The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 336

Brianna and Ramona—they were both the same. Ramona had betrayed him. But Brianna… Brianna was the one who had truly ruined his life.

Brianna was lost in the moment. Jotham’s kiss was brief, and he pulled away, his demand hanging in the air. “You need a chaperone. I don’t want you going out alone this late.”

“Fine,” she said, turning to face him, a playful look in her eyes. “But only if you pick out a dress I approve of.”

Without even looking, he reached into the closet, pulled out a dress, and held it up to her shoulders. “This one.”

…

As night fell, the heart of Havencrest City was a vibrant tapestry of light and motion. From the sky, the city was a dazzling, mesmerizing display of color.

“Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll handle the Gallop Inc. deal. And I’ll make sure Ramona doesn’t hear a word about it.” Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window of his office in the Covington Group tower, Holden watched the city lights flicker below, a faint smile on his lips. But the smile vanished the moment he hung up the phone.

The partnership between Gallop Inc. and the Covington Group had been in discussion since before Benedict’s death, but a specific project had never been finalized. Now, with Brantley’s push to open a branch in Havencrest City, the deal was finally moving forward. It should have been a good thing.

The Gallop Inc. account, however, had been managed by Melinda Yarrow’s team. The deal had been finalized without Ramona’s input. Technically, a legacy project didn’t require her approval, but when Melinda had specifically asked Holden to entertain the Gallop Inc. representative, he knew there was more to it. A little digging revealed that the representative was none other than Brianna, the ex-wife of Ramona’s ex.

Holden had never met Jotham or Brianna, but he had thoroughly investigated their history when he was looking for ways to undermine Ramona. He didn’t care about right or wrong; he only cared about which side he was on. The enemy of his enemy was his friend. He had been willing to use Jotham to get to Ramona, but the Holt family had proven to be disappointingly weak. And with Ramona moving on so quickly, Jotham’s value as a tool for emotional manipulation had plummeted.

Nova, of course, had been furious. She had already given him a massage as payment. How could he have the audacity to demand a second gift? But in front of Heath, she couldn't refuse.

“It’s not for you. Someone else made it, and there was extra.” She took the thermos back again. She wasn’t lying. She would never make something like this for Holden. A colleague had been experimenting with a new recipe, and the result was so vile that no one would drink it. It was the perfect way to fulfill Holden’s request and get a little revenge at the same time.

But the door to his office had been ajar, and as she approached, she had heard him mention Ramona’s name. She knew he was up to no good. Her anger flared, and she dropped the pretense, turning to leave.

“Don’t be shy,” he said, grabbing her arm, a flicker of genuine appreciation in his eyes. “Stubborn, aren’t you? If you’re going to give me a gift, do it with confidence. It’s not like I’m going to look down on you for having a crush on me.”