Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 274

Chapter 274 

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“Alright,” Shepard said, putting his phone away after five minutes. “Briana, we can head to the Lane residence now.” 

“Yeah… the sooner, the better. I’m worried something might happen to Shepard,” Briana replied. 

After all, Edward was ruthless. 

The bodyguard brought over a wheelchair and helped Shepard sit down. 

Several vehicles were already waiting at the back entrance of the hospital. 

And there was more than one. 

There were bodyguard cars both in front and behind, all clearly visible. 

God knew how many more were lurking out of sight. 

The cars were cruising smoothly along the road. 

Briana kept checking her phone, afraid she might miss a message or call from Charles. 

“Right now, no news is the best news,” Shepard said. “We’ll be there in twenty minutes.” 

Then he urged Ben, saying, “Step on it.” 

“Yes, Mr. Carter,” Ben replied. 

Briana gazed out the car window. 

The surroundings were becoming more and more familiar. 

The night was growing deeper. 

They were almost at the Lane residence when Shepard’s phone suddenly rang, 

“Hello?” Shepard said. 

“Mr. Carter, things are getting pretty wild at the Lane residence,” one of the bodyguards reported. “There’s a car rampaging through the garden; it’s getting smashed to pieces.” 

Briana was taken aback. 

Shepard immediately caught her reaction and squeezed her hand. 

He asked, “Who’s behind the wheel?” 

“It’s Mr. Lane,” the bodyguard replied. 

“Alright, I got it,” Shepard said. “Lie low near the Lane residence. Don’t do anything without my order.” 

“Yes, Mr. Carter,” the guy replied. 

After hanging up, Briana immediately asked, “Why is Charles driving so recklessly at the Lane residence?” 

“I’m not sure,” Shepard replied. “But at least it means he hasn’t been caught by Edward. He’s still on his own for now.” 

Briana let out a sigh of relief. 

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Chapter 274 

“Don’t worry, I’m right here,” Shepard said, patting the back of her hand. “We’ll be there soon.” 

When they arrived at the Lane residence, the gates were still firmly shut. 

Ben honked the horn. 

But the gates didn’t open. 

Shepard raised an eyebrow, saying, “Guess we’re walking in.” 

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Shepard got out first, settled into his wheelchair, then went around to the other side, opened the door for Briana, and took 

her hand. 

With Shepard in his wheelchair and Briana standing beside him, the couple showed up at the gates of the Lane residence. 

Charles was behind the wheel, circling endlessly around the garden. 

No one could get him to stop, no matter what they tried. 

After a few more laps, Charles reversed, turned, and made his way toward the gates. 

The headlights were completely busted; not a single one was left working. 

As he reached the gates, about to ram them again, he suddenly saw Shepard in his wheelchair with Briana right beside him. 

For a moment, Charles was stunned with excitement. 

He even wondered for a second if he was hallucinating. 

Charles thought, his mind spinning, ‘Is that… 

‘Is that Briana and Shepard? 

‘Are they here to save me? 

‘Am I finally getting out of here?‘ 

“Briana!” Charles shouted at the top of his lungs. “Briana, I’m here.” 

Briana called back, “Charles!” 

Edward heard their voices from a distance, and his face twisted in shock. 

He didn’t even bother to catch his breath; he bolted forward like a madman. 

“Hurry, hurry,” he shouted. “Grab Charles, now. Don’t let him meet up with Briana.” 

Instantly, all the security guards in the house rushed straight toward Charles. 

Charles froze, his hand hovering over the gate. 

‘What do I do now?‘ he thought, panic rising in his chest. 

Shepard and Briana were outside the gates. 

He was stuck inside. 

And the whole place was crawling with Edward’s men. 

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Not even Shepard could get him out of this mess now. 

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Just as Charles was panicking and Briana’s heart was pounding in her chest, a stream of men dressed in black suddenly dropped down from the wall beside the gate, landing smoothly one after another. 

In perfect sync, they rushed straight toward Charles, quick and disciplined. 

Right now, it was all about speed. 

The men in black rushed ahead of the security guards and reached Charles’s car before anyone else. 

“Mr. Lane,” the lead bodyguard said, “Mr. Carter sent us to protect you. It’s safe now; please step out of the car.” 

Relief and joy washed over Charles’s face as he finally let out a long breath. 

“Okay,” he replied. 

That one word carried a whole new level of confidence. 

Most folks had their parents to back them up, but he got Shepard to count on. 

He thought, ‘Who cares? Having someone to count on is still a win. 

‘Besides, it’s all thanks to Briana’s smarts.‘ 

Charles kicked the car door open, swaggered out with his head held high, pride written all over his face. 

Charles glanced at Edward, who rushed over and came to a sudden stop. 

“You old fox,” Charles said with a smirk. “This time, you’re going to mess up for real.” 

Edward’s face turned livid, veins popping out on his forehead. 

“Not every one of your schemes works out,” Charles continued, saying. “There’s a saying; the third time’s where it ends. You’ve already hurt our family twice, but this third time? No way. Heaven’s got eyes, and you’re not getting away with it.” 

Edward was stunned, his face drained of color. 

It wasn’t just anger or panic now. 

It was pure despair. 

Charles knew what he had done. 

Two times in all. The first time, he killed Charles and Briana’s parents. The second time, he almost killed Briana. 

And this third time, he tried to hold Charles hostage, but he failed. 

“Let’s settle all the grudges, old and new,” Charles said through grified teeth. “Edward, you’ve lived carefree for most of your life, but now it’s time to pay for your sins.” 

Edward reeled, nearly losing his balance. 

He pointed at Charles, stammering, “What… what are you talking about?” 

“Still playing dumb at a time like this?” Charles scoffed. “Guess you won’t shed a tear until you’re at death’s door.” 

As he spoke, Charles pulled a bug out of his pocket. 

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He rolled it between his fingers, saying, “The only reason I didn’t want you to catch me was that I was afraid you’d get your hands on this and destroy it. This thing needs to stay safe; it’s proof.” 

“A bug?” Edward blurted out, instantly recognizing it. “You… you planted a bug in the Lane residence? When did you set it up?” 

Before Charles could answer, Edward put two and two together. 

“Last time! When you came by last time,” Edward shouted. “You came here this time to retrieve the bug.” 

“Pretty clever,” Charles said with a grin. “You really do have some brains; too bad you never use them for anything decent. Always choosing the crooked path instead of doing things the right way.” 

Charles’s smile faded. “Edward, my parents treated you like family. As soon as their business took off, they made sure you prospered with them. And what did you do? Never showed any gratitude, only schemed to take everything. In the end, you had them killed.” 

Edward stood frozen, not uttering a single word. 

Deep down, he knew the tide had turned against him. 

All that silence these past few days was just the calm before the storm. 

Just then, a round of applause echoed through the air. 

Shepard clapped for Charles with a laid–back grin, totally relaxed. 

“Seems like Edward’s crimes are crystal clear to you now, and you’ve got solid evidence to back it up,” Shepard said. “Charles, you’ve really come a long way.” 

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