Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 91

Chapter 91 

Briana just shrugged and went back to mixing her paints, not really bothered. 

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“What’s the gossip?” she asked offhandedly. “Perfect timing, Olivia. Do you think this orange looks good, or should I make it lighter?” 

Olivia came over, sat down beside her, and propped her chin up. “So, do you want to hear it or not?” 

“Alright, alright. Spill it,” Briana said. 

Olivia grabbed Briana and made her face her. “You can paint whenever, but juicy gossip? Votta catch it while it’s hot.” 

“You’ve got it backwards, Olivia,” Briana chuckled. “It’s not every day you can just pick up get into the zone.” 

“But what if I told you this gossip is about Vivian?” Olivia asked. 

sh and actually 

Briana still didn’t seem too interested. “What’s Vivian up to now? Wait, scratch that. What are Vivian and Shepard up to this time? 

“Those two are basically joined at the hip. You never hear gossip about just one of them.” 

“No, this time it really has nothing to do with Shepard,” Olivia said. 

Briana’s hand paused for a moment as she held her paintbrush. 

Olivia leaned in, cupping her hands around her mouth and whispered super quietly, “I happened to see Eric coming out of Vivian’s place.” 

Briana looked up, staring at Olivia. “Are you sure?” 

“Positive,” Olivia replied. “This morning, I went with my dad to visit his friend. 

“As soon as we got to the first floor, I saw Eric coming out of the elevator, humming to himself, his hair all messy. He looked like he’d just woken up. 

“I immediately remembered Vivian stays in that complex, and it’s the same building. Shepard bought her that place, you know. It’s one unit per floor, and you need the owner’s card to get in… 

“Eric didn’t even notice me. I ducked out of his way and took another elevator. The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed. 

“Why would he be coming out of Vivian’s place so early in the morning?” 

Briana looked at Olivia, a bit dazed. 

‘Yeah, those two never even hang out together,‘ she thought. 

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“And also,” Olivia whispered even softer, “remember that fire we talked about, and the guy in charge of the equipment room who got busted for letting it happen? I actually did some digging.” 

Briana held her breath, eyes wide. “Did you go see him in jail?” 

“Nah. He’s already out,” Olivia replied. 

Briana was floored. “So he finished his sentence already?” 

“No,” Olivia said seriously. “He got out early–his sentence was reduced.” 

“Clatter!” Briana dropped her paintbrush, and it hit the floor. 

Olivia looked around. “At this hour, there’s no one else in the gallery, right?” 

“Just me,” Briana said. 

“Okay, here goes,” Olivia said, clearing her throat. “Briana, I have to say up front, this is all just my own guess -there’s no actual evidence yet. But you trust me, don’t you?” 

Briana nodded in response. 

Olivia said, “Vivian is definitely involved in his early release. I looked into his prison visitation records, and guess what? Vivian went to see him, right when she first got back from abroad.” 

Briana thought, ‘No wonder Olivia has come running over so late with news this big. Keeping something like this to herself would’ve been torture. 

Olivia continued, “Right after that, he gets out early. You really think Vivian didn’t pull some strings? And why would she even bother visiting a guy who started a fire? 

“Was she there to thank him? After all, that fire put her on Shepard’s radar and shot her straight up the ranks. 

“And that’s not all, Briana. I even checked his bank records. Turns out Vivian was wiring him money from an overseas account the whole time he was locked up.” 

Briana felt a cold shiver running through her; her whole body suddenly chilled. 

That fire in the equipment room had changed everything for Briana, Shepard, and Vivian. All three of them. 

Briana had cursed that stupid, senseless fire more times than she could count. 

But she’d never once considered that the fire wasn’t just an accident, but something else entirely… It was deliberate. 

She’d always thought it was fate messing with her, that destiny was just playing a cruel joke. She and Shepard were never meant to be, as fate had always meant for him to end up with Vivian, not her. 

However, now, suddenly, she was being told that Vivian might have been behind the fire. 

Briana’s mind went blank. She just stared at Olivia, her hands shaking before she even realized it. 

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After what felt like forever, Briana finally managed to speak, barely squeezing out the words, “Olivia, you’re not seriously messing with me, are you?” 

Olivia replied, “How could I joke about something like this? I triple–checked everything before I even thought about telling you. Not a peep from me until I saw those prison records and bank statements for myself.” 

“So what you’re saying is… it was…” Briana’s voice trailed off. She closed her eyes, tipped her head back, trying to steady herself as she took several deep breaths. 

The shock was overwhelming, and she needed a second to pull herself together. 

Once she’d steadied herself, Briana finally met Olivia’s eyes. 

Briana said, “Back then, when the sports equipment room went up in flames, Vivian the equipment manager to set the fire. 

teamed up with 

“She pulled this stunt just to get Shepard to notice her, so she could stay close and make him fall for her. 

“And the only ones in on it were Vivian and the room manager. Vivian couldn’t risk getting anyone else involved, so she had to handle the visits and the money transfers herself, as the fewer people in the loop, the safer.” 

“And with that move, she ended up with everything she ever wanted, including status, identity, money, and family prestige. Vivian’s got it all now.” 

Olivia nodded. “Exactly, Briana. That’s my theory, too. Vivian’s got guts. She was willing to gamble with her own life. That was a real, raging fire. 

“What if she hadn’t managed to save Shepard? What if she’d gotten herself killed in the blaze? She’s scary- calculating and absolutely ruthless.” 

Briana suddenly grabbed Olivia’s hand. “Did you snap a pic of the visitation records?” 

“No, I didn’t.” Olivia shook her head. “The guards were right there, so I couldn’t risk it. But those records are still there, for sure.” 

“What about the bank statements?” Briana asked, not letting it go. 

Olivia snapped her fingers, excited. “I’ve got those. I made copies, but they’re at my place. I was gonna bring them tomorrow… Actually, forget that. I’ll go grab them right now.” 

“This is evidence.‘ Briana thought, her heart racing. 

The proof wasn’t rock solid, but it was definitely something. 

At the very least, it proved that Vivian and the equipment manager had some illicit financial dealings going 

1. on. 

Briana’s heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might leap right out of her throat. 

She was panicking, her mind a total mess. 

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‘So the fire that changed everything… was just a scheme all along… Briana couldn’t help thinking. 

Then, she asked herself, “Then what did those five wasted years of marriage to Shepard even mean? And what about all the feelings Shepard has for Vivian? What’s real, and what’s fake?‘