishment for incitement. With the best attorney and full compensation, there was a chance of a suspended sentence.

But that would only work if the Holts vouched for her. And the only way they’d do that was if she went public about her relationship with Jotham.

“I’ll finish things here and come find you,” Jotham said, his tone finally softening.

He was about to send Brianna away for good. In spite of everything, he felt a pang of regret. He gently wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, just as he’d promised her a thousand times before, full of apparent tenderness.

But this time, Brianna didn’t believe him. She gripped his shoulders hard.

“Jotham, are you sending me away so quickly… because you’re afraid Ramona will find out about us?”