The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 248

Ramona knew exactly what Ethan was doing, but his request still made her blush. She complied without protest, posting the same photo to her private account with a slightly edited caption: My husband.

Just two words, a simple and clear declaration of her own.

A smile touched Ethan’s lips as he read it. He then shared her post from the corporate account, specifically tagging her profile. With that, looking as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, he put the phones away and settled into bed with her.

But for the internet, the night was far from peaceful. The trending charts exploded.

While Ethan Jordon’s identity had been an open secret in the rumors, no one had dared to state it outright. Now, Ethan himself had not only stepped into the fray but had also announced he was married?

The news was seismic. This was Ethan Jordon—a notoriously private and ruthless figure in the international business world. A true titan. For a man like him, who was supposed to be focused solely on power and profit, women were considered a distraction. Why would he personally post something like this just to shut down a few rumors?

And to do it so… sweetly. Like a man utterly devoted to his wife. It was staggering.

Seeing the public rebuke from the man himself, the gossip blogs that had been milking the story for clicks scrambled to delete their articles. The top trending topics shifted from “Nadia’s New Romance” to “Jordon Group CEO Announces Marriage” and “Nadia Rumors Debunked.”

While the announcement was a blow to Nadia’s fans and the media, the general public loved it. The image of a powerful CEO who was also a doting husband was incredibly appealing. The bold declaration of his commitment was seen as confident and romantic. The Jordon Group’s corporate account gained a million followers overnight, and even Ramona’s small, private account was flooded with over a hundred thousand new followers.

In the middle of the night, Nadia was jolted awake by the incessant buzzing of her phone. Her social media was in chaos, with countless people tagging her, demanding a response.

Her fans had been excitedly speculating for days. If the rumors were baseless, why would Ethan Jordon himself get involved? And why would he post such a personal, gushing announcement?

Her fans were furious, convinced this was a deliberate attack on Nadia. They theorized that he must have cruelly broken her heart, leading to her previous breakdown. Now that he had spoken, they wanted Nadia to fight back, to tell her side of the story and expose their entire history to get the justice she deserved.

When Nadia saw the headlines, a heavy pain settled in her chest. She’d been suffering from insomnia since returning from her trip, and the little sleep she’d managed to get was now gone. Messages and calls from her closest friends poured in, all asking if she was okay. While the public didn’t know the full story, her inner circle knew she had attempted suicide over Ethan. After a public spectacle like this, everyone was worried she wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Nadia had no energy to reply to anyone. Her screen was frozen on Ethan’s post.

The Jordon family was powerful, but his father, Zadkiel, had made many enemies on his ruthless climb to the top, alienating most of his own relatives in the process. After being abandoned by Zadkiel because of his mother, Ethan became a pawn, a vulnerability for the family’s enemies—and even some relatives to exploit.

The Shepards’ help hadn’t just been a matter of comfort during his childhood; they had saved his life.

When Ethan was fourteen, he was kidnapped and held for a massive ransom. Zadkiel, indifferent to his fate, simply called the police. It was Nadia who begged her family elders to cooperate with the authorities, providing the ransom money and negotiating with the kidnappers until he was finally freed. Zadkiel never once showed up.

The trauma of the ordeal left Ethan mute for six months. Nadia was by his side every single day, talking to him, soothing him. She was the first person he had ever opened his heart to, the first warmth he had ever desperately tried to hold onto.

But they were both too young then, too naive about matters of the heart. They didn’t understand how easily sympathy and dependence could be mistaken for love. Ethan was good to Nadia, exceptionally so. He was cold to the rest of the world, but he saved all his warmth for her.

He promised he would marry her.