A 68 Poucher.
Charles stared at Briana, stunned. He tried to pull her back, but the handcuffs yanked him short after only a few steps. “Briana, get back here,” he hissed. “Do you even hear yourself? You’re actually apologizing to David?”
“Charles, do you know what you’re doing?” Briana shot back, her voice tense. “Can you stop making this worse?”
“Worse? I was defending you. What’s wrong with that?”
“So you want me to stand here and watch you get sued, convicted, and thrown in jail?”
“David doesn’t have that kind of pull.”
Maybe David didn’t, but Vivian did. And Shepard was in a league of his own. If Vivian even hinted to Shepard what had happened, he’d crush both Briana and Charles without a second thought.
They had to end this now. Once David brought Vivian into it, there’d be no way out.
“Charles, just cool down for a minute,” Briana said firmly. “Let me handle this. Stay out of it.”
She then tugged lightly at David’s sleeve. “Let’s step outside and talk.”
“No,” David said, swelling with confidence now that Briana seemed to be yielding. “We’ll talk right here. I want Charles to hear every word.”
Seeing that David wouldn’t be satisfied without some form of concession, Briana made an offer. “I’ll cover all your medical bills and damages, and I’ve already apologized. If there’s anything else you want, just name it.”
David looked her up and down with a sarcastic smirk and let out a short, derisive laugh. “Well, you’re a lot more reasonable than your brother.”
“You know, we’re all here in Belaris for the long haul,” Briana said, keeping her voice even. “We’re bound to run into each other again. If this gets ugly, nobody wins. It’s always better to have a friend than an enemy. Let’s keep this civil.”
David crossed his arms, looking down his nose. He was clearly done talking.
Briana bowed her head again, her voice pleading. “I’m so sorry, please. I mean it.”
David scoffed, “Sorry isn’t good enough. If you really want to settle this quietly…” He let the sentence’hang, watching her. squirm.
“Tell me what you want,” Briana said softly.
“You’ll come to my place and apologize to me in front of all my clan. Then, you’ll make a public apology video and post it on all your socials. It stays up for a full month,” David stated.
Briana’s jaw clenched until her teeth ached. Arguing here was futile. Sometimes you just had to grit your teeth and bear it. “Fine,” she finally said.
Charles spat directly at David. “Hell no. Briana, don’t you do any of that.”
David cursed, wiping his face with the back of his hand.
Briana flinched, grabbing a tissue and reaching out to help.
David slapped her hand away. “Fine. You don’t wanna do this the easy way?” he sneered. “Now mediation’s off the table. No more private settlement.” He shot to his feet, snatched up his phone, and started stabbing at the screen.
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Chapter 29
Briana’s sharp eyes caught the name as he scrolled: Vivian. All she could do was watch, helpless, as he put the phone to his ear. Defeated, she let out a sigh and sank onto the sofa beside Charles, her gaze fixed silently on the floor.
Vivian arrived in no time, clearly thrilled to be at the center of the drama. She was barefaced, her hair a mess, looking like she’d rolled straight out of bed and rushed over, eager to stir the pot.
Briana checked the time: 2:30 a.m.
Right behind Vivian, Shepard made his entrance. He was impeccable as always, in a crisp shirt, tailored trousers, and polished shoes.
No matter the hour, he carried that born–to–command aura. The Carter family’s wealth ran generations deep, and now, at the helm, he wielded the kind of power that let him look down on everyone.
“What the hell is going on?” Charles muttered, mostly sober now and scrambling to make sense of it. “Why is Shepard here. with Vivian?”
“They were together,” Briana said, her voice utterly flat.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Charles pressed, still lost.
Briana shot him a look. “They were in bed together. Understand now?”
In Briana’s eyes, after ditching her on the roadside, Shepard must have taken Vivian straight back to the Carter Estate. If David hadn’t called, the two of them would probably still be tangled up, sound asleep.
Briana looked up and met Shepard’s eyes. He was watching her, his expression dark and unreadable.
But what truly caught her eye was the unmistakable hickey on his neck, a messy, purplish–red mark just above his collar.
Her heart gave a sudden, sharp twist, a pang she couldn’t explain. Ever since she’d decided on the divorce, she’d told herself a thousand times to walk away and never look back, and never to let him in again.
Shepard’s constant coldness and cruelty had only hardened her resolve. So why did it still hurt so much?
She turned to look out the window. The night was pitch black. Perhaps it was just the late hour, or the darkness made a person feel fragile, especially after being dragged into such a mess. No one was coming to help her. She felt utterly alone.
Briana blinked, drew a steadying breath, and let a familiar calm settle over her once more.
David was putting on a full performance, milking the situation for all it was worth.
He cried, “I was just relaxing with some friends, having a couple of drinks, when out of nowhere Charles smashed a bottle. over my head. Blood was everywhere. And he even pinned me down and kept hitting me. Just look at my swollen face.
“Then Briana waltzed in like she owns the place and didn’t even try to talk it out. What, does she think the Fletcher family is a joke? That the Lanes are somehow above us?”
He turned to Vivian, laying it on thick. “Vivian, I’m the one who got hurt, but this isn’t just about me. They’re provoking you. If we let this slide tonight, the Lanes will walk all over us from now on.”
David was spinning the story, making it sound ten times worse than it was. Charles had heard enough and looked ready to jump in.
“Charles,” Briana grabbed his arm, shaking her head with a pleading look. “Let me handle this. Please, don’t make it worse.”
“But-” Charles started.
“Stop,” Briana cut him off firmly.
18:25 Fri, Dec 19 Mw
Chapter 29
એક ને જો
Vivian’s eyes were filled with worry as she stared at the gash on David’s head. She turned to Shep, her voice trembling with indignation. “Shep, isn’t this just way too much?”
She bit her lip, her fingers clutching at Shep’s sleeve like a child’s. “David and I grew up together. He has always looked out for me. He’s genuinely good and kind, never one to show off.
“All those years I was abroad, he sent me gifts and checked in on me. He even kept my parents company. To me, he’s practically my real brother.”
She trailed off, the anger tightening her throat. “And now he’s been humiliated like this, by your—”
She didn’t need to finish. Everyone in the room knew exactly who she meant.
The room fell into a heavy silence. Finally, Vivian’s voice cut through, thick with unshed tears. “Shep, you have to make this right.”
Shepard’s voice was cool and detached. “What do you want me to do?”
Vivian paused, momentarily confused. ‘What? Does he want to let Charles go?”
Then he added, his tone turning icy, “Just have them locked up.”
AD
