Chapter 78
On screen, Briana drank some water, but even after that, she still couldn’t stop coughing.
She hurriedly said, “Sorry,” and got up, leaving the camera view
But one could still hear her coughing in the stream.
Each cough was louder than the last.
Shepard was furrowing his brow more and more.
The marketing director called out nervously. “Mr. Carter Mr. Carter?”
Seeing Shepard’s face, the marketing director could feel cold sweat trickling down his back.
Did my report really upset Mr. Carter that much? he wondered anxiously. Is he about to fire me?‘
But Shepard didn’t even acknowledge him. He kept his gaze lowered, his expression grave and obviously displeased.
James came over, leaned in close, and quietly reminded Shepard “Mr. Carter, we’re in a meeting.”
Shepard looked up slightly at that.
He fixed his gaze on the marketing director.
His eyes were razor–sharp, brimming with intensity.
The marketing director was so nervous that he almost wanted to apologize.
“Mr. Camer, if I did something wrong, please let me know. Ill do my best to fix it, the director said nervously. “Or if you could just give me another chance, let me go over the report again. Il make sure it’s perfect this time.”
Shepard kept his eyes fixed on the director
His gaze was dark and unreadable.
The director was so scared that he bowed.
After a long pause, Shepard finally spoke. “No problem. It’s all good.”
“Oh the director stammered, clearly surprised.
Shepard flipped through the meeting materials in front of him and said coolly, “Next up, the marketing director,
He set the papers aside and looked at his phone again.
Briana popped back on screen.
Her cheeks were a little flushed, probably from all that coughing
He could only see her lips moving, but Shepard couldn’t catch a single word.
He decided to slip on his Bluetooth headphones, ignoring the meeting entirely.
“Yeah, I think I just caught a chill last night. Briana’s voice came through clearly in his ear. “It’s no big deal. I just need some water, and I’ll be fine. Let’s get back to it.”
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Chapter 78.
For the rest of the meeting. Shepard never took off his headphones, completely glued to Briana’s live stream.
The whole conference room was dead silent.
Everyone was holding their breath, waiting for Shepard’s final reparks.
Shepard stood up, knocked lightly on the table, and said, “Meeting’s over.”
He beaded out first
Everyone glanced at each other, looking confused.
Wait, that’s it? The meeting’s really over they all wondered, still in shock
Shepard always personally hosted these department head meetings.
If someone didn’t deliver, he’d tear into them without holding back.
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Sometimes they’d get roasted alive, and if things were really bad, he’d show no mercy, demoting or kicking them out right. then and there
But today, everyone was left scratching their heads, unable to make sense of it. What the heck is going on?”
Shepard returned to his office, his brow still furrowed, looking just as tense as before.
He stood by the floor–to–ceiling window for a few seconds, pulled out his phone, and ordered some medicine for delivery.
p his cart with a bunch of cold meds and paid.
He loaded up
The delivery address was Dreamscape Gallery.
Just as Briana finished her interview and ended the stream, a delivery guy showed up with a bag of stuff.
“What’s this?” she muttered under her breath. “I didn’t order anything.”
She glanced over at Olivia. “Did you order this for me?”
“Nope, not me,” Olivia said, shaking her head. “I swear, it wasn’t me.”
This is so strange, Briana thought, feeling a bit baffled.
Just take a look inside,” Olivia replied. “If I’d ordered you something, I’d have handed it to you myself. Forget takeout, let’s go out for a proper meal. My treat.”
Olivia was always generous and big–hearted.
Briana grinned and tore open the bag
Inside, there were at least a dozen boxes of meds, all crammed together.
Every single one e was for treating colds
“Hey, that’s a ton of medicine,” Olivia said, leaning over to check out “Guess someone saw you coughing during the interview, figured you caught a cold, and hooked you up with all these meds.”
Briana blinked, still confused. “Yeah, but who actually sent it?”
“A fan! Briana, you’ve got a fan now” Olivia grinned, eyes sparkling.
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Chapter 78
Briana was speechless.
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No way, Olivia thought. You can’t just order delivery with an address; you need a phone number, too. Who else would have both her address and lier phone number?”
“Oh.” Olivia suddenly clapped her hands. I know. It has to be Henry”
Briana paused, a little stunned.
“Wait, that actually makes sense, she thought.
“He’s so thoughtful and always looking out for you. He must be swamped right now, so he sent you all this medicine.” Olivia said, shooting Briana a mischievous look.
“Look at that, he really went all out for you. How are you supposed to thank him for this?” she said.
“Why not just give him your heart and marry him already? Olivia teased, grinning.
Briana didn’t say anything. She just quietly put the meds away in her office.
Olivia followed behind her like a loyal sidekick. “I’m serious. Henry’s really great. He’s gentle, faithful, and totally devoted to
you
“He’s waited five years and is always there for you. Briana, you gotta realize, the best thing about a man is when he can actually fix things for you.”
She continued, “Sure, Shepard might be more impressive overall but if none of that benefits you, what’s the point? He’s putting all his effort into Vivian, and you don’t get anything out of it.
“Henry’s different. If he’s got a hundred bucks, he’d spend every penny on you.
“Besides, Shepard has Vivian, and you’ve got Henry. Let’s see who can make the other more jealous. If he can date someone,
so can you
“You’ve got plenty of guys chasing after you; you’re shining bright. You know what they say: maybe no man will love you forever, but there will always be someone who loves you.”
Olivia kept talking, but Briana just zoned out, barely reacting.
Olivia was about to protest, but then she saw Briana quietly stashall the medicine in her drawer.
“Wait,” Olivia said, “You’re not gonna take any?”
“Water’s enough for now, I’m not sick enough for meds yet, Briana said.
“Seriously, at least brew yourself some medicine or something. Olivia pressed.
Briana just shook her head
She was careful not to take any medicine recklessly
She wouldn’t touch anything unless she’d talked to a doctor first
Olivia gave her a curious look
Briana just shrugged. “Olivia. I can take care of myself, so
don’t worry
I’m just tired and need a nap
“Alright, go ahead and get some sleep. I’ll go do my own thing.” Olivia replied. “But if you’re still not better after your nap. you have to take some meds, got it?”
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Briana chuckled. “You nag just like a grandma.
Olivia gave her a playful poke on the forehead.
Briana grabbed a blanket, lay down on her side on the office couch, and dozed off.
She slept in a haze, barely aware of anything around her.
When she finally woke up, it was already dark outside.
The office was pitch black; no lights were
The gallery had closed for the day, and outside, everything was dead silent.
Briana opened her eyes, rolled over, and just lay there, not feeling like moving at all.
Times like this, it was so easy to feel completely alone and a little lost.
Waking up to a dark, empty room, all by herself, she just felt hallow inside.
Briana wasn’t in the mood to get all sentimental.
Because she was pretty
etty sure she was coming down with a fever.
Briana reached up and pressed her hand to her forehead.
Her skin was definitely hot
Her throat was starting to ache, her nose was totally blocked, and she felt like she couldn’t get any
vair
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