The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 196

A notification blinked on Ramona’s phone—a bank alert about a recent transaction. The memo read: “Subsidy for equity transfer-related legal fees.”

Almost immediately, an unfamiliar number flashed on her screen.

Ramona answered. A calm, steady male voice came through the line.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Ramona. I’m an attorney from the Holt Group’s legal department. Your equity transfer has been fully processed, and the new shareholder registry has been updated. All legal documents and your share certificates are en route to your residence and should arrive within thirty minutes.”

“I understand.”

Her tone was cool and detached. She ended the call without another word.

None of this surprised her. Today marked exactly three days—the final deadline she’d given Jotham.

A moment later, another message popped up on her phone. This time, it was from Jotham himself.

[Ramona, everything’s finalized. Fifty percent of Holt Group now belongs to you. I’ve kept my promise. I don’t expect your forgiveness, but I’m begging you, please give me a chance to apologize in person. I want us to start over. —Jotham.]

Ramona stared at the message, the first hint of sincerity Jotham had shown in ages, but her expression remained unreadable. Without hesitation, she tapped his number and called.

He picked up almost instantly. “Ramona—”

“Tomorrow morning, ten o’clock. At Holt Group.”

She didn’t give him a chance to say anything else. The call ended.

Her attitude was still frosty, but just hearing her voice brought Jotham a small measure of relief.

Three days ago, Holt Group had been hit hard. A project flaw had been discovered, forcing them to cancel several partnerships, including their deal with Covington Group.

But the real disaster came that afternoon, when Covington Group abruptly pulled their investment.

Word of Covington’s withdrawal would get out soon. Unless they secured new funding quickly, the company’s IPO would be dead in the water.

After that, the losses would spiral out of control. In the worst-case scenario, Holt Group could collapse altogether.

Transferring the shares to Ramona wasn’t just about saving face for the Holt family, it was Jotham’s last-ditch attempt to bring her back to the company.

The project had imploded in large part because the new team couldn’t fix its flaws. Ramona, on the other hand, was a master at rescuing failing projects and crunching impossible numbers. She’d saved Holt Group from an even bigger disaster years ago.

With things in freefall and time running out, even Griffin had been forced to back down. It was clear: Holt Group couldn’t afford to lose Ramona.

...

Even if Ramona wanted a bigger piece of the pie, it would choke her in the end. There was no way she could swallow it all.

Having thought it through, Brianna forced herself to swallow her resentment.

“She still won’t accept your apology, will she?”

“She said she’ll be at Holt Group tomorrow morning.”

That caught Brianna off guard. “She’s coming back already?”

Jotham nodded. “It’s half the company. Holt Group is her life’s work. If we ever do go public, she stands to gain more than anyone. Even if it’s not about her feelings anymore—”

He paused, his eyes hardening, a strange discomfort settling in his chest. “She’d do it for the money, at least.”

But deep down, Jotham had never thought of Ramona as someone who’d compromise for profit. If she was willing to see him, it was probably because she couldn’t let go of the past.

“It’ll be tough for you for a while,” he said after a moment, glancing at Brianna.

If he wanted to stabilize things with Ramona, he’d need Brianna to play along. For now, they’d have to pretend their relationship was over.

Brianna’s face darkened, but she nodded. “I understand. As long as Ramona doesn’t mess with me, I’ll keep my distance. After all… I love you far more than she ever did.”