Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rowan Vale 53

Chapter 53 

Briana was totally caught off guard. 

Charles was notorious in Belaris, a complete and hopeless mess. 

‘Since when did Henry and Eric start hanging out with Charles?‘ Briana thought, feeling utterly baffled. 

“Charles, Briana asked, “did you really close that deal?” 

“Of course.” Charles nodded, looking and sounding super proud. “Everything went smoothly, and I made a nice little profit. Dinner’s on me tonight, so don’t even think about fighting me for the bill. 

Briana couldn’t believe it. “Seriously? You really did it?” 

Charles nodded again, grinning from ear to ear. “Yeah, I did.” 

Before Briana could think, Charles slung an arm around her. “I’ll send you the address and room number. Tonight is essential. Eric organized it, and the room will be full of elite in Belaris. Think of it as a strategic move for your gallery’s growth.” 

Leaning in, Charles whispered, “Don’t let work blind you. Henry is a catch. You should really make time for him, go on proper dates, and build something real. If you don’t, someone else will, and you’ll regret it.” 

Briana lowered her voice too. “Charles, don’t you think this is a little weird?” 

“Weird? What’s so weird about it?” Charles asked, looking genuinely puzzled. 

“I get why Henry would help you, but Eric… why is he getting involved too?” Briana pressed. 

“Why wouldn’t he?” Charles shot back. “The Carters and the Lanes are in–laws. It just makes sense he’d help me out. Not everyone is like Shepard, always taking the Fletcher family’s side.” 

Briana still felt something wasn’t right. 

“What? Can’t you stand seeing me succeed?” Charles joked. “Business is booming. I’m getting the hang of it, and if things keep rolling, I’ll be making millions this year.” 

After thinking it over, Briana just said, “Watch your back. Don’t let anyone play you.” 

Charles just brushed it off. “No way. That’s never going to happen.” 

With that, Charles turned to Eric. “Eric, first time at the gallery, right? I know this place inside out. Come on. Let me give you the grand tour. Briana, you take care of Mr. Parker. I’ll show Eric around.” 

Henry made his way over to Briana, his gaze fixed on her face. 

“You’ve lost weight,” he said, concern in his voice. “Have you been overworking yourself again?” 

“Really?” Briana smiled. “I just haven’t had much of an appetite lately, so I haven’t really been eating.” 

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Chapter 53 

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Only Briana knew how many times a day she had to duck into the bathroom just to puke her guts out. 

She couldn’t handle anything rich or meaty, not even the smell. 

Sometimes, she’d feel nauseous for no reason at all. 

Her stomach would churn, and she’d feel sick to her core. 

She’d secretly gone to the hospital for a check–up, and the doctor told her it was normal. Morning sickness hit everyone differently, and some people just had it way worse than others. 

There was nothing she could do except ride it out and wait for it to be over. 

Briana just had to grit her teeth and bear it. 

Henry released a tender sigh. “Look how sharp your chin has become… Seeing you like this makes me wish I hadn’t urged you to open the gallery.” 

He reached out and gave her hair a gentle tousle, but then pulled his hand back almost immediately. 

Off in the distance, Eric stood in front of a painting, pretending to admire it, but kept stealing glances at Henry and Briana from the corner of his eye. 

When he caught Henry getting all affectionate, Eric couldn’t help but smirk, clearly pleased with what he saw. 

Then, using the restroom as an excuse, he slipped away and texted Vivian. 

Vivian replied instantly: [Okay.] 

***** 

At the Skyline Restaurant, Briana showed up right on time. 

The private room, big enough for twenty, was packed with people. 

She put on her best smile and switched into full–on social mode. 

Luckily, Charles was on her left, Henry on her right, and Eric sat across from her. 

With them around, she felt totally at ease and super confident, chatting away about the gallery like she owned the place. 

Briana had never been the type to get nervous at these kinds of events. 

Back when she used to go to all those fancy parties and high–profile events with Shepard, she always knew exactly how to work the room. 

Now that she was using that same charm and social skills for her own business, it was like icing on the cake. 

Yet, she could not drink. 

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Chapter 58 

But Charles picked up the slack, drinking for both of them. He was already getting a bit buzzed. 

When the dinner finally ended, Charles was wobbling on his feet, clearly tipsy. 

“You’re drunk, Charles,” Briana said, steadying him. “Take it easy. I’ve got you.” 

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“No way. I’m not drunk. I could keep going all night. This is just a few drinks. Give me another round and I’d still be fine,” Charles insisted, trying to sound tough. 

“Alright, no one’s drinking with you anymore. Dinner is over. Let’s go home,” Briana said. 

Briana steadied Charles as they made their way out of the restaurant. 

The waiter kindly held the door open for them. “Take care. Hope to see you again soon.” 

It was still hot out, even though it was supposed to be fall. 

The moment they stepped outside, a wave of sticky heat smacked right into them. 

They’d barely taken a few steps when Briana caught the sound of a husky, scratchy female voice coming from nearby. 

“Shep, the food here is pretty great. We should totally come back sometime,” Vivian said. 

Briana thought, her heart skipping a beat, ‘Isn’t that Vivian? 

‘Why isn’t she in the hospital, recovering her voice? What is she doing here?‘ 

Charles heard it too and snapped his head toward the sound. 

Sure enough, Shepard and Vivian were right there, standing by a sleek black Maybach. 

Vivian was clutching a little piece of cake. 

She took a bite, her face lighting up with delight. “Wow, I didn’t expect the dessert to be this tasty. Shep, you’ve got to try some.” 

She scooped up a bite and brought the spoon to Shep’s mouth. 

It was the same spoon she’d just used herself. 

Shepard pressed his lips together and said, “No, thanks.” 

But Vivian insisted, pushing the spoon even closer. “It’s not too sweet or heavy. Just try it, Shep.” 

Just as Shep was about to take a bite, his phone suddenly rang. 

He picked up, his tone dropping as he got into work mode, talking about business. 

Vivian waited quietly by his side, her eyes shining as she looked at him expectantly. 

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But there was a smear of white cream at the corner of Shep’s mouth. 

As he talked, his lips moved, and the cream looked just like a little white mustache. 

Vivian couldn’t help but giggle. 

She’d accidentally smeared it there when she was feeding him the dessert earlier. 

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Vivian didn’t even hesitate. She rose up on her tiptoes and moved in, about to just lick the cream off his lips. 

Shepard had no clue what she was doing. As he kept talking on the phone, he instinctively placed his hand on her shoulder. 

Vivian tilted her head, zeroing in on that bit of cream, clearly aiming to lick it off. 

From Briana’s point of view, they seemed to be kissing. 

Right there in the open–air parking lot, they were totally wrapped up in each other, sharing cake with the same spoon and then kissing. 

Even with Shepard still on the phone, it didn’t stop them from being all sweet together. 

Briana couldn’t imagine how lovey–dovey they got when no one was around. 

Briana just stood there, watching in silence, not a single emotion flickering across her face. 

She just found it ridiculous. 

She thought, ‘How did I ever love a man like him for seventeen years?‘ 

“Holy crap.” Charles suddenly yelled, his voice cutting through the night. He bolted forward like a whirlwind, heading straight for them. 

Briana was stunned, frantically reaching out to grab him. 

But her hand closed on nothing but empty air. 

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