Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 149

hapter 149 

Chapter 149 

Briana grabbed Sophia by the collar and yanked her right up to her face. 

Briana said, “I’m warning you: take your lackeys and get out of my gallery, now. Or trust me, it’ll be a lot worse than just a couple of slaps.” 

“You think you dare? What else do you think you can do to me?” Sophia shot back. 

Briana said, “I can do anything. I didn’t hesitate to lay hands on Vivian even when Shepard was protecting her. So what makes you think you’re special? Who the hell do you think you are?” 

If Sophia wanted to stir up trouble, Briana was ready to go all in and see it through to the end. 

Briana thought, ‘Bring it on. I am not backing down from anyone! 

Honestly, Briana had been itching for a chance to cause a real uproar. 

She was going to take this fight straight to the Lane family, to Lane Group, and turn the whole city of Belaris upside down: let everyone watch the drama unfold! 

She had nothing left to lose anyway. 

Briana had always planned to take care of her pregnancy, have the baby, and sort out her own life before throwing down with the Lane family. 

But since Sophia started it, Briana was ready to take her on. 

Sophia screamed, “Go on, hit me. Everyone’s watching. Let’s see just how bold you really are. You think you can get away with anything just because Shepard’s backing you up?” 

“Shepard or not, I’ll do whatever I damn well please to you!” Briana shot back. 

With that, Briana shoved Sophia hard. 

Sophia stumbled back a few steps, her left foot catching on her right, and she went down hard onto the floor. 

Janet instinctively reached out to help Sophia up. 

Briana shot her a cold, icy glare. 

Janet wiped her hand on her clothes, suddenly feeling a wave of guilt as she met Briana’s eyes. 

But since she was getting paid, Janet steeled herself and said, “It’s one thing for your gallery to be full of all this sketchy stuff, but now you’re actually hitting people? I’m calling the police!” 

Briana shot back, “No need. I already called them.” 

Right then, two police officers showed up at the gallery entrance. 

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Chapter 149 

“Who’s making all this trouble?” one of the officers demanded. 

Behind the police officers were officials from the Commerce Bureau and the Art Association. 

Seeing this, Briana knew she had to step up and deal with it. 

She didn’t flinch or hesitate. She pulled herself together and got ready to face it head–on. 

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First, she explained everything to the police, then invited the officials from the other departments to relax in the break room for a bit. 

Janet was losing her nerve, her face betraying her panic. 

Sophia, her cheeks still red and swollen, signaled Janet to go on. 

Janet could only nod. 

Briana strode past Sophia, seized her by the arm, and yanked her forward. She said, “You’re not going anywhere.” 

She hauled Sophia straight into the break room. 

With the door shut, they were cut off from prying eyes. 

The security guards started ushering people out, breaking up the crowd and scattering the visitors. 

Soon enough, the gallery settled down, and things went back to business as usual. 

Meanwhile, online, hashtags like [Dreamscape Gallery accused of showing dirty art] and [Calling trash art: Dreamscape Gallery should just shut down] were blowing up all over social media. 

The internet was flooded with trolls dragging Dreamscape Gallery through the mud. 

One commented: [This kind of gallery needs to go bankrupt already.] 

Another commented: [So gross, hiding behind ‘art‘ to do whatever they want.] 

Someone commented: [Briana’s life is a total trainwreck, and her gallery’s even messier.] 

Briana wasn’t paying any attention to what was happening online. 

But Sophia couldn’t help taunting her. She said, “Why don’t you go online and see for yourself how your precious gallery is getting roasted right now?” 

“So, you bought trending spots and paid for an army of bots to trash me online, huh?” Briana snapped. 

Sophia squared her shoulders, acting all righteous. She shot back, “Got any proof it was me? The police and the officials are right here. Briana, you’d better watch what you say!” 

Briana scoffed, “Proof, huh?” 

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Chapter 149 

She strode right up to Sophia and snatched her purse. 

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Briana said, “Give me your phone. Let’s see your messages and call history. Everything will be obvious then. 

“Sophia, do I even need to dig for proof? The evidence is literally in your own hands!” 

Sophia immediately clutched her bag protectively. She said, “Are you seriously trying to steal my stuff? That’s a crime, you know. And those two slaps you just gave me, there are cameras, there are witnesses. 

“That’s assault, and I’m not letting this go. I’m telling Wrenley on you.” 

Briana raised an eyebrow and said, “Go ahead, call Wrenley right now. Do it. Call her.” 

Briana’s voice boomed through the room, so fierce that Sophia was intimidated into silence. 

Sophia blinked, completely thrown off, frozen for several seconds before she could even react. 

“Not calling? Want me to do it for you?” Briana said, whipping out her phone. She added, “Or maybe I should ring up your parents. Let’s see how they react when they find out what their precious daughter’s been up to.” 

“Y–you… you…” Sophia stammered, totally flustered and at a loss for words. 

“Me, what? Come on, say it,” Briana sneered, her eyes flashing with challenge. 

Just as Briana was about to hit dial, the break room door suddenly swung open. 

Everyone turned to look at the door. 

But as soon as they saw who it was, everyone was instantly intimidated by the aura that person brought with them. 

Shepard stood there, one hand resting on the doorknob, the other casually tucked in his pants pocket. 

“Sorry I’m late,” he said, his tone calm and unhurried. 

He gave a polite nod to the others and said, “When it comes to my wife, I’ll handle everything myself. If there are any legal issues, my lawyers will take care of them.” 

Then Shepard walked over to Briana and pulled her close, his arm protectively around her shoulders. 

He asked, “Are you alright? Did anyone hurt you, or did they just try to scare you?” 

Honestly, when Janet was causing a scene, and Sophia was coming at her, Briana didn’t even flinch. She’s not the type to get rattled by anyone. 

She’s never been one to back down or get scared easily. 

But seeing Shepard walk in actually made Briana jump a little: she hadn’t expected that at all. 

Briana thought, ‘What is he doing here? 

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Chapter 149 

And he just happened to show up right on cue?‘ 

Briana turned her head to look at Shepard, still a bit stunned. 

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But Shepard fixed his gaze on Sophia. He said, “All those rumors online? Gone. Not a trace left. Why don’t you check for yourself?” 

Sophia’s mouth hung open, but she couldn’t get a single word out. 

Shepard added, “And by the way, I’ve already called Edward to come pick you up and take her home to set her straight. He should be here any minute.” 

“M–Mr. Carter, why do I have to get dragged home for a lecture from my parents?” Sophia stammered, her voice shaky. 

“What do you think?” Shepard replied, his voice casual at first, then suddenly sharp. He demanded, “Don’t pretend you don’t know!” 

“Briana hit me twice!” Sophia blurted out, her voice shaking. 

Shepard cut her off cold. He shot back, “Should I give you two more so you’ll finally keep your mouth shut?” 

Sophia clammed up immediately. 

Suddenly, the break room was dead quiet. 

Soon, several lawyers walked in and began discussing the situation with the police and the representatives from the Commerce Bureau and the Art Association. 

Shepard sat down on the couch with Briana, his arm draped casually around her shoulders. 

He leaned back, crossing one leg over the other and lightly tapping his fingers on his knee, looking completely relaxed and unbothered. 

Briana grumbled under her breath, “Why’d you even come?” 

“I’m here to back you up,” Shepard said, his voice steady and reassuring. 

“I could’ve handled all this myself,” Briana insisted, her tone confident. 

Shepard leaned in, speaking softly, “I know you can, but I want to do something for you, even if you don’t think you need me.” 

He just couldn’t bear to see her stressed or upset, not even for a second. 

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