Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 214

Silence hung in the air. 

Then Briana broke the silence. “If you came here today hoping to hold onto Lane Group, you’re in for a rude awakening. Since you won’t give it back, I’ll just have to take it back on my own terms. 

“Honestly, I’d rather see Lane Group become Dreamscape Corporation, so we can cut all ties and never have anything to do with each other again. 

“Uncle Edward, you always wanted Lane Group, right? Fine, I’ll let you have it. But it’ll just be an empty shell. 

“That’s not on me. You couldn’t keep the clients or land the deals. Business isn’t just about playing nice and being slick. You need real skills. Am I right?” 

When real power was in play, everything else was just window dressing. 

“I haven’t completely broken with you, and that’s just for Grandma’s sake,” Briana warned. “Don’t drag her into this over the company.” 

Edward hesitated, and then finally said, “Can we talk this out, Briana? At least leave me something. You’ve got Dreamscape, I’ll take Lane Group, and we’ll both be happy.” 

“No deal,” Briana shot back. 

“Briana…” Edward tried again. 

Briana cut him off, not holding back. “Did you forget how you treated me before? Did you ever give me a chance? Did you ever care about our relationship?” 

Diana tried to say something, but Briana cut her off. “Diana, there’s no affection between us. I remember every snide remark and every time you threw shade at me. 

“Oh, and Sophia. Stop acting like we are close. It just grosses me out. In the Lane residence, Grandma is the only family I’ve got.” 

When Wrenley passed away, this family would fall apart for good. 

Sophia said, “Briana, don’t be so heartless…” 

“Again?” Briana raised an eyebrow. “Try me. Call me in that tone one more time and I’ll slap you.” 

Sophia was genuinely intimidated by Briana’s presence. 

With Shepard backing her up, Briana could and would actually slap her, no hesitation. 

“Go home and get ready for bankruptcy and liquidation,” Briana said. “Before that day comes, you’d better start planning, or you’ll end up with nothing, not even enough left for retirement.” 

Without sparing them a single glance, she turned and walked back into the villa. 

She left them with nothing but her back. 

Edward turned to Shepard. 

“Mr. Carter…” Edward said. 

To be honest, Briana’s biggest backer was Shepard. 

In the end, everyone was just waiting to see what Shepard would do. 

But the problem was, Shepard was taking his cues from Briana. 

“Whatever Briana wants, goes,” Shepard said. “If she wants it, that’s how it’ll be.” 

Sophia suddenly put on her sweetest, most delicate voice. “Mr. Carter, you spoil her way too much. You’ll spoil her rotten, and she’ll start thinking she’s untouchable.” 

“That’s right, I spoil her,” Shepard replied. 

Sophia still wouldn’t give up. “With so many women out there, why bother with her, Mr. Carter?” 

“Get lost,” Shepard said. 

Shepard’s tone was cool, but the authority was unmistakable. He tapped his watch with his finger. “You’ve got one minute to get out of Evergreen Estate.” 

The whole family just stood there, stunned, not getting it yet. 

Then Shepard reminded them, “Forty–five seconds left.” 

Edward scrambled, almost tripping over himself as he dove into the driver’s seat. 

He was scared that if he was even a second late, the deadline would hit. 

Diana and Sophia scrambled into the car. 

Nobody wanted to find out what Shepard would do if they missed the deadline. 

They had to get out of here first. 

Edward slammed his foot on the gas before the doors were even shut. 

Sophia nearly got tossed out and then yanked the door closed just in time. 

The whole family left, looking totally pathetic. 

Briana stood at the living room window, watching the chaos outside, and found it hilarious. 

‘Guess they should’ve seen this coming,‘ she thought. 

They had it coming. 

Chapter 214 

Shepard happened to turn around and lock eyes with her. 

He just curled his lips into a faint smile. 

Briana’s smile vanished as she yanked the curtains closed. 

Just seeing him annoyed her. 

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Shepard was relentless, clinging to her in every way he could, just to spend every day by her side. 

There was no escaping him, no matter how hard she tried. 

Briana stomped upstairs, picked a random guest room, walked in, and slammed the door shut behind her, locking it tight. 

She called Olivia and started venting. 

She said, “I’m at my wits‘ end. What am I supposed to do? I have to see Shepard’s face every single day… I can’t just lock down Evergreen Estate and keep him out, can I? Even if I did, he’d still find a way in. 

“If I hide out at the gallery, he shows up there. If I go to your place, he comes looking for me at the Hughes residence. No matter where I go, he’s always right there.” 

Briana flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling, phone in hand, sounding totally defeated. “Olivia, help me.” 

Olivia shot back, “That’s easy. Just get out of town for a while. Belaris is his playground, but in another city, he won’t be able to follow you around so easily.” 

“But the art show is about to start. I can’t leave Belaris,” Briana groaned. 

“Then just ignore him. Pretend he’s not even there,” Olivia said. 

Briana let out a long, miserable sigh. “He’s always in my face. There’s no way to tune him out.” 

Olivia thought for a moment, and then said, “Just do your own thing and ignore him. Sooner or later, he’ll get bored and give up. Right now, he’s still hanging in there, but he won’t last forever.” 

“Looks like that’s my only option,” Briana sighed. 

“Just focus on your art show first,” Olivia encouraged. “You’ve got a ton of famous pieces and some big–name collectors coming. 

“It’s your first time bringing your own work. This is huge! Put your career first and forget about guys for now.” 

“It’s not like I’m thinking about him…” Briana muttered. 

She thought, ‘He’s just driving me crazy! 

‘He’s everywhere!‘ 

辉 

Chapter 214 

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“If you keep thinking about him, caring about him, and letting him get to you, he’ll always have power over you,” Olivia drawled. “No men, no burden.” 

Briana just groaned. 

She saw him all the time. They were married, and they were childhood sweethearts who grew up together. Seriously, she couldn’t completely ignore him. 

And with her pregnancy, her emotions were even more of a mess than usual. 

There was a knock at the door. 

“Briana,” Shepard called out. “Dinner’s ready.” 

Briana sighed again, “Just my luck. Gotta share a table with him, like I have a choice.” 

Olivia said, “Just ignore him, Briana. Stay cool.” 

‘Looks like that’s all I can do,‘ Briana thought with a sigh. 

Briana hung up, opened the door, and gave Shepard a brief glance. 

Shepard said, “I made your favorite. Let’s get downstairs.” 

She walked past him without a word, completely ignoring him. 

‘I’m sure I can outlast him. I’ll run his patience dry,’ Briana thought, determined. 

‘I will, no matter what!‘ Briana vowed to herself. 

***** 

The weekend rolled around. 

Briana got up early. 

She carefully picked out her outfit, chose the perfect jewelry, styled her hair, and did her makeup. 

Today was a big deal for her. 

The art show was set to kick off at ten. 

She wasn’t just representing herself. She was carrying the reputation of Dreamscape Gallery and Leonard on her shoulders. 

As she finished applying her lipstick and was about to spritz on some perfume, she heard footsteps approaching from outside, getting closer and closer. 

Chapter 215