The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 323

“So what do we do?” Eulalia whispered, her hands trembling at the thought. “Should we… should we send Ramona a message and apologize?”

In fact, she had already composed a long apology in her head while waiting outside the hospital room, but she hadn’t found the courage to send it. Besides, she was probably blocked.

Eulalia remembered when Ramona first joined their family. She had been so gentle. It wasn’t that Eulalia truly disliked her; it was just that Ramona, a woman with no family background, seemed to shine so brightly in every way, and it made her jealous.

Still, she had enjoyed Ramona’s attempts to win her over. Eulalia was a picky eater, and her morning sickness had been severe, leaving her with no appetite. Seeing this, Ramona had diligently researched and created a variety of innovative dishes for her. The food was delicious and perfectly suited to her palate, better than anything their family chef could make. Thanks to Ramona, her entire pregnancy had been much more bearable.

But the better Ramona was, the more Eulalia felt the urge to push her down, to dim her light. She didn't know how it happened, but her behavior toward Ramona had grown progressively worse. And whenever Ramona dared to fight back, she was always the one at fault.

“It’s a little late for regrets now, isn’t it?” Flynn shot her a glare. “You apologize now? Are you trying to remind her you exist?”

Eulalia hung her head in frustration.

Seeing that she was genuinely frightened, Flynn dropped the subject and lit a cigarette, his own anxiety mounting. The Holt family was already a lost cause; what more could Ramona do to them? His own job, however—was it safe? Cutting ties with the Holts now was probably too little, too late.

“Wait,” he said, a thought suddenly striking him. “What about Brianna?”

Eulalia’s eyes lit up for a moment before dimming again. “No, Brianna is no match for Ramona…”

“Of course she’s not, but she and your brother aren’t divorced yet, right? And she’s made some powerful connections in Kyro City recently. If we all moved our focus to Kyro City, we might be able to escape the fallout here.”

Suppressing her excitement, Brianna pressed Eulalia for details. Following Flynn’s instructions, Eulalia said only that Liliane had suffered sudden heart failure, making no mention of Ramona. That was a conversation best had in person, once Brianna returned.

Brianna asked about how the family was holding up, and Eulalia answered each question patiently. After hanging up, however, Brianna felt a prickle of suspicion. Eulalia usually treated her with open hostility. Why was she being so nice today, even going so far as to say she hoped Brianna would come back to see Jotham, that her brother needed her companionship now more than ever? Had the fall of the family matriarch finally forced them to face reality?

Regardless, Eulalia’s news was timely. She and Jotham were in the middle of their mandatory cooling-off period before the divorce was finalized, and she desperately needed to mend their relationship. With Liliane out of the way, this was her chance.

Brianna sprang into action. She booked a flight, picked up Milo from her small apartment, and dropped him off at her parents’ house. She was busy with work and had to travel, so her parents didn’t find it unusual. Milo, however, was reluctant to see her go, crying and begging to come with her. It was as if he and his father shared some unseen connection; he suddenly started asking to see his dad.

Brianna’s heart sank. She could only soothe him with a white lie, promising his father would be home to see him very soon.