Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 142

Chapter 142 

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Vivian replied proudly, “Even without this child, I still mean more to Shep than you ever could!” 

She was waiting for Briana to show some hurt or sadness. 

But it never came. 

Briana just looked at her with a mocking smile and asked lightly, “Are you sure about that?” 

“Of course I’m sure!” Vivian shot back. 

Briana scoffed, “What do you have that even comes close to me? I’m Shepard’s childhood sweetheart, his lawfully wedded wife, and the one he married at the courthouse: front–page news all over the city. So tell me, Vivian, what are you?” 

“I…” Vivian stammered. 

Briana crossed her arms and lifted her chin, standing in front of Vivian with absolute dominance. She demanded, “Cut the craps. Let me tell you: Shepard said it himself. He doesn’t want your kid.” 

Vivian immediately shot back, “That’s impossible!” 

But when she saw the mocking, dismissive look in Briana’s eyes, Vivian’s confidence crumbled. 

She managed to keep up her act for a moment, but it didn’t take long before her composure cracked. 

Vivian lost her cool, unable to hide the panic on her face. 

She thought, ‘Why doesn’t Shep want this baby? 

‘Did he somehow find out the truth about the baby’s real origin? 

‘No, that can’t be. 

‘Eric and I have always kept our secret well hidden.‘ 

“Briana, you’re just trying to stir things up between us again!” Vivian shouted, her finger almost poking Briana right in the nose. She said, “You just can’t stand to see me and Shep happy, can you?” 

Briana’s smile disappeared. She snapped, “Move your hand away.” 

“What exactly did you say to Shep?” Vivian demanded. 

“I’m telling you for the last time: get your hand out of my face!” Briana, snapped. 

Vivian kept her finger pointed at Briana, even reaching out to grab her collar. 

Vivian yelled, “Answer me! How could Shep just give up on his own kid? Briana, you’re lying to me, you—” 

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Chapter 142 

Briana didn’t hold back anymore. 

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She snatched Vivian’s wrist, twisted it behind her back, and slapped her hard across the face with her free hand. 

The crisp smack of the slap cracked through the whole floor. 

Vivian’s head whipped to the side as she staggered back, almost losing her footing. 

She never thought Briana would dare hit her so openly. 

After regaining her balance, Vivian just couldn’t let it slide. 

There was no way she would let Briana get away with slapping her for nothing. 

She was about to fight back right then and there. 

But with Charles right there, she didn’t dare make a move. 

Charles might be useless for most things, but when it came to getting physical, he was never scared. 

Charles stepped in front of Briana and demanded, “Hey, what do you think you’re doing? Are you seriously trying to hit my sister?” 

“She hit me first!” Vivian shouted. 

Charles shot back, “So what if she slapped you? You totally had it coming. Honestly, you deserved way worse. Getting slapped is already letting you off easy. If it were me, you’d be begging to leave Belaris with your tail between your legs.” 

Charles shook his head as he spoke, “My sister’s just too kind for her own good.” 

Vivian clutched her face, the bright red handprint standing out on her cheek. 

She glared at Briana and said, “Fine, you two are just ganging up on me, huh? Just you wait. You’ll regret this.” 

Charles nodded and said, “Go ahead, we’re waiting. Who are you gonna call? David? Has he even recovered from when I split his head open last time? Are his stitches out yet, or is he still nursing that wound?” 

Vivian clenched her teeth, shaking with rage. 

Briana cut in, “No need to wait.” 

Both Charles and Vivian were stunned. 

“Shep’s here,” Briana said, glancing past Vivian. She added, “Now’s your chance to snitch.” 

Vivian spun around. 

Shepard was dressed in a light gray suit, standing tall and commanding, with a group of people trailing behind him. 

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Chapter 142 

He raised his hand, signaling them to stop, then strode over. 

“Shep!” Vivian called out. 

The moment she saw him, she looked like she was about to burst into tears. 

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She hurried over and gently tugged at Shepard’s sleeve. She whimpered, “Just now, Briana slapped me.” 

She pulled her hand away from her cheek, revealing the red mark. 

Briana replied, “That’s right. I slapped her.” 

She owned it without hesitation. 

Vivian was taken aback by Briana’s attitude, and her confidence wavered. 

She thought, ‘Is Briana so sure Shep won’t do anything to her that she’s acting this cocky?‘ 

Briana stood right in front of Shepard, chin up, locking eyes with him. She said, “Not only did I slap her, but I also told her you plan to have her baby aborted and stay with me, keep our marriage going strong. 

“But she just wouldn’t believe it. Shepard, you showed up at the perfect time. Why don’t you tell her yourself? Did you say those exact words to me, and did I repeat them without twisting your words or exaggerating anything?” 

Vivian had already twisted Shepard’s sleeve into a wrinkled mess. 

Her fingertips were white from gripping so hard. 

But the harder she held on, the more it felt like Shepard was slipping right through her fingers. 

She’d only managed to get Shepard by playing dirty; he never really loved her. 

Vivian thought, ‘Is this it? Am I really about to lose him? 

‘No, that’s not right. I never truly had him, so how could I lose something I never really had?‘ 

Shepard’s voice was deep and magnetic as he said, “Yeah. I said it.” 

Vivian staggered, her whole body trembling. 

She stared at Shepard in disbelief. She asked, “Shep, why? Did something go wrong between us? Or was I just not good enough?” 

Shepard pressed his lips together, saying nothing. He simply removed Vivian’s hand from his sleeve. 

Vivian’s hand fell limply to her side. 

She choked out, “This is our baby. Shep. How could you be so heartless? How could you not want our child? 

“So you don’t want the baby… does that mean you don’t want me either? 

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Chapter 142 

“Did all those years I waited for you mean nothing at all? 

“I gave you my youth, my reputation, everything I had, no holding back, nothing left for myself.” 

Vivian was about to say more, but Briana cut her off. 

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Briana said coldly, “If you’re gonna cry, do it somewhere else. This is my company, my place. Vivian, from now on, you’re banned from setting foot in here. Every time you show up, I’ll kick you out myself!” 

Briana had zero patience for Vivian’s sobbing. She didn’t want to see it at all. 

The company was just getting off the ground, and business was taking off, but Vivian’s crying was seriously killing her vibe. 

Briana turned to Shepard and said, “And you-” 

She was about to tell him to stay away, too. 

But then she remembered: this was his turf. This was the Carter Group’s headquarters. 

And besides, Shepard had just helped her get Charles back. 

If she started mouthing off now, she’d just look ungrateful as hell. 

Briana thought, ‘Whatever.‘ 

She cleared her throat and said, “You guys hang around, I’m out.” 

She turned and headed inside Dreamscape, pulling Charles along with her. 

Charles walked beside her, giving her a thumbs–up. 

He said, “Briana, how come I never realized you were so…” He paused, searching for the right word. After a moment, he blurted out, “Badass.” 

Briana asked, “Really? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” 

“Definitely a good thing! Nice people always get walked all over. You gotta show ‘em who’s boss like that. Just look at Vivian sulking. Man, that was satisfying,” Charles said, grinning. 

As he spoke, Charles glanced back over his shoulder and exclaimed, “Well, well.” 

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Chapter 143