Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 225

Chapter 225 What’s Mine Can’t Be Taken Away 

Charles said, “Then I’ll be your wingman, hanging back and jumping in when the time’s right. Trust me, with me on your side, nothing can go wrong. 

“Briana’s my little sister. I watched her grow up. No one knows her better than I do.” 

Shepard shot him down without hesitation. “No way.” 

“What? Why not?” Charles was baffled. “Trust me, this plan is foolproof.” 

“Wasn’t Vivian enough? Now you want to bring another woman into this mess? Briana and I will be done for good,” Shepard said. 

He was beating himself up for giving all his best to Vivian, who never deserved it. He wouldn’t let himself make the same mistake twice. 

“Come on, it’s just a fake love rival, Shepard!” Charles protested. 

“Still not happening,” Shepard shot back. 

Charles tried again. “Just give it a try. If it doesn’t work, we’ll drop it. I’ll find you the perfect woman. She can act, knows how to play her part, won’t cause any trouble, and she’s smart as a whip.” 

Shepard still refused. “Don’t mess things up.” 

“Not interested? Then you come up with something better,” Charles said, throwing up his hands. “If you keep dragging this out, you could be wasting years for nothing. 

“And what if Briana finds her true love and dumps you? What are you gonna do then?” 

“She…” Shepard started. 

“She’s here!” Charles suddenly dropped his voice to a whisper, glancing nervously toward the door. “Shh, that’s settled. We’re going with this plan.” 

Shepard spun around, heart pounding in his chest. 

Briana was standing by the living room window, her gaze fixed on him, curiosity flickering in her eyes. 

Their eyes locked, and for a moment, the air between them was thick with tension. 

She quietly met his gaze for a few seconds, then looked away and walked toward the dining room. Shepard followed her. 

He pulled out a chair and sat down next to Briana. 

“Heading to the gallery today?” he asked. “Want to just chill at home instead?” 

“Yeah, I’ll go,” Briana nodded. “I’ve got nothing going on. If I just sit around at home, I’ll start overthinking stuff. I’d rather hang out at the gallery.” 

Charles chimed in from the side, “Why not swing by Dreamscape Corporation for a bit? Spread the love, you know. Don’t put all your eggs in the gallery basket.” 

But Olivia disagreed. “You and Shepard can handle the company just fine. Let Briana focus on her art. Isn’t that better?” 

“What do you know?” Charles shot back. “Don’t just spout nonsense.” 

“Come on, I know way more than you do!” Olivia retorted. 

“You? Olivia, you and my sister…” Charles started, trailing off. 

Seeing the argument brewing, Briana jumped in to break it up. “Alright, alright, I’ll hit the gallery this morning and swing by Dreamscape Corporation in the afternoon. Deal?” 

Olivia and Charles exchanged a sharp look, and then turned away in perfect sync, clearly wanting nothing to do with each other. 

‘These two really are a pair of troublemakers, Briana thought to herself. 

1/3 

Chapter 225 What’s Mine Can’t Be Taken Away 

After breakfast, Briana hopped in Olivia’s car and headed to Dreamscape Gallery. 

“This morning, when I got up and stood on the balcony, I saw Charles and Shepard acting all sneaky and secretive,” Olivia said as she drove. “No idea what they were whispering about.” 

“My brother’s just Shepard’s sidekick,” Briana replied. 

Olivia snorted. “Yeah, I noticed. He’s always hanging around Shepard, probably hoping to score some perks. Always sticking up for him… Whatever.” 

“Let him do his thing,” Briana said, not bothered at all. “My brother can’t change my mind.” 

“But the way those two were acting, I bet they’re plotting something shady,” Olivia said. “Trust me, a woman’s intuition is never wrong.” 

Briana just shrugged. “Whatever.” 

“Just be careful, okay? Keep your guard up,” Olivia warned. “Something about this just doesn’t feel right.” 

She had a bad feeling. 

Briana just hummed in response. 

When they arrived at the gallery, Briana locked herself away in the studio. 

She needed peace and quiet. 

But more than that, she needed to create. 

Only when she was painting could Briana truly find inner calm and total focus, free from all the worries and distractions of the world. 

However, Charles just wouldn’t stop blowing up her phone. 

He kept calling. “Hey Briana, when are you getting here?” 

“Need me to swing by and grab you?” 

“There’s a meeting at two. You gotta be there.” 

“You’re the real boss, you know. You gotta at least make an appearance once in a while.” 

“Wanna grab lunch together?” 

Briana didn’t even hesitate. She just blocked his number. 

Of course, that didn’t stop him. He switched straight to a video call. 

“I’m outside the gallery,” Charles said. “Come on, let’s grab lunch and then head to the office.” 

Briana was speechless. 

With a sigh, she set down her paintbrush and got up to leave. 

“Briana!” Charles called out, his voice booming. 

He was sitting in the driver’s seat, window rolled down, waving like crazy, his voice loud enough for the whole 

block to hear. 

Briana kept her head down, feeling super awkward and wishing she could disappear. 

She got in the car. 

“Why are you so dead set on dragging me to Dreamscape Corporation?” Briana asked. “Isn’t everything running smoothly with you in charge? Or… did you screw something up again?” 

She thought, ‘No way, that can’t be it. 

‘Shepard’s there to keep an eye on things.‘ 

Charles shot back, “Is that really what you think of me?” 

“Yeah,” Briana replied without hesitation. 

“Come on, Briana, I’ve totally turned over a new leaf. I’m not the same guy I used to be,” Charles said, puffing 

1 2/3 

Chapter 225 What’s Mine Can’t Be Taken Away 

out his chest. “The company’s booming, and by the end of the year, our profits 

“Plus, I’ve snatched up most of Edward’s business…” 

He went on, proudly showing off all the latest wins at Dreamscape Corporation. 

Briana just half–listened, tuning him out every now and then. 

are gonna double. 

But then Charles suddenly switched gears. “Honestly, all this is thanks to Shepard. Without him, you and I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere. Briana, you’ve been playing hard to get long enough. 

“It’s time to give Shepard a shot. If you keep acting all distant, he’s gonna lose patience and go after someone else… and then you won’t even have a shoulder to cry on.” 

“Hope he does find someone else,” Briana shot back. 

“Oh, don’t act tough,” Charles teased. 

Briana replied, “If he sets his sights on someone new, I’ll finally be free. He’ll let me off the hook.” 

Charles shot her a sideways glance. “Do you really mean that, or are you just talking tough?” 

“I…” Briana started, her voice trailing off. 

She thought, ‘Honestly, part of me does want that. 

‘But I’m also just being stubborn about it. 

‘Shepard’s always going on about how he only loves me. 

‘But if he can just turn around and fall for someone else, then I guess all that talk was just BS. 

“You’re just being stubborn,” Charles said, sizing her up. “Seriously, Briana, women these days are practically jumping on guys. Even if Shepard just sits back, they’ll come chasing after him.” 

“Let them. It’s not like I can control what other people do,” Briana replied, her tone indifferent. 

Seeing how unfazed Briana was, Charles decided to drop a bombshell. 

“Actually… these days, I’ve seen this woman coming in and out of Carter Group. Every time, she makes a 

beeline for the CEO’s office. Briana, someone’s trying to snatch Shepard away from you,” Charles leaned in, voice dramatic. 

Briana’s heart skipped a beat. 

But she kept her face blank. “Oh.” 

Charles practically shouted, “Briana, someone’s after your man!” 

“Yeah, I heard you,” Briana replied, not even fazed. 

“Doesn’t that bother you at all? Aren’t you gonna fight for him?” Charles pressed, trying to get a rise out of her. Seriously, Shepard’s your husband and the father of your kid!” 

Briana stayed calm. “If some other woman can steal him away, then he was never really mine to begin with. What’s mine stays mine.” 

Subscribed 

2 Likes 

Chapter 226 If You Want Her Gone