The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 276

“Are you going to stay here and embarrass yourself further? I’m not as shameless as some people!” Eulalia taunted, throwing a final jab at Brianna.

Inside, Brantley’s phone was on silent. He had no idea Brianna was stuck outside.

By now, Ramona’s speech as the representative for the Covington Group had concluded. She had delivered a simple yet elegant opening, praising the country’s leading companies and projects.

Brantley had heard of this Covington heiress—the lost jewel of Havencrest City’s wealthiest man. The rumors had been dismissive, claiming she was just a young woman with no elite education or high-society training, completely unfit for the role. There was a lot of talk that the Covington Group was headed for a decline.

Brantley had been inclined to agree. A family in disharmony was bound to affect its business. Benedict Covington had taken a huge risk by entrusting the company to an untested successor.

But seeing Ramona now, Brantley’s opinion began to shift.

For a woman to command a stage like this was impressive enough. He had been captivated by her speech; she was charismatic, delivering it entirely in flawless English and even switching to French at one point. It wasn’t just for show—her phrasing was elegant, her tone witty and sincere. Most impressive of all, she did it all from memory. The content was filled with technical jargon and financial data from various sectors, details that even a seasoned expert might struggle to recall. Yet Ramona spoke as if she were simply recounting a familiar story.

Based on that performance alone, Brantley knew she was no ordinary woman.

After her speech, Ramona, who was only attending as a guest, spoke briefly with a few interested industry leaders before preparing to leave.

Just then, Brantley approached with a mutual friend.

“Ms. Jarrett,” the friend, a tech giant in Havencrest City, said, stepping into her path. “This is Brantley Lawson, the CEO of Gallop Inc. I’ve mentioned him to you before.”

Ramona had reviewed the list of attending companies beforehand. Gallop Inc. had a formidable background in a field that interested her.

She smiled and extended her hand. “Mr. Lawson, it’s a pleasure. I’ve heard a great deal about you. I hope we’ll have the opportunity to collaborate in the future.”

“You’ve stolen my line, Ms. Jarrett,” Brantley replied with a warm laugh, his deep-set eyes looking directly at her from behind thin-rimmed glasses.

Ramona smiled gracefully and took a business card from her assistant, handing it to him. Brantley quickly offered his own in return.

After a few moments of pleasantries, Brantley said, “Ms. Jarrett, have we met before?”

“I don’t believe so,” Ramona replied, noticing his gaze was a bit more direct than she was used to.

Prompted by a look from his friend, Brantley gave an apologetic nod. “My apologies. It must be my imagination. For some reason, I feel a strange sense of familiarity with you, a certain… warmth.”

Ramona was used to such compliments and thought nothing of it. “Then it must be fate,” she replied smoothly. “To be honest, I feel the same way about you, Mr. Lawson.”

Brantley took the opening to invite her to dinner, but Ramona gave her assistant a subtle look.

But when he went back out to the entrance, she was gone. He called her immediately.

“I’m at the coffee shop across the street,” she said.

“I’m so sorry, my phone was on silent. Did something happen?”

“The entrance was closed when I got back, so I couldn’t get in,” Brianna lied, her voice laced with disappointment. She didn’t dare say more, afraid he’d ask questions.

The project files were with him anyway, so her presence wasn’t essential. Still, it was a shame to miss such a prime networking opportunity.

Brantley hung up and left the summit to meet her.

…

On her way back, Ramona’s phone rang. She assumed it was Ethan; she’d messaged him as soon as she’d left, even mentioning Brantley, whose company was a direct competitor to the Jordon Group on certain projects.

But when she answered, a woman’s voice spoke her name. “Ramona.”