Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 226

Chapter 226 If You Want Her Gone 

Chapter 226 If You Want Her Gone 

“Yeah, that’s true, but that woman is just coming on way too strong,” Charles said. 

“Wasn’t Vivian just as forward before?” Briana retorted. 

Charles was left speechless. 

He thought, ‘Why is my sister so stubborn? 

‘Shepard is just as stubborn. No matter how much I tried to convince him to use a fake love rival, Shepard wouldn’t budge.‘ 

Charles sighed. 

‘This is worrying me sick,‘ he thought. 

For his sister, his brother–in–law, and his nephew, Charles was bending over backwards, doing everything he possibly could. 

“Alright, alright, let’s not talk about love. Let’s talk about family.” Charles changed the subject. 

He said, “Briana, if Shepard were single, and it was just you and your baby, you could keep things as they are, no strings attached, and that’d be totally fine. But once another woman gets involved, everything changes. 

He spoke slowly, making sure she caught every word. “Do you want your child to have a stepmother?” 

Briana replied right away, “My child…” 

“Let me finish,” Charles cut in. “I know you’ll say your child is yours, and Shepard has nothing to do with it. But that’s just your ideal scenario. When your kid grows up, won’t it look for its dad? 

“Do you think Shepard would just ignore its growth and education? If another woman is around Shepard, her presence is bound to affect your child. 

“A healthy family environment makes a huge difference for a kid’s mental health, Briana. Even if you’re not doing it for yourself, for your child’s sake, you need to make sure those other women stay out of the picture.” Briana didn’t say a word for ages. 

It wasn’t until they were almost at Carter Group that she finally muttered, “Is it really that easy to make those women leave just because I want them gone?” 

“Absolutely,” Charles replied instantly. “If you want them out, trust me, there’s not a single woman around Shepard you can’t get rid of.” 

Briana went quiet again. 

She got out of the car quietly, walked into Carter Tower without saying a word, and rode the elevator up to Dreamscape Corporation. 

As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she caught sight of Shepard from behind. 

He was facing away from her, dressed in a sharp suit, hands in his pockets, talking to his assistants and secretaries. 

But there was a woman standing right beside him. 

The woman was also facing away from Briana, but even from behind, Briana could tell she had an alluring silhouette, curvy and elegant. 

‘Is this the woman my brother was talking about?‘ Briana wondered. 

“Hey, hey, hey,” Charles leaned in and whispered in Briana’s ear, “that’s her, Briana. I’ve seen her hanging around Shepard plenty of times, always trying to get close. But Shepard’s always cold and distant, barely even looks at her. 

“I can totally vouch for that. She’s the one always sticking to him. You know how it is. With a guy like Shepard, any woman would be over the moon. Honestly were a woman, even I’d fall for him. 

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Chapter 226 If You Want Her Gone 

“I’m not saying you have to go fight her or anything. Just be a little warmer to Shepard, make him feel like he’s got a shot with you… That way, he’ll be even less interested in other women. 

“Briana, I’m doing this for you, for my nephew, and for our family!” 

Charles kept going on and on, but Briana just stared ahead, her face unreadable, giving nothing away. 

He didn’t know if she was even paying attention. 

“Briana? Briana?” Charles tried again, calling her name. 

“Charles,” Briana finally broke her silence, “why is Shepard down here?” 

‘Isn’t he supposed to be in his office on the top floor?‘ she wondered. 

“How should I know?” Charles shrugged. “Probably something important came up. Shepard’s still the one running all the major stuff at Dreamscape Corporation. 

“If you left it all to me, trust me, things would’ve gone off the rails a long time ago.” 

Briana turned to leave. “Well, since he’s here, I’ll just swing by later.” 

“Hey, Briana. Where are you going?” Charles yelled, his voice echoing through the lobby. 

He reached out to block her path. 

But then, everyone nearby heard him and turned to look their way. 

Shepard was no exception. 

“Briana?” Shepard called out, his voice ringing out. 

As soon as he saw her, he walked right over, leaving everyone else behind. 

Briana looked at him, and then looked past him at the woman standing there. 

Her first impression: soft, sweet, and playfully pretty. 

Her long, wavy hair fell over her shoulders, her makeup was so perfect that it was almost unreal, and those sky–high heels made her look all woman. 

She caught Briana’s gaze and gave a slight, knowing smile, lips tilting upward. 

There was a clear note of challenge in it. 

But it was gone in an instant, just a fleeting look that didn’t stay on her face for long. 

“You’re here,” Shepard said, stepping in front of Briana with a slight nod. “Perfect timing. There’s some stuff happening at the company. You should join in, see what’s up, and get a better feel for things.” 

Charles chimed in right away, “Exactly! This is your company, Briana. You’re the big boss here.” 

Briana answered, “Sure, I just don’t know… if it’s really alright.” 

“Alright?” Shepard frowned, confused. “Why wouldn’t it be?” 

“It’s nothing,” Briana replied. 

She didn’t say anything more. 

Shepard was left even more baffled. 

He’d never been good at figuring out what women were thinking, and now he was just completely clueless. 

He glanced over at Charles. 

Charles shot Shepard a meaningful look and said, “Let’s head to the conference room. No point just standing around out here.” 

“Sure,” Shepard replied. 

As he answered, he reached for Briana’s hand. 

Briana sidestepped him, picked up her pace, and walked out in front, leaving everyone trailing behind. 

The conference room was quiet as everyone entered. 

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Chapter 226 If You Want Her Gone 

Briana chose the second seat on the right. 

Shepard sat down right next to her, as if it was the obvious thing to do. 

That left the head of the table empty. 

‘Am I going to sit there?‘ Charles wondered. 

But he knew better than to do that. 

He just slipped into the first seat on the left. 

Well, the head of the table was left totally empty. 

“No one’s taking the head seat?” the woman suddenly piped up, her voice soft and breezy. “Mr. Carter, since when do you sit so far from the main spot?” 

Shepard said calmly, “I want to sit with my wife.” 

“Oh, then I’ll just sit next to Mrs. Carter,” the woman said, shooting Briana a bright smile. “Hope you don’t mind, Mrs. Carter?” 

Before Briana could say anything, the woman continued, “Mrs. Carter, you’re always at the gallery and hardly ever drop by, so this is actually the first time we’ve met. 

“Let me introduce myself. I’m Camila Terrell, head of the business department at Dreamscape Corporation.” Briana raised an eyebrow. “Nice to meet you, Camila.” 

“If you ever want to know more about the company, just let me know,” Camila said with a sweet smile. “Of course, you can always go to Mr. Carter, too. I’m the one who keeps him updated personally on most things.” On the surface, it sounded totally innocent. 

But any woman would catch what she really meant. 

Briana thought, ‘So she reports straight to Shepard? 

‘Is she bragging?‘ 

Briana didn’t answer her. Instead, she turned to Shepard and asked, “Do you see her around a lot?” “Just occasionally,” Shepard replied truthfully. “She’ll consult me when it comes to major decisions.” 

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