Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 148

Chapter 148 

Chapter 148 

Just as Briana was about to respond, the woman, Janet, started shouting again. 

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She yelled, “You’re corrupting kids. This gallery needs to shut down for a complete overhaul. You think you can keep it open? In your dreams. Take down all these weird paintings, then maybe you can reopen.” 

Briana did her best to keep her cool and reason with the woman. 

But up against the aggressive Janet, Briana didn’t even get a chance to speak. 

Janet demanded, “I want to see your manager. 

“And all these paintings have to come down right now. 

“You’d better give me a proper explanation, or I’m not done with you. 

“I’ve already called the cops and reported you to the authorities. Just you wait. 

“Otherwise, you’ll keep ruining even more kids.” 

Briana just let her go off, letting Janet say whatever she wanted. 

When Janet finally ran out of steam, Briana asked, “Anything else you want to add?” 

Janet looked her up and down. She scoffed, “Who are you? If you’re not the manager, don’t bother talking to 

me!” 

“I’m the owner of this gallery,” Briana replied. 

Janet let out a mocking “Oh, really?” and said, “You? With that innocent look, how could you be mixed up in such shady business? Do you paint? You must, otherwise how could you afford a gallery this big?” 

Briana nodded and replied, “Of course, I can paint.” 

“Do you secretly paint things so indecent they can’t be shown in public, maybe even borderline obscene?” Janet pressed. 

Briana’s expression turned cold. 

To her, every painting was like her own child. How could she let anyone insult them like that? 

“Watch your words,” Briana said, no longer bothering to be polite as she stood her ground. 

She said, “First off, my gallery runs completely above board, with all the paperwork in order. Second, not a single complaint or bad review has come in about these paintings since the show started. You’re the first.” 

Janet chuckled and said, “Just means I’ve got the guts to stand up and say something!” 

Briana shot back, “If your mind’s filthy, then everything you see looks filthy. I don’t blame you for not 

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understanding art, and having no taste isn’t your fault. But running your mouth about things you know nothing about? 

“That’s on you, and it says a lot about your character” 

Janet sneered, “Oh, sure, you’re the big–shot artist, and I’m just some regular nobody who can’t appreciate your fancy stuff. Guess I’m not classy enough for your gallery. You think you’re better than me, huh?” 

Soon enough, a bunch of visitors had gathered around to watch. 

Someone in the crowd spoke up, “These paintings look perfectly normal to me. Why are you making such a fuss?” 

Another person chimed in, “Yeah, even the world’s top museums have half–naked sculptures. Why don’t you go complain there instead?” 

“Sounds like you’re just bitter and looking for something to complain about, someone else added. 

The crowd wasn’t buying Janet’s act. 

It was clear she was just here to stir up drama. 

With everyone chiming in, Janet didn’t feel the slightest bit embarrassed. In fact, she only got bolder. 

She said, “If you’re bold enough to put these kinds of paintings on display, I bet the stuff you’ve got hidden in the back is even more scandalous. I’m going to check it out myself right now.” 

Janet stormed straight into the gallery, heading for the back without hesitation. 

Briana tried to stop her, but Janet shoved her aside, making Briana stumble back a couple of steps, almost falling over. 

Good thing someone caught her just in time. 

Just as Briana was about to turn and thank her rescuer, she heard Sophia’s voice. 

Sophia said, “Easy there, Briana. If you get hurt, Shepard’s gonna be worried sick.” 

Briana stared at her, the realization hitting all at once. She said, “It was you? You’re the one who sent that woman, aren’t you?” 

Sophia gave her the most innocent look. She said, “Briana, I seriously have no clue what you’re talking about.” 

“Sophia!” Briana called out, her voice sharp. 

“Present,” Sophia answered, totally unfazed. She said, “You should save your strength for sorting out the gallery mess. Why waste your breath yelling at me?” 

Briana had always known Sophia was never one to leave her alone: if she saw an opening, she’d jump at the chance to make Briana’s life hell. 

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And sure enough, Sophia’s first move was to come after Briana’s gallery. 

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Briana shot Sophia a sharp glare, but she couldn’t waste time arguing. She quickly chased after Janet. 

At the same time, she called out to the security, “Hurry, stop that woman. Don’t let her mess up anything in the gallery.” 

“Got it!” the guards replied. 

The guards quickly closed in. 

But Janet was a force of nature: practically unstoppable when she got going. 

Before the guards could even get close, she started shrieking at the top of her lungs. 

The moment anyone so much as brushed against her, she’d throw herself to the floor and fake an injury, acting like she’d been assaulted. 

She pulled every trick in the book: crying, yelling, threatening, you name it. She was an absolute drama queen, and her performance was Oscar–worthy. 

Honestly, there was just no way to handle someone like that. 

And before anyone could stop her, Janet barged straight into the studio. 

Inside, Divine Muse was front and center on the easel. 

Janet shouted, “Look at this. I knew it. You’ve got even more shameless stuff stashed away. Seriously, do you have no shame? Pretending to be all about art, but this is what you’re really hiding? I’m going to ruin it right 

now.” 

Janet reached out, trying to grab the painting. 

“Don’t touch that!” Briana yelled, panic in her voice. 

She rushed to stop Janet. 

Briana grabbed Janet’s wrist, but Janet scratched her viciously with her other hand. 

A nasty red scratch instantly appeared on Briana’s arm. 

The guards quickly stepped in front of the easel to block Janet. 

But Janet was fast. She sent a kick flying without even thinking twice. 

The easel crashed to the floor with a loud bang. 

Paint trays were scattered all over the floor, not yet cleaned up. 

And just like that, Divine Muse landed right in the paint, ruined. 

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Ever since Briana started the gallery, any spare moment she had was spent quietly painting Divine Muse in her studio. 

Now, everything she’d poured into it was gone. 

The entire canvas was splattered with paint, ruined beyond saving. 

Janet smirked, looking all proud of herself. 

She said, “I’m gonna go snoop around some more. Who knows, maybe I’ll dig up something even juicier 

Briana gritted her teeth and grabbed Janet’s arm, pulling her back hard. She snapped, “Enough. You’re not going anywhere else. This is my gallery, not your stage for throwing tantrums.” 

Janet stuck her chin out, taunting, “So what? Come on, hit me. See what happens.” 

Briana’s fists tightened at her sides. 

She told herself, ‘Don’t do it. You can’t hit her. 

‘If I lose control now, things will only spiral further out of hand.‘ 

But her painting was ruined, just like that. 

Briana kept taking deep breaths, trying to steady herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Sophia lurking nearby. 

Sophia was standing off to the side, watching the chaos unfold with a smug, entertained look on her face. 

Briana closed her eyes for a second to compose herself, then spun around and marched straight up to Sophia. 

“Oh, Briana,” Sophia said with a gloating grin, clearly enjoying the chaos. She started, “You—” 

Without waiting for Sophia to finish, Briana slapped Sophia hard across the face. 

Stunned, Sophia’s head snapped to the side, eyes wide in disbelief. 

Before she could even process what had just happened, Briana landed another slap on her other cheek. 

Briana thought, ‘I might not be able to do anything about that crazy woman, but I sure as hell can deal with my own cousin. 

‘After all, Sophia is the one really behind all this mess.’ 

Janet, who’d been ranting just moments ago, suddenly fell silent, frozen in shock. 

She thought, ‘My boss just got smacked. 

‘Should I keep causing trouble or just bail?‘ 

Sophia gaped at Briana, totally stunned. She barked, “You’re crazy, Briana! Have you completely lost it?” 

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