Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 264

Chapter 264 

Chapter 264 

Bay 

Diana spoke up, “Edward, getting mad at Sophia won’t solve anything. Let’s focus on how to fix this.” 

“She made this mess. She can clean it up herself!” Edward snapped. 

“Edward, you’re just saying that because you’re angry. If they really start investigating Sophia, they’ll think we’re the ones behind it. There’s no way we’ll get out of this unscathed,” Diana said. 

Edward knew, deep down, that she was right. 

The more Edward thought about it, the angrier he got. He raised his hand, about to strike Sophia. 

Sophia stood her ground, not moving an inch. 

But Diana rushed to shield her daughter, saying, “Edward, even if you beat her to death, it won’t solve anything.” 

“How is it not useful?” Edward shot back. “If I beat her to death, at least we’ll have something to tell the Carter family, and maybe save ourselves!” 

Sophia gritted her teeth. “Then go ahead, Dad. Or I’ll just turn myself in right now, so the police won’t have to keep digging around.” 

“Fine, go ahead!” Edward snapped. 

“I will!” Sophia shot back. Sophia, stubborn as ever, stood up right away. 

She was the only child in the family, spoiled since birth. She’d never had to deal with anything like this before. 

Diana was caught between them, torn and helpless. 

“Sophia! Look at the situation we’re in. Now’s really not the time to act stubborn,” Diana said. 

“Edward, try to figure something out. This isn’t the time for us to be fighting. We can’t be turning on each other right now,” Diana added. 

Sophia stomped her foot. “Dad, I wanted to take some of the burden off you. And honestly, I’ve never been able to stand Briana. If it weren’t for her, I’d be the one marrying Mr. Carter!” 

Edward’s face turned ashen. Honestly, Edward and his family never really had any talent or ability. Briana’s parents were the ones who built up the family fortune. 

Once things started looking up, they brought Edward into the fold, figuring family should stick together and help each other out. But now, all things turned out. 

They gave him everything, and now he was just repaying kindness with resentment. 

People were never satisfied. Once they got what they wanted, they just started craving something better. 

Suddenly, footsteps sounded at the entrance to the living room. 

shere now,‘ Edward thought. ‘Who would show up right now, of all times?‘ 

Edward’s face went stiff, looking like he’d just seen a ghost. He looked up and saw Charles walk in. 

“Charles, hey!” Edward quickly forced a smile. “You just showed up without letting us know? It’s pretty late. Have you 

eaten?” 

“Yeah, I have,” Charles replied. 

10:06 Wed, Feb 18 

Chapter 264 

“Oh, alright,” Edward said. “So, what brings you here?” 

“Of course, I do,” Charles replied. “You think I’d just show up for nothing?” 

He walked over to the couch, lowered himself, and sat down. 

Edward immediately turned to Diana. “Go make some coffee.” 

“Yes, Edward,” Diana replied. 

“Sophia, you go, too,” Edward added. 

Just as Sophia was about to respond, Charles spoke up first. “Sophia, why are you crying?” 

Tears still stained Sophia’s cheeks, and her lashes glistened with moisture. 

“Oh, I–I just used some eye drops,” Sophia quickly made up an excuse. “My eyes get dry, and the doctor told me to use them whenever they feel uncomfortable.” 

After saying that, she stood up. “Charles, what kind of coffee would you like? Black coffee or espresso?” 

“Anything’s fine. I’m not picky,” Charles replied. 

Diana and Sophia went to the kitchen to make coffee. 

Edward forced a polite smile. “So, what brings you here? And why are you by yourself? Where’s Briana?” 

“She’s got her own things to handle. It’s not like we’re always together,” Charles replied. 

“She must be with Mr. Carter, right?” Edward said knowingly. 

Charles nodded. 

“Uncle Edward,” Charles leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “You know I’m the one running Dreamscape Corporation now. All those companies and clients that used to work with Lane Group? I’m the one keeping those relationships going.” 

Edward gave him a polite smile and said, “You’re really coming into your own these days. Handling everything solo, showing real skill and smarts. Your dad would be so pleased to see how far you’ve come!” 

‘He’s got the nerve to mention my dad?‘ Charles thought, anger simmering just beneath the surface. But he forced himself to keep it in check. 

“Briana mentioned to me a couple of days ago that you want to keep running Lane Group, instead of letting Dreamscape take it all over,” Charles said. “Is that right?” 

Edward nodded eagerly. “Yes, that’s right. Oh, Briana is impossible to reason with. Charles, what do you think?” 

“There’s no need for us to turn this into a family feud,” Charles said. 

Edward’s eyes lit 

1. up. 

“Exactly!” Edward agreed, almost relieved. “No matter what, just let me have a piece of the pie, keep things running, and make sure everything looks good on the surface.” 

“Yeah, I’ll talk to Briana and see if I can get her to see things your way, Charles said. 

Hearing that, Edward felt a glimmer of hope. He grabbed Charles’s hand, his voice full of excitement. “Alright, I’m counting on you for some good news.” 

Chapter 264 

If I’d known Charles was this easy to talk to, I wouldn’t have bothered going to Briana in the first place, Edward thought to 

himself. 

Edward grinned, genuinely pleased. “Managing a company is really a man’s job. Women just get too caught up in their feelings and never understand the whole teamwork and win–win thing. Charles, seeing you mature like this makes me feel really gratified.” 

“Briana’s just been spoiled by Mr. Carter, so she’s got a bit of a temper,” Charles said, echoing Edward’s words. “Don’t take it to heart. I’ll talk to her.” 

“Alright, alright,” Edward said. 

Edward was so dazzled by Charles’s smooth talk that he was completely lost. 

‘If I’d known Charles thought this way, Sophia wouldn’t have needed to stir up all that drama, Edward mused. ‘She really acted on impulse. 

Now Edward had to clean up Sophia’s mess yet again. And he might not even be able to sort it out this time. 

“Is the coffee ready yet?” Charles suddenly asked. “I’ve got other things to take care of, so I need to head out soon.” 

“Oh, I’ll go hurry them up. Just give me a minute,” Edward said, rushing off. 

Edward was bending over backwards to please Charles, terrified of making a bad impression. 

Edward headed to the kitchen. Charles was left alone in the living room. 

Once he was sure Edward was out of sight, Charles quickly pulled something from his pocket and slipped it into the gap in the back of the couch, pushing it in as far as it would go. 

He made sure it was hidden deep enough that no one would notice it.