Chapter 246
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These days, Briana’s smile showed up a lot more often. Maybe it was because she’d finally let things go and stopped holding on. When it came to life and death, all those other worries faded into nothing.
Shepard shook his head and said, “Briana, tomorrow morning we’ll go to the hospital. The medical team’s already in Belaris.”
Briana was taken aback. Her paintbrush suddenly dropped from her hand, landing softly on the floor.
The gentle sound seemed to hit Briana right in the heart. It also tugged at the taut string of tension in Shepard’s mind. He hurried over and bent down to pick up the paintbrush for her.
“You won’t have to stay in the hospital all the time,” Shepard said. “If you find the hospital dull and stuffy, with that constant smell of disinfectant, we can go home and rest as long as the doctor approves.
“Or, we could spend some time in the studio, Briana.”
He tried his best to make sure she was comfortable and happy.
Briana took the paintbrush back from Shepard’s hand. She paused for a moment, then nodded. “Okay,” she said.
Briana knew this day would come sooner or later. It just happened much earlier than she thought it would.
She looked at her canvas, but her heart wasn’t in it anymore. She stood up. “What time is it?” she asked.
“It’s four in the afternoon,” Shepard replied.
“Let’s go get something to eat,” she said. “I’m craving some cuisine.”
It was rare for her to suggest something, so Shepard agreed right away. “Sure.”
Tonight’s dinner felt like a date for them. It had been so long since their last date.
Shepard and Briana walked out of the gallery together.
Shepard went ahead and opened the passenger door for Briana. Briana got in.
Then Shepard walked around the front of the car and slid into the driver’s seat.
The car pulled away. Everything was normal.
可
On the side of the road, amidst a line of parked cars, sat a plain black sedan that barely drew any attention. Inside, Charles and Camila waited in silence.
“Got the latest update,” Charles said. “Tomorrow, Briana’s getting a full check–up from the medical team from abroad.”
Camila nodded. “About time.”
“What are we supposed to do? Once they start checking, everything will be exposed, won’t it?” Charles said.
“That’s exactly what we want, Mr. Lane,” Camila replied.
Charles blinked, mouth slightly open. “What?”
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Chapter 246
Camila crossed her arms, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Are Mr. Carter and Mrs. Carter getting along now?”
“Yes,” Charles nodded.
“And Mrs. Carter agreed to the heart surgery, right?” Camila pressed.
“Yes,” Charles nodded again.
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“And has Mr. Carter been by Mrs. Carter’s side the whole time, taking care of her and being attentive?” Camila asked.
“Yes,” Charles replied.
“And is there a spark between them again? Are they catching feelings for each other?” Camila pressed.
Charles practically shouted, “Yes!”
He hardly ever went back to Evergreen Estate, figuring he’d be intruding on their time together.
Still, Charles would sneak around and ask the staff for updates on the sly. The servants said the two were practically glued to each other, never seen apart.
And Shepard hadn’t even shown up at Carter Group for days. He was all about Briana now.
“That’s all we need,” Camila snapped her fingers. “Let’s bring this farce to a close and put an end to it.”
Charles rubbed his chin, mulling it over. “So what you’re saying is, after the check–up tomorrow, the two of us go to Shepard and Briana and come clean?”
“Mr. Lane, it’s you, not us,” Camila replied.
“Me?” Charles pointed at himself. “Alone?”
Camila nodded. “Yep.”
“Wait, you came up with the idea, and now I have to take the blame?” Charles protested.
“Since I came
up
with the idea, it could save me from taking the blame. Fair enough, right?” Camila shot back.
Camila’s retort left Charles completely speechless.
He had to admit, she had a point.
But honestly, Charles couldn’t shoulder something this big all by himself.
“No way,” Charles shook his head. “This blame is way too heavy. I can’t carry it alone.”
“You got this, Mr. Lane,” Camila said.
“Hold on, Camila, we-” Charles protested.
Camila cut him off. “Mr. Lane, if you rat me out, don’t expect me to help you ever again. Makes me look like some genius mastermind, doing all the work and getting nothing for it.”
Charles fixed his gaze on Camila for three seconds. “You seriously want me to take the fall all by myself?”
“Come on, you’re Mrs. Carter’s brother. What trouble could you possibly get into? Besides, you did it for their sake. If it
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pppo
Chapter 246
wasn’t for this whole mess, would they be this close and actually understand each other?” Camila teased.
The air was thick with silence.
“Fine,” Charles said with a resigned sigh. “We’ll do it your way.”
Camila grinned, “So, Mr. Lane, admit it. My plan’s pretty clever, right?”
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“We’ll only know for sure after tomorrow,” Charles replied. “For now, I’m making sure to eat my fill tonight. Come on, let’s go get something to eat. What do you want? It’s on me!”
“Wait, why the sudden generosity?” Camila asked.
“Who knows if I’ll get another decent meal after tomorrow?” Charles said with a wry smile.
Charles could already picture himself, nerves shot, standing in that hospital room, about to spill the truth about faking Briana’s heart problem. It could be brutal.
Camila burst out laughing. “No way, Mr. Lane. They’ll actually thank you for it.”
“From your lips to God’s ears,” Charles muttered.
“For sure! Look. Mr. Carter and Mrs. Carter are all lovey–dovey now, and your life’s getting sweeter right along with theirs,” Camila said with a grin.
Charles started the car. “Come on, pick a restaurant already.”
*****
The next day, in the hospital, the VIP suite was sparkling clean, stocked with everything one could possibly need.
As soon as Briana stepped inside, she was greeted by a group of foreign doctors.
The doctors glanced up, their attention shifting to her as she entered.
“This is my wife, Briana,” Shepard said, introducing her. “You have already gone over the basics, so let’s get straight to the point.”
The lead doctor spoke up, “The information and test results we have so far are incomplete. We’ll need to conduct a thorough check–up for Mrs. Carter first. We hope for your cooperation, Mrs. Carter.”
Briana nodded and sat down.
Getting her heart checked out was all kinds of complicated and high–tech. It took forever.
Finally, the doctors set Briana up with a Holter monitor.
Briana had to keep the device on for a whole twenty–four hours with no breaks, no taking it off.
Briana glanced down at the tangle of wires attached to her, a wry smile tugging at her lips.
She headed back to her room.
Shepard was standing by the window. The moment he heard Briana’s footsteps, he instantly turned to look at her.
Shepard said softly, “Briana.”
Chapter 246
He hurried over to her.
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“I’ve got this device strapped on now. It’s monitoring my heart for twenty–four hours,” Briana said, and felt a bit weird. “Don’t worry. It’s just for today. You’ll be free of it by tomorrow,” Shepard said gently.
Briana nodded, then asked, “Have you eaten breakfast yet?”
Shepard hesitated for a second, then shook his head. He hadn’t even had time to think about breakfast. Besides, he had no appetite at all.
His chest felt so heavy, like a boulder was sitting on it, and he could barely catch his breath.
Shepard thought he was fully prepared for this, but standing in the hospital with Briana, surrounded by that stifling air, he couldn’t help but feel anxious and uneasy.
“You know, skipping breakfast is bad for you,” Briana said with a smile. “Come on, let’s go get some breakfast together.”
“So, what do you want to eat?” Shepard asked.
“No clue. Let’s check out what’s around the hospital entrance and grab whatever looks good,” Briana replied.
