The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 51

Winnie let out a cold, mocking laugh at Brianna’s words.

So, a few days with the Holt family and she really thinks Milo is her son now? She sees herself as the lady of the house, does she?

Brianna stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Jotham turned to follow, but Winnie grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

“Let her go! Are you out of your mind? Do you even realize what’s happening right now? The estate, the company, your reputation—are you seriously willing to throw all of that away?”

Jotham felt his blood boiling, every nerve in his body straining to the breaking point.

But Winnie’s words snapped him back to reality, yanking him out of his emotional spiral.

If he chased after Brianna now, everything he’d worked so hard to build would go up in smoke.

He drew a deep, steadying breath and turned to face Winnie, his expression suddenly calm and controlled.

“Mom, I told you, it’s not what you think. Since things have blown up like this, maybe it’s better if she leaves sooner rather than later.”

Jotham softened his tone, trying once more to explain the situation with Brianna.

Winnie wasn’t fully convinced, but she didn’t want to hear more.

“Let me make this clear: I’ll be watching you from now on. Anyone can walk through the front door of this family—anyone but Brianna.”

Jotham gave a resigned nod. “I understand.”

“And what about Ramona? I heard from the staff she’s moved out?”

Even mentioning it made Winnie’s mood sour.

Brianna might be here, but why did Ramona get to throw a tantrum? If Ramona hadn’t left without a word—abandoning the house and the company to Jotham—would Brianna have ever gotten her chance?

“Mom, you share some of the blame for what happened with Ramona. But I’ll handle it.”

Jotham didn’t want Winnie meddling any further and left it at that.

But Winnie was still fuming. “She’s just using me and Eulalia as an excuse. She’s competing with you, can’t you see that?”

“I’m telling you, this family will never let Ramona walk all over us. Stop indulging her! If she wants to leave, let her! Sooner or later, she’ll come begging to come back!”

Winnie was practically shaking with anger. But in the matter of Brianna, Jotham had no defense, so he simply endured her tirade.

After venting her frustration, Winnie stayed until nearly midnight, only leaving after Griffin called to check on her.

Before she left, Winnie gave Jotham one last warning: he was never to see Brianna again.

But the moment Winnie was out the door, Jotham picked up his phone and called Brianna.

She didn’t answer.

Brianna didn’t say anything, just curled into his embrace, quietly sobbing. She knew that now, Jotham’s love was the only thing she could hold onto.

And for Milo’s sake, she had to win this gamble.

…

Not wanting Brianna to suffer any further, Jotham was up early the next morning, working with a realtor to rent her a luxurious condo near Holt Group’s offices. He spent the entire morning helping her move in.

Brianna wanted desperately to see her son, but to avoid drawing attention, she agreed to wait a while before letting Jotham bring Milo to visit.

But their peace was short-lived—trouble was already brewing at the company.

That afternoon, HR called: five members of Ramona’s team had just handed in their resignations all at once. The mood in the office was tense, with senior staff from other departments suddenly taking leave as well.

As soon as they heard, Jotham and Brianna rushed back to the office.

Ramona’s people were packing up their things at their desks.

“What’s this all about? Quitting as a group? Who taught you it was okay to just walk out without going through the proper channels?”

Recognizing Ramona’s team, Brianna marched right up and demanded answers.

A young woman—one of the people Brianna had argued with the day before—looked up coldly. “Ms. Prescott, we’ve already filed all the paperwork. You can take your time approving it, but we’re using our vacation days for the rest of the week.”