Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 207

Chapter 207 

“But,” Shepard said, “you’ll have to do something to pay off your debt.” 

Charles blinked in confusion. “What? What can I do?” 

He was a total loser. 

He was good for nothing. 

as voucher 

If it weren’t for the Lane family backing him up and Briana always cleaning up his messes, he’d be dead a hundred times 

over. 

Charles spent ages trying to figure out why Shepard would choose him, but he just couldn’t see it. 

“Shepard, just be straight with me. It’s just the two of us here, no need to beat around the bush,” Charles said bluntly. “If I can do it, I’ll definitely help you!” 

He thumped his chest so hard that it echoed through the room. 

Shepard replied, “You can definitely do it, and you’re the best person for the job.” 

“Really?” Charles perked up, feeling a bit more confident. “Shepard, no wonder you can run such a huge company so well. You must have a real knack for spotting talent. As for me, I…” 

Shepard couldn’t stand listening to him ramble any longer and cut him off. “Help me win Briana back.” 

Charles froze, thinking he must have misheard. 

“Uh, Shepard, could you say that again?” he asked. 

“Help me win Briana back,” Shepard said, looking straight at him. “You’re my wingman.” 

Charles was her brother, so with his help, things would be way easier for Shepard. 

That was why Shepard wanted to get him on board. 

“But,” Charles asked, “weren’t you two supposed to get divorced? I asked you guys a bunch of times, and you both seemed dead set on it. Now… did things flip?” 

“That’s right,” Shepard said. 

“Well, would you look at that!” Charles blurted out. 

He was grinning so wide that his jaw might just fall off. 

He thought, ‘Now that’s what I’m talking about. 

‘If they managed to fix things, Briana’s status would go through the roof. She’d be on a whole new level. 

‘And that means my own standing in Belaris will rise right along with hers. 

‘What do people say about this kind of situation? 

When someone rises to the top, everyone around them gets a boost! 

‘I can finally ride Briana’s coattails!‘ 

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Chapter 207 

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“No problem, seriously.” Charles nodded eagerly. “Even if I didn’t owe you anything, I’d still help you out and do my absolute best. Shepard, just tell me what you need, and I’m in, no questions asked.” 

“First thing, get Briana back home,” Shepard said. 

“On it. I’ll call her right now,” Charles said. 

He didn’t hesitate for a second as he whipped out his phone. 

Shepard just sat back, sipping his coffee, looking totally unfazed. 

He had to count on Charles if he wanted to see Briana. 

There was no way she’d pick up his call. 

It was already evening, and ever since she bolted from the gallery, she’d been MIA. 

Of course, he was worried sick. 

After a few rings, the call finally connected. 

Charles immediately put it on speaker. 

“Hello?” Briana’s voice came through. “Charles.” 

Charles just asked, “Hey, where are you? You coming home for dinner?” 

“No,” Briana replied. 

“Still painting at the gallery? You gotta take care of yourself, you know…” Charles said. 

“I’m not at the gallery,” Briana said. “I’m not coming home tonight. Don’t worry about me, and just get some sleep.” 

Charles gripped his phone tighter. “What? You’re a girl. How can you be out all night? Is that really how you should be acting?” 

“Charles, did you take the wrong meds or something?” Briana shot back. 

Charles had never kept tabs on her like this before. 

This was honestly the first time ever. 

“Ahem, I’m just worried about you,” Charles said. “Back when you were married, I couldn’t say anything. But now that you’re back with the family, if I don’t keep an eye on you, who will?” 

“Worry about yourself,” Briana snapped. 

“I’m home, I sleep here every night… Alright, alright, quit playing around and just come home already,” Charles said. 

Briana paused for a couple of seconds. “I said I’m not coming home tonight.” 

“Hey!” Charles sneaked a glance at Shepard to check his reaction, and then switched to a stern tone. “Getting bold, huh? Am I still your brother or what… Ahem…” 

He got so worked up that he ended up choking on his own spit. 

He just kept coughing and coughing. 

“Are you sick or something?” Briana asked. “Why are you coughing so much…” 

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Chapter 207 

The weather had been crazy unpredictable lately. 

Even someone as tough as Shepard had ended up in the hospital with a fever. 

So Briana started to worry. “Shouldn’t you take something, just to be safe?” 

Charles’s eyes sparkled. He suddenly had a plan. 

“Ahem, I… ugh…” Charles started fake–coughing like crazy. “Here I am, all alone and sick, just hoping my little sis would come home and look after me, but she coldly turned me down. 

“I… Ahem, it’s fine… Even if I cough my lungs out… it doesn’t matter…” 

Each cough was louder than the last. 

“Alright, whatever, do your thing. Staying out all night isn’t a big deal. Just stay safe, I… ahem… I’m hanging up now,” he said, still hacking away. 

After a few seconds of silence, Briana finally said, “Alright, I’ll come home in a bit.” 

No way she could just leave her brother sick at home. 

Charles shot Shepard a 

grin, but kept up the act with his weak, raspy voice. “Yeah, okay.” 

The moment he hung up, Charles was all smug and practically bouncing with excitement. 

“Just you wait, Shepard,” 

harles said. “Give it thirty minutes, Briana will be home.” 

Shepard nodded. 

He glanced down at his cup. It was bone dry. 

He fidgeted with the empty cup absentmindedly. 

After a moment, Shepard broke the silence. “Remember when Briana had that procedure? You were the one who tipped me off and got me rushing over.” 

“Of course I remember,” Charles jumped in. “No way I’d ever forget something like that. Briana’s always been stubborn. She never backs down once she decides. 

“If that kid was still around, things would’ve been totally different between you two.” 

As he spoke, Charles shook his head, looking totally bummed out and letting out a heavy sigh. 

‘Man, what a pity. What a damn shame, he thought. 

Seeing how genuinely upset Charles was, and knowing the guy couldn’t act to save his life, Shepard was finally sure that Charles really had no clue Briana was still pregnant. 

She kept it locked up tight and didn’t spill to a single soul. 

“But hey,” Charles switched gears, “it’s not a big deal. You and Briana are still young. If you want kids, you guys can always have another down the line. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up with two or three running around.” 

Shepard pursed his lips. “You were there the whole time for that procedure. You really didn’t notice anything? Didn’t suspect a thing?” 

“Wait… was I supposed to pick up on something?” Charles scratched his head. “Briana told me it was just a minor surgery. Lucky I caught her fib, or I wouldn’t have even known about the baby.” 

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Chapter 207 

Charles paused to think. “And I called you right away, didn’t I? Doesn’t that prove I wanted the kid to stay?” 

After that, the living room went dead silent. 

Charles had no clue what Shepard was thinking, so he just kept his mouth shut. 

After a long pause, Shepard finally spoke up. “That baby… is still alive.” 

“What?” Charles blurted out, totally stunned. 

AD