Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Brielle’s chest ached with numb pain. Worry gnawed at her Insides at the thought of Andrew, that jerk, getting married soon. She feared Aubree might do something foolish out of despair. So she hurriedly left the soup she was carrying on Max’s office desk, and dashed off to Aubree’s shoot.

The set was closed off, but most of the crew were staff from Stellar Stage Entertainment who recognized her, allowing her easy access.

She spotted Aubree acting opposite Ricardo, but her gaze drifted towards Dustin. He stood with his arms folded, an odd fit against the dingy backdrop of the set. Yet, even in such rough surroundings, his presence hinted at a man born to wield power.

“Bri.

Dustin arched an eyebrow, smiling at her with his charming, flirtatious eyes.

“Mr. Lynch, did you take Aubree home last night?”

“She’s your friend, isn’t she? I wouldn’t neglect her. After I dropped her off, she cried all night, clutching her face. Just look at her eyes.”

Indeed, Brielle could see the puffiness in Aubree’s eyes, but it happened to fit the role she was playing–a girl tormented and forlorn–so it wasn’t out of place. Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

Dustin stepped closer to Brielle, his voice low enough for only the two of them to hear. “Desensitization tests? What’s that about?”

Brielle opened her mouth, but naturally, she couldn’t spill Aubree’s secrets. The more people who knew, the more danger Aubree would be in.

Dustin wasn’t one to pry excessively. Seeing Brielle’s silence, he understood there must’ve been a reason. “I’ve got things to handle later, but I dropped by last night because I had a few questions for you. Let’s sit for a bit.”

Unsure of Dustin’s questions, Brielle joined him on a pair of chairs set aside on the set.

“Bri, do you know Mark?”

Surprise flickered across her face. Of course, she knew him. “He’s the head of Sunflower Children’s Home, the man who raised me until I was brought back to the Haywood family at age ten.”

She noticed Dustin’s demeanor shift from teasing to serious as she spoke. “I had someone check into him. He’s divorced now, a retiree.”

“Yes, he has a kind heart.”

“Not to hide anything from you, Bri, but I’ve mentioned before that my sister went missing back home. The latest lead we have involves Sunflower Children’s Home. It might be inaccurate, but there are many doubts surrounding the home. Our people haven’t been able to locate Mark’s residence, and even his ex–wife has vanished.”

Brielle felt bombarded with too much information, momentarily stunned. After a minute to process, she recalled a past mix–up.

Mark had called her once, claiming that a top–tier family had lost their little princess, who was possibly amongst a group of girls from the home. Brielle and Lillian had both been candidates for a DNA test.

15

the results revealed an as the daughter of the Haywood family, while Brielle was an orphan with

According to Mark someone had abandoned Brielle at the orphanage’s doorstep, nearly frozen to death. Mark had sent a fortune to save her, which led to his wife leaving him. So, as an adult, Brielle kept in touch with Mark and treated him like family.

She never expected the so–called top–tier family to be the family behind Infinity Brilliance–what a twist of

“Mr. Lynch I was womed for Mark’s safety, so I had him relocated far from Beaconsfield. I can give you a contact number. Hopefully, you can find your sister soon.”

Dustin looked at her, a soft chuckle escaping him. “Alright.”

He handed off the number to his people, mentioned other leads to follow up on, and promptly left.

Brielle watched his retreating figure, envying the princess who was always being sought after by her

samity. She herself was like an unwanted weed sprung from nowhere.

Meanwhile, at Dorsey Intemational, shortly after Brielle left, Max arrived at his office. He hadn’t rested long at Premier Palace and had taken several cold showers to stay sharp. His skin was still icy to the touch, his expression as if frosted over.

Entering his office, he saw the soup on his desk

Annie came in with a cup of coffee, spotting him, and hastily offered, “Max, I noticed you’ve been working hard, so I got you some soup from the hotel. It’s the chef’s special. You look a bit pale. Give it a try.”