Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 143

Chapter 143 

Briana resisted the urge to turn around and whispered, “What’s wrong?” 

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Charles replied, “Shepard is so ruthless to Vivian. She was crying her eyes out, but he didn’t care at all. He even had the guards escort her out. 

“That’s men for you. When they love you, it’s real. When they stop, it’s just as real.” 

Shepard was no less cold to Briana, maybe even worse. 

Charles rubbed his chin and muttered, “Here’s the real question: is Shepard still into Vivian, or is he totally over her?” 

Briana scoffed, “Who knows? Maybe he doesn’t care about anyone but himself.” 

“Honestly, I think he’s more into you,” Charles said. 

Briana almost tripped over her own feet. 

Before she could respond, Charles called out, “Shepard’s heading your way. Guess he’s coming for you.” 

Briana thought, ‘What? 

‘What does he want with me?‘ 

Charles said, “I’m not sticking around to be a third wheel. I’m outta here.” 

Briana reached out and grabbed him. She said, “Wait, I still need to talk to you about something.” 

Charles said with a grin, “Come on, it can wait. I’ve got stuff to deal with at the office. Just try to get along with my brother–in–law for now. Women should know when to be gentle. Don’t be as stubborn as a mule.” 

“Seriously, Charles, you switch sides way too fast,” Briana said. 

She thought, ‘Where’s the Charles who used to roast Shepard and call him a good–for–nothing? Did he just vanish into thin air?‘ 

Charles said, “You gotta know how to play your cards right. If Shepard’s really willing to patch things up and proves he means it: money, love, time, whatever you want, maybe you should think about giving him another 

chance.” 

Briana just blinked at him, speechless. 

She thought, ‘Guess I’m not cut out for playing along.’ 

Just thinking about those five miserable years made her heart ache for herself. 

All the love she poured out for him might as well have been thrown to the dogs. 

Chapter 143 

Charles bolted out of there faster than a rabbit. 

Briana kept walking without looking back. Just as she reached for the office door handle, a strong hand landed on the door, pushing it open before she could react, 

She suddenly found herself pressed up against a broad, solid chest. 

She caught a whiff of that familiar scent. 

It was Shepard. 

He pressed up against her, pushed her forward into the office, then closed the door behind them with a swift motion. 

That instantly shut out all those nosy, gossiping eyes lurking outside. 

Briana was about to turn around, but Shepard grabbed her by the waist, his chin pressing against her shoulder. 

“Just let me hold you. Just for a moment,” he said, his voice low and raspy. 

Briana went completely still, stopping everything she was doing. 

She could hear Shepard’s breathing right by her ear. 

It felt like they were back in those passionate early days. 

Back then, he always loved holding her from behind, pulling her close, and enveloping her in his arms and chest. 

Briana gazed out the window. 

Her office and Shepard’s executive office both faced the same direction. 

Their 

spaces were exactly the same size. 

So from now on, she’d be sharing the same view as him. 

Briana asked, “Shepard, did you help to get Charles back?” 

“What do you think?” Shepard replied. 

“It must be you, I guess,” Briana said, her voice uncertain. 

Shepard was the only one who could pull that off. 

But he wouldn’t just help out like that out of the blue. 

Shepard pressed, “Who else could it be besides me? Hmm?” 

Briana looked down and said, “Only you know about what happened to Charles.” 

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Chapter 143 

She hadn’t told anyone else yet. She simply hadn’t had time. 

Shepard’s breathing grew ragged. He said, “I won’t give you the chance to ask anyone else for help. 

He knew she’d try every way she could to get someone to help her out. 

He couldn’t stand seeing her force a smile in front of others, just to end up owing them a favor. 

So that night, Shepard made his move. 

Even if it meant he got nothing in return. 

Briana was stunned for a moment. Then she said, “I never agreed to any deal with you.” 

She’d already said no. 

She thought, ‘Now that Charles is back, is Shepard going to force me to have an abortion? 

‘Is he holding me like this because he’s about to do something terrible to me?‘ 

Briana’s body went stiff. 

Shepard could feel it. 

He thought, ‘Is that really how she sees me? As some impossible–to–reason–with, overbearing guy?‘ 

Shepard said, “I helped you because I wanted to. You don’t owe me a thing. Don’t worry about it.” 

He said that, but Briana still couldn’t relax. 

She thought, ‘Is he for real? 

‘Is he really that good to me? 

‘Or is there some bigger plot going on here?‘ 

After thinking it over, Briana finally turned to face him. 

She stared him down, searching his face for any sign of hesitation. She said, “So, we’re square now, right? You can’t hold this over me in the future.” 

“Deal,” Shepard said. 

“You promise?” Briana pressed. 

“I promise,” Shepard replied. 

Shepard’s gaze was so tender, so intense, that Briana couldn’t bear to meet his eyes for long. 

She quickly turned away and made her way to her desk. 

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She finally got the answer she wanted. 

Now that she was sure it was Shepard, she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. 

She didn’t owe him anything. 

He’d finally paid back a tiny bit of what he owed her. 

Shepard stood there, watching Briana walk away. 

“Vivian’s kid? I’m getting rid of it,” he said. 

He spoke with absolute certainty, not a hint of hesitation in his voice. 

Briana paused in her steps. She said, “That has nothing to do with me.” 

“But I just wanted to tell you,” Shepard said. 

Briana didn’t respond. She just buried herself in her work, keeping her head down. 

Shepard lingered for a moment, watching her, then left. 

The door closed softly behind him. 

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Briana froze mid–action, blinking in confusion, suddenly spacing out and totally blanking on what she was supposed to do. 

Shepard was getting stranger by the day. 

He was a totally different person now. 

Briana thought, ‘Seriously, what could’ve happened to make him flip like this?‘ 

After leaving Dreamscape Corporation, Shepard headed back to his executive office. 

When he pushed the door open, someone was already waiting for him inside. 

The bodyguard greeted him politely, “Mr. Carter, I’ve been waiting for you for quite some time.” 

“So, what is it this time?” Shepard asked. 

The bodyguard replied, “I’ve already reported everything to you the moment I found out, Mr. Carter. Today, I just wanted to have a face–to–face chat with you.” 

Shepard walked up to the floor–to–ceiling window and gazed out at the city. 

He didn’t say a word. 

Ever since Charles’s friends started acting shady, Shepard had had people watching Henry and Eric. 

Briana had mentioned that those friends were brought in by Henry and Eric. 

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Chapter 143 

Up until now, Henry hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary. 

At most, he’d just met up with Briana on the sly. 

But Eric? That was a real problem. 

He had been getting really cozy with Vivian, so close that he even crashed at her place overnight. 

What could possibly happen when a man and a woman spend the whole night together? 

And now, wouldn’t you know it: Vivian was pregnant. 

Shepard didn’t want to think about it any further. 

He needed proof. 

Vouchers 

But what weighed on him most was this: if Vivian really had betrayed him, then how much more had he let Briana down? 

He’d showered Vivian with all the affection and special treatment that should’ve belonged to Briana. 

Shepard closed his eyes and said, “Just say it. What is it?” 

“Eric went to prison recently,” the bodyguard reported. 

Shepard’s eyes snapped open. He echoed, “Prison?” 

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