The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 69

They were taking every precaution, keeping things tightly under wraps and making arrangements in secret, all to keep Ethan from catching wind of it.

“My darling grandson is wonderful in every way, except when it comes to matters like this... There was actually a time when he almost got engaged, but...” Florence’s voice wavered, the memory clearly weighing on her. They had come so close to an engagement before, but at the last moment, Ethan backed out. Since then, he hadn’t even considered marriage again.

Florence cut herself off, realizing it wasn’t right to bring up another woman in front of Ramona. “Anyway, with us here, we won’t let you be wronged, no matter what. Ramona, don’t worry. Ethan is a good boy. He’s devoted to his family. When he can’t find us tomorrow night, he’ll have no choice but to show up!”

Once the engagement was set, everything else would fall into place quickly.

In families like the Jordans, tradition dictated an engagement first, followed by the marriage, and finally, a grand wedding celebration. By Ethan’s generation, the Jordon family’s prestige was at its peak—his marriage would surely make waves in the business world, and the preparations had to be nothing less than spectacular.

Florence’s words hit Ramona like a bolt of lightning, leaving her mind completely blank.

“Mrs. Jordon, when you say engagement... do you mean me?”

The question sounded ridiculous even to her. She’d already accepted that Ethan was her fiancé, but how had things suddenly progressed to an engagement?

Even more absurd, neither the groom nor the bride seemed to know about it until now. The whole thing was so sudden, so outrageous—it was as if she was being swept along by a current she couldn’t fight.

Lost in worry, Ramona was startled by the doorbell.

Her heart leapt. Was it Ethan, here already?

She took a steadying breath and went to open the door.

But it wasn’t Ethan. Instead, the manager from that upscale club earlier in the afternoon stood outside, holding two elegant gift boxes, each tied with a gold-embroidered ribbon, looking every bit as expensive as their contents suggested.

He greeted her politely, presenting the boxes with both hands. “Ms. Jarrett, good evening. Mr. Phineas Jordon and Mrs. Florence asked me to deliver these. The dress and matching jewelry you tried on this afternoon have been tailored to your size. They wanted you to have them.”

Ramona stared in surprise. “For me?”

She hadn’t finished the question before her gaze landed on the label on the side of the box, clearly marked with her measurements and the model number for the white mermaid dress Florence had admired earlier.

She recalled how Florence had asked her to try on dresses “for her granddaughter-in-law”—now it all made sense. From the very start, those gowns and jewels had been meant for her.

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