Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 66

Chapter 66 

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Richard and Isabelle stayed at the hospital to look after Evelyn. As soon as Shepard and Briana stepped out of the elevator, they went their separate ways. 

Briana headed to the gallery. Shepard went to the Carter Group. From the moment Shepard walked into the Carter Group, everyone who saw him could tell he was clearly in a bad mood. 

Shepard’s face looked like a thundercloud, as if he was about to explode any second. Once he got to the CEO’s Office, Shepard shrugged off his suit jacket, loosened his tie, and lit up a cigarette. 

He had just taken a couple of drags when James knocked on the door. “Mr. Carter…” 

“Get out,” Shepard snapped. 

After a brief, awkward silence, James finally mustered up the courage to finish his sentence, voice barely above a whisper. “Mr. Carter, Edward from Lane Group is here. He says he wants to see you.” 

Shepard frowned, ‘Edward? What’s he doing here?‘ 

“Let him in,” Shepard said. 

“Yes, sir,” James replied. 

From the moment Edward stepped through the door, he stayed hunched over, never once straightening his back. He kept nodding and bowing, fawning all over Shepard with a look of utter sycophancy. 

“Mr. Carter, it’s me,” Edward said with a nervous, ingratiating laugh. “I, uh, heard from Briana that—” 

Shepard cut in, his voice heavy and cold. “Everything she said is true.” 

Edward felt his heart drop. ‘If they really get divorced, what’s going to happen to my deals? What about Lane Group itself? All the benefits will end up with the Fletcher family. 

‘Seriously, how could she not talk to me about something this huge beforehand? She didn’t even give me a chance to prepare,’ Edward thought. 

“Mr. Carter, Briana’s always been stubborn, proud, and totally single–minded,” Edward said, nervously rubbing his hands together, forcing a smile. “Back then, even with everything going on, she still insisted on marrying you. That just shows how deeply she loves you. 

“As for the divorce, she’s just saying all that because she’s mad. Women are always obsessed with loyalty and romance, always thinking with their hearts. 

“For men, as long as you take care of your family and do your part, that’s all that matters,” Edward added, trying to sound reassuring. 

Shepard slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, shooting Edward a cold, sideways glance. 

“I’ll have a word with her,” Edward said tentatively. “And you, maybe just lower yourself a bit, coax her a little, 

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and just make sure the paparazzi don’t catch you again. 

“This whole mess will blow over, and she won’t lose face. What do you think? Sound good?” 

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He had been provoked by Briana Lane’s words, “The Fletcher family will trample the Lane family.” ‘How could that be allowed to happen?‘ he thought. 

He had been fighting against the Fletchers for most of his life and absolutely could not afford to lose. There was no way Edward could just sit back and watch the Fletcher family climb to the top. 

Shepard flicked the ash off his cigarette. “Briana was dead serious about what she said.” Every word she said was the truth, straight from her heart. 

“No way,” Edward swore up and down, his voice full of conviction. “She’s been crazy 

about you for years. There’s no way she could just drop it like that. She’s just hurt, acting out a bit, being dramatic, that’s all.” 

Previously, Shepard also thought the same way. It wasn’t until today at the Carter residence, when he saw Briana’s resolute gaze and her unwavering determination to get a divorce, that he finally had to admit she was no longer the Briana he knew. 

Human nature was inherently fickle. All those years Briana spent revolving around him, he found her annoying, barely sparing her a glance. Now that Briana was gone, he found himself wanting to catch even a few more glimpses of her retreating figure. 

‘She had changed, Shepard thought. He lowered his gaze, staring at the cigarette between his fingers. 

“Here’s what I’ll do, Mr. Carter,” Edward offered, trying to sound helpful. “I’ll go talk some sense into Briana, see if I can get her to reconsider. Just wait to hear from me.” 

Shepard didn’t say a word, just waved him off. Edward nodded repeatedly, taking it as permission. 

“Alright, Mr. Carter, I won’t take up any more of your time,” Edward said, his smile so forced it was starting to hurt. “I’ll get going now, right away.” 

Shepard sat on the couch with one leg crossed over the other, the cigarette between his fingers burning down to the filter. For some reason, he couldn’t help but look forward to the day Briana would come back to him, head bowed and humbled. 

‘If Edward actually manages to get Briana to come back, it would be interesting,‘ Shepard thought. 

***** 

The night had fully settled in. Vivian had just gotten out of the shower, slipped into her pajamas, and was about to grab a glass of wine to relax when the doorbell suddenly rang. 

‘Who the heck is showing up at this hour? No way. Could it be Eric?‘ Vivian thought. 

Vivian’s face went pale. Even though Eric couldn’t really touch her yet, he’d definitely try something inappropriate and mess with her whenever he got the chance. She could only grit her teeth and keep quiet. 

But when she saw Shepard’s tall figure on the video intercom, her face instantly lit up with surprise and 

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delight. ‘It’s Shep,‘ Vivian thought. 

Shepard stood ramrod straight at the door, lowering his hand after ringing the bell. The veins popped out across the back of his hand, tense and obvious. His lips were pressed into a thin line, his expression totally 

blank. 

“Shep, you’re here.” She threw the door open and waved him in. “Come on in. Why didn’t you give me a heads–up?” 

Shepard walked in without a word. Vivian followed him, took his coat, and hung it on the rack by the door. 

“You bought this place for me, but you’ve never come over before. This is your first time,” Vivian said. “Why did you suddenly decide to come here tonight?” 

Shepard sat down on the couch, hunched forward, and lit another cigarette. He replied coolly, “I just felt like it.” 

Vivian snuggled up to him, her arm brushing against his. “Are you upset about something? Or those paparazzi posting our pictures online and giving you a hard time?” 

Her voice was soft and sweet, like she was born to comfort people. “Those paparazzi will do anything for clicks. We weren’t even kissing, but they made it look like we were. It’s so messed up.” 

Shepard took a slow drag and asked, “Why did you suddenly lean in like that?” 

“I just wanted to wipe the cream off your lips.” Vivian hesitated. She swapped “lick” for “wipe.” 

She could see that Shepard minded. It was written all over his face. So she played it by ear, switching things up on the spot. 

Shepard’s eyes narrowed, his tone icy. “Did you set up the paparazzi?” 

“No way,” Vivian shot back, her face falling, looking both hurt and surprised. “Shep, you know me better than that, don’t you?” 

Shepard just kept smoking in silence. He’d smoked more cigarettes today than he had in the past six months combined. 

He wondered, ‘Vivian was supposed to be taking care of her throat in the hospital, so why did she suddenly want to go out and check out a new restaurant? 

‘And Briana just happened to be at the same place. Even more coincidentally, they actually ran into each 

other. 

‘And the craziest part? The paparazzi were lurking in the shadows, snapping photos the whole time. With so many things lining up just right. Someone must’ve planned this.‘ 

“Shep, seriously, how could you even think I’d do something like that?” Vivian’s eyes were getting red, her voice shaky. “I swear, it wasn’t me. I really didn’t do it. If I did, may I get struck by lightning and never catch a break?” 

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She didn’t even get to finish before Shepard cut her off. “That’s enough.” Shepard cut in. 

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Vivian bit her lower lip, her eyes wide and pleading, looking every bit the picture of innocence. It really wasn’t her, for real. It was Eric who set the whole thing up. 

Vivian didn’t figure out Eric’s real motive until those intimate photos started blowing up all over the internet. After all those years hustling in a powerhouse family like the Carters, Eric’s got brains and knows how to make things happen. 

“So, Shep, do you believe me now?” Vivian asked softly, hope flickering in her eyes. 

“Yeah,” Shepard replied. 

Vivian rested her head gently on his shoulder, snuggling up close. “Want a drink?” she murmured. “I just had two bottles of red wine delivered today, straight from Beriton.” 

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