Chapter 273
Charles ignored Edward, rolled up the car window, and that was that.
He shot Briana a text.
He sent: [Get over to the Lane residence and pick me up. ASAP.]
Once he sent the message, Charles just sat there, waiting in silence.
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Briana was with Shepard, and Charles was sure Shepard would definitely get him out of Edward’s grasp without a scratch.
He was sitting in the car, and Edward couldn’t touch him.
Suddenly, the sound of knocking echoed through the room. Edward tapped on the window, asking, “Are you coming out on your own, or do I have to break the window?”
Charles immediately tensed up. He asked, “You’d really break the window?”
“Hey, I’m giving you a choice here. If you won’t get out, then I’ll have to break it,” Edward said.
“Edward,” Charles shouted.
“You didn’t come to the Lane residence just to chat,” Edward growled, his eyes cold and dangerous. “Don’t pretend you’re here for nothing… Charles, I’m searching for you. Right now.”
Since the gloves were off, Edward was going all in.
No mercy, no holding back; neither of them was getting out of this easy.
Charles’s face darkened. He said, “Wow, you really don’t mess around, huh?”
“At this point, what’s the point of being polite? It’s you or me,” Edward said. “Thanks to you and Briana, I’ve got nothing left to lose.”
Edward knew deep down that this calm was just a cover; there was a storm brewing beneath the surface.
Maybe Sophia had already been exposed.
Shepard and Briana just hadn’t had the chance to deal with it yet.
Or maybe the truth about everything that happened in the past had already been brought to light.
But with everything looking so calm on the surface, Edward had no choice but to keep all his suspicions locked up inside, not letting anything slip.
But he was fully aware of the situation.
After years of scheming and battling his way through, Edward was a true old fox, cunning, shrewd, and always thinking several steps ahead.
He knew what he had done, and he knew exactly what was coming for him.
Either he succeeded, or he failed.
He thought he had succeeded, but years later, Briana and Charles turned into his biggest headache.
“We forced you?” Charles asked. “You brought this on yourself. You reap what you sow.”
10:09 Thu, Feb 19 M
Chapter 273
Edward narrowed his eyes, asking, “What sin did I commit? Go on, spell it out for me.”
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But Charles just stayed silent, refusing to say another word.
“Looks like I really can’t let you walk out of here,” Edward said. “God only knows what you’re really up to here. Now that you’ve got what you came for, you’re trying to slip out fast. Well, I’m not letting you get away that easy.”
Edward spun around to the security guards, saying, “What are you waiting for? Grab some tools and smash the window.”
He had to detain Charles, because Charles could be his hostage.
With a hostage, everything got a whole lot easier to negotiate.
Otherwise, he would be as good as dead.
Charles gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white.
‘No way, I’m not just going to sit here and let them take me down,‘ he thought.
Suddenly, he fired up the engine, slammed his foot on the gas, and floored it straight at the gate.
The front of the car slammed into the ornate iron gate.
The gate rattled, but it didn’t budge.
Charles shifted into reverse, backed up, and then rammed it again.
But the gate remained firmly shut.
The front of the car was smashed beyond recognition, and the headlight had popped out and was dangling off.
With the gate refusing to give, Charles realized he needed a new way out.
He drove recklessly, careening through the Lane residence without a second thought.
No way was he going to just wait around for Edward to smash the window and yank him out of the car.
If he ended up in Edward’s hands, he would be toast.
Charles was painfully aware; he couldn’t let himself become a burden to Briana.
Meanwhile, inside the hospital room, Briana was leaning close to the bed, chatting with Shepard, her eyes sparkling with laughter.
It really felt like the two of them had gone back to their honeymoon phase, all sweet and carefree.
Her phone chimed, and Briana glanced at it without much thought.
It was a message from Charles.
At first, she didn’t pay it any mind.
But when she read the message, her smile stiffened just a bit.
“What’s wrong?” Shepard asked in a low voice. “Who messaged you?”
“Charles.” Briana replied.
10:09 Thu, Feb 19 M
Chapter 273
“Charles?” Shepard asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
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“He wants me to pick him up at the Lane residence,” Briana murmured, her face turning serious. “He actually went to the Lane residence?”
Suddenly, it hit her, and her heart sank.
Briana thought, ‘No way? Did Charles really lose his cool and go confront Edward to settle the score?
‘Or did he sneak back to grab the bug?‘
For a moment, Briana had no idea what kind of mess Charles had gotten himself into.
“No, I need to head over there right now,” Briana said, shooting to her feet. “There’s no way he’d send me a message like this unless something was wrong.”
As she spoke, she started calling Charles in a hurry.
But he didn’t answer.
Briana’s heart sank even further.
Anxiety clouded her face.
“I’m heading to the Lane residence,” Briana said, forcing herself to sound calm. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Shepard, wait for me in the hospital room.”
Shepard grabbed her hand, asking, “You’re going alone?”
“I… Briana stammered.
“Edward orchestrated the whole car accident. Now Charles is in his hands, and you’re about to walk right into his trap,” Shepard said, his tone tense. “Are you and your brother really going to let him use you both as pawns?”
Briana was taken aback.
Shepard said, “How do you know that message was really from Charles? What if Edward grabbed his phone and texted you
himself?”
‘Oh, I didn’t even think of that… Briana thought, the realization hitting her.
She blurted out, “So… should I just stay here? But if Edward really has Charles’s phone, that means Charles is already in his hands. He’s so ruthless; he’s capable of anything. I can’t let Charles end up in danger again.”
Briana bit her lip, her heart racing; she was flustered and on edge.
Shepard started to sit up, saying, “I’ll go with you.”
“No way,” Briana shot back without even thinking. “You need to heal; you shouldn’t be moving around at all.”
“I’ll just use a wheelchair,” Shepard said.
Briana was about to say something, but Shepard gripped her hand firmly, pressing down on it. He said, “Briana, I need to be by your side. You can’t face all this alone.”
Shepard might be injured and unable to move around much, but his connections and intelligence were untouched.
His network and wit were still as sharp as ever.
10:09 Thu, Feb 19 MD.
Chapter 273
It was high time the Lane family finally put an end to all this family drama.
Now was the time to settle it once and for all.
“Besides,” Shepard said, “do you really think I could just sit back and let you walk in there alone?”
The Lane residence was a total death trap right now.
He couldn’t risk anything happening to his Briana, not even the slightest mishap.
Briana thought it over, then finally nodded and said, “Alright, you win. I’ll listen to you.”
“Don’t be scared,” Shepard said softly, trying to comfort her. “I’ve got your back.”
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Briana cast her eyes down, saying, “Honestly, the only thing I’m grateful for right now is that Grandma isn’t at the Lane residence.”
She was off on an island somewhere, peacefully enjoying her winter vacation.
Briana thought, ‘This feels right.
‘If she were here to witness all this, I can’t even imagine how she’d react or what she’d feel.
Shepard wasted no time; he started making arrangements, firing off calls one after another, each order crisp and direct.
All the while, he kept Briana’s hand in his, never letting go.
That made Briana feel safe.
AD
