Chapter 56
Chapter 56
In public, Eric and Vivian had nothing to do with each other.
But behind closed doors, Eric had had his eye on Vivian for ages.
And he had something on her, his biggest leverage.
Right now, Vivian had no choice but to obey him.
Looking at Eric’s face, Vivian thought to herself, ‘Looks like I pulled off everything he wanted tonight.
But she couldn’t help but wonder what kind of game Eric was really playing.
Shepard’s voice was cool. “Since when do you get to meddle in my business?”
“No, Shepard,” Eric replied, “but if you keep always getting mixed up with Vivian and Grandma catches wind of it, she’ll be furious and probably fall ill again.”
“Who’s going to tell Grandma, huh?” Shepard’s gaze pinned him, icy and menacing. “Is it you?”
“No, no, no, I wouldn’t dare. I just…” Eric stammered.
Shepard cut him off. “Enough. Quit meddling in Briana’s affairs, and don’t cozy up to Henry.”
Eric replied in a hurry, “Alright, Shepard.”
Shepard didn’t give a damn whether Eric was for real or just faking it. He’d made his position crystal clear.
He didn’t even bother to take Eric seriously.
After all, Shepard was still the head of the Carter family.
“Shep, let’s swing by the pharmacy.” Vivian looked at him, worried. “You really should get that injury treated.”
“No. I’ll just take you home,” Shepard said, his tone flat.
Vivian wanted to say more, but Shepard was heading for the car.
She had no choice but to drop it and follow him.
Eric watched the car pull away, merging into the stream of traffic until it vanished from sight.
Only then did he finally say in a lazy tone, “Alright, come on out.”
From behind a distant wall, a figure crept out, looking all sneaky and hunched over.
The person quickly scanned the area before darting over to Eric.
“Did you get the pictures?” Eric asked.
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Chapter 56.
“All done,” the paparazzo said.
Eric smirked. “Show me. You guys are experts at catching those perfect moments, right?”
口
This was the paparazzo Eric had set up in advance, hiding out in the shadows and keeping tabs on everything that had just happened.
“Of course,” the paparazzo grinned. “Just take a look. This is my bread and butter. I won’t let you down, especially with the kind of cash you’re throwing around.”
As he spoke, he handed the camera over.
The first photo was taken at Dreamscape Gallery.
Henry and Briana stood face to face, locked in a gaze, with the world around them fading into the background.
And Henry’s hand was resting gently on top of Briana’s head.
“Not bad.” Eric nodded, clearly pleased. “You’ve got real skills. It looks just like a scene from a TV drama.”
“You made it clear you wanted it to look intimate, so I wasn’t about to mess that up,” the paparazzo said, grinning. “Keep going. Every shot is juicy as hell.”
Eric flipped through the shots.
The shots of Shepard and Vivian were even more explosive.
It looked straight–up like they were making out.
Vivian was up on her tiptoes, the back of her head blocking most of Shepard’s face.
Shepard’s hand was on her shoulder, his head dipped down.
It didn’t matter if they actually kissed. Anyone looking at this photo would bet money they did.
There were also photos of Vivian feeding Shepard some dessert.
“Nice.” Eric grinned from ear to ear. “You totally deserve every penny.”
With these photos in hand, everything else would be a walk in the park now.
As long as he tossed them online and bought a few paid bots to hype things up, they’d shoot up the trending
list.
Plus, with Shepard’s status, he was born to go viral online.
At thirty, he was the business prodigy in Belaris and the head of the Carter family, with a net worth in the billions. Cold, impeccably handsome, with sharply defined features, he embodied the rich, untouchable fantasy.
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Chapter 56
Even a casual post about Shepard could send social media into a frenzy, let alone this kind of jaw–dropping drama in his personal life.
Briana deliberately hung around Evergreen Estate until it was late before finally driving to Carter Estate.
She went upstairs, pausing at the master bedroom door. Instead of going in, she hesitated, glancing at the guest room across the hall.
Briana thought, ‘Maybe… I’ll just sleep in the guest room tonight.
‘If I get up early and head downstairs, Tiffany won’t even notice. Alright, that’s the plan‘
Briana turned and headed for the guest room.
But just as she turned, the master bedroom door swung open.
Shepard stood there in black silk pajamas, the top buttons undone, showing off his chiseled chest.
His hair was a little messy, falling over his forehead, and his eyes were cold and menacing as he stared at
Briana.
In the dead of night, it was downright chilling.
“Where are you going?” Shepard’s voice was even colder, low and threatening.
Briana replied calmly, “The guest room.”
“Did I say you could sleep in the guest room?” he said.
“No.” Briana answered him straight every time.
Shepard closed the distance between them, his presence almost suffocating. “Briana, how long has it been since we got divorced?”
Briana had never really kept track.
She thought for a second and then said, “Probably about two weeks.”
“Twelve days,” Shepard replied instantly.
Briana thought, ‘He actually remembered.
‘He must be dying for that one–month cooling–off period to end, so he can rush off and marry Vivian.
‘That’s why he’s keeping track of every single day!‘
Briana nodded. “Eighteen days to go, and then we’re officially done.”
“You’ve been making a fuss for twelve days straight, Briana,” Shepard said, his voice cold and pressing.
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Chapter 56
55 voddhars
Briana paused, a little stunned. “Me? Making a fuss? I haven’t even called you out for being unreasonable, and now you’re flipping it on me?”
Shepard let out a cold, mocking laugh. “I’m curious, Briana. What kind of mess are you going to make in these last days?”
He stepped forward abruptly, closing the distance in one swift move.
Briana quickly backed away.
The hallway wall was right behind her, and her head hit it with a dull thud.
Her head was buzzing.
Shepard leaned in, eye to eye with her. “If you don’t want a divorce, just say it. No need to pull stunts every day just to get my attention. Maybe you’re not tired, but I’m sick of it.”
Briana just looked at him, deadpan.
“Shepard, listen. I don’t love you anymore. I want a divorce. Frankly, I wish the cooling–off period would end tomorrow. I don’t have the energy for this. My life is elsewhere now. Please let go of the story in your head and face reality.”
She rattled it all off in one go, not even stopping for breath.
Shepard just smirked, lips curling with a hint of mockery.
He didn’t buy a single word she said.
Briana was totally out of options. She didn’t know what to say.
“Shepard, what do I have to do? What do I have to say to make you believe I truly want this divorce?” Briana
said.
She wished she could just rip her heart out and shove it in his face.
Just like back then, when all she wanted was for him to know how much she loved him.
Now, more than anything, she wanted him to see she was over him.
Briana locked eyes with Shepard, refusing to back down.
After a few seconds of tense eye contact, she felt his hand suddenly tighten around her chin.
Then, before she could react, Shepard’s lips were on hers.
A burning kiss landed right on her lips, hot and intense…
Briana’s whole body froze up.
For a moment, it felt just like that night they first slept together. She could almost feel his hot breath and
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Chapter 56
heavy breathing on her neck all over again.
AD
