Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 132

At first, Briana didn’) take Shepard’s words to heart. Besides, she couldn’t really control Charles anyway. 

However, the more Shepard brought it up, the more she realized she should take it seriously. 

She knew Shepard never spoke without purpose. 

Besides, he had spent 300 million dollars on a brand for her and was planning to help her reclaim the Lane Group. She didn’t think he was trying to hurt her. 

“Alright, Briana replied. Tll call Charles right now.” 

Right in front of Shepard, she called Charles, but no one picked up. 

The phone kept ringing, but Charles never answered. 

“He’s probably out drinking and partying again.” Briana muttered. “Bet he hasn’t even checked his phone. I’ll just catch him in person later. 

Shepard remained silent, his thoughts unreadable. 

Back at Carter Estate, Briana headed straight for the bathroom to wash off her makeup and take a shower. 

Shepard stood out on the balcony of the master bedroom, looking out at the night. His expression was darker than the night sky. 

Since he had decided to reclaim the Lane Group for Briana, he had to give it his all. First thing, Charles couldn’t be a burden. 

He remembered Briana saying that Charles’s partners and friends had been introduced by Henry and Eric, so he thought. Was it Henry, or was it Eric? Or maybe neither of them was innocent?‘ 

Shepard’s distrust of Henry ran deep. He didn’t like him at all, and it was completely personal. 

However, when he really thought about it, he felt that Henry didn’t have any motive to go after Charles. 

He thought. If Charles got into trouble and Briana learned Henry was the one behind it, there was no way she’d ever stay with him. Well, that made Eric far more suspect. 

“Eric,” Shepard murmured, pondering. “Could it really be him?” 

Shepard never really took Eric seriously because, to him, Eric was no threat at all. 

He was the undisputed head of the Carter family and the one in charge of the Carter Group. Everyone in the family followed his lead. 

However, thinking back on everything that had happened lately Shepard couldn’t help but feel that Eric appeared pretty suspicious. 

Shepard made a call. ‘Hey, James.” 

“Mr. Carter, what’s up?‘ James answered right away. “It’s late. Do you have any urgent instructions?” 

“Keep a close eye on two people,” Shepard ordered. 

“Which two?” James asked. 

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Chapter 132 

Shepard said, “Henry and Eric.” 

“Got it, Mr. Carter,” James replied. “Anything else?” 

Just then, the sound of water from the bathroom stopped. 

Shepard turned slightly, glanced into the master bedroom, and wered his voice. “If either of them does anything suspicious, tell me right away.” 

“Got it,” James replied. 

Just as Shepard hung up, the bathroom door opened, and Briana stepped out. 

She was wearing a nightgown, her long, pale legs exposed, hair sill damp, rummaging everywhere for the hair dryer. 

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She muttered, “This is weird. Where did it go? I know I left it right here. Did the maid move it somewhere while cleaning?” 

She was rummaging through drawers and cabinets, still searching, when Shepard plugged in the hair dryer and called out, “Come here.” 

Briana straightened up and looked at him, then at the hair dryer in his hand. 

“Come here,” Shepard repeated. 

Briana dragged her feet over to him, muttering, “Just give it to me.” 

She wanted to dry her hair herself, but Shepard pulled up a chai, gently guided her to sit down, and turned on the hair dryer. 

The wind from the dryer howled around them as Shepard began to blow–dry her hair. 

Briana felt uneasy about it, and she kept trying to get up. “Uh, let me do it myself.” 

However, every time, Shepard just kept her in place. 

He said, “I don’t think I’ve ever dried your hair for you before. Let’s start today.” 

Briana didn’t dare say a word. She thought, ‘Did that mean he planned to do this a lot in the future?‘ 

Shepard was clumsy with the hair dryer. His fingers kept getting caught in her tangled hair, tugging at her scalp and making her wince. 

Sometimes, the nozzle of the hair dryer would get a little too close to her hair, making it feel uncomfortably hot. 

Briana gritted her teeth, wincing, but didn’t make a sound. 

She was feeling really uneasy. She thought, ‘What’s going on with Shepard? Why is he being so nice to me? What on earth does he want anyway? He can’t possibly be doing all this for noting, right?” 

Just as she was lost in her thoughts, Shepard’s calm voice broke rough. “You seem very nervous.” 

“Do I?” Briana said, trying to play it cool. “No way. What would e nervous about?” 

“Your whole body is tense,” Shepard said. 

“You’re imagining things,” Briana insisted. 

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Shepard said quietly. “You can keep your guard up around anyone else, but you don’t have to 

with me.” 

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Briana gave an awkward smile and thought. Honestly, if there’s anyone I should be on guard against, it’s you! 

Shepard continued. “Hey, do you really think Henry is flawless? ike, there’s absolutely nothing weird about him?” 

He thought. Maybe Henry is planning something bigger, and all the nice acts are just for show! 

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Briana replied, “Henry is honestly one of the best people I know He has helped me so much. Nothing about him seems off 

to me.” 

“I hope so,” Shepard said. He was already watching him closely. 

Soon, it would become clear whether Henry was really as good as he seemed. 

And as for Eric, Shepard thought he was also worth investigating 

Once Briana’s hair was done, she got up and hurried toward the bed. 

“It’s getting late. You should get some rest,” she blurted out, almost stumbling over her words. 

Then she lay down and buried half her face under the blanket, leaving only her eyes out. 

She thought, ‘This is kind of scary. That gentle side of Shepard doesn’t feel normal to me. Guess I’m more comfortable with the cold version of him.‘ 

Worried that Shepard might have something else in mind, Briana squeezed her eyes shut, stayed perfectly still, and faked being asleep. 

Luckily, Shepard didn’t do anything else. He turned off the lights and the master bedroom was plunged into darkness. 

Just as Briana was about to finally relax, she suddenly felt a hand settle on her waist. 

Then, with a gentle but firm tug, Shepard pulled her right into his embrace. His chest was against her back. 

He clearly wanted to hold her while they slept. 

Briana wasn’t used to this at all, but she had no choice but to put up with it. She knew that if she tried to resist, Shepard would probably get even more forward. 

“Don’t sleep on the edge anymore,” Shepard whispered in her ea 

Briana’s eyelashes trembled, but she forced herself to keep her eyes tightly shut, refusing to open them. 

She thought, ‘What’s wrong with Shepard exactly?‘ 

What she didn’t know was that this unusual behavior was only the beginning. 

The next morning, headlines about the Carter Group’s CEO dropping a fortune to buy a brand for his wife went viral online. 

Shepard once again showed his affection publicly, and he began arranging the brand handover, establishing Dreamscape Corporation. 

His behavior made it clear that, for him, love as a husband was ever expressed through sweet talk, but through what he actually did. 

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