Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Chapter 4

How the tables had turned.

Satisfied, Brielle sat back, not caring whether she had dampened his suit or not.-

The ride to Premier Palace was wrapped in a comfortable silence, as if by unspoken agreement, and neither of them felt the need to engage in idle conversation.

Brielle knew that Max’s attentiveness wasn’t due to pity or a flutter of the heart. He was predator at the top of the food chain, having made his mark on Wall Street at the tender age of seventeen, orchestrating the biggest corporate merger of the year. His rise to fame was built on the ruins of his rivals. A man like him, she mused, didn’t have a heart to

spare.

A chill ran through her, and she sneezed uncontrollably. A clean blanket was tossed her way. Looking up, she saw him engrossed in papers on his lap, not sparing her a glance.

“Thanks, Uncle Max,” she said, grabbing the blanket and drying her damp hair.

As the wrought iron gates of Premier Palace slowly swung open, even Brielle, no stranger to grandeur, couldn’t help but be captivated by the opulence within.

The car came to a halt at the villa’s entrance, and Patrick stepped out to respectfully open the door for them.

The cold air hit Brielle as she stepped out, causing goosebumps to spread across her skin. She rushed to keep up with Max, a smirk playing on her lips. “Am I the first woman to set foot in here?”

Max paused, and Brielle nearly bumped into him. His eyes twinkled with amusement as he gestured toward a maid trimming hedges in the distance. “No.”

must be the first woman to make it

his gaze. Panic fluttered in her chest. She had initiated this game, but the

“Yes,” he answered simply.

a deep breath and

he loosened the tie around

on how

sign of a potential long-term arrangement. Brielle thought of

1/3

Chapter 4

that tiny bit

dull, his mother Faith thought her restrained, and the Haywood family believed her to be demure. They were

I’ll take good care

indifferent. He casually unbuttoned his shirt, scooping her

in bed?” She was still holding a

earlier encounter.

he pinned her against the

she could ponder any

too well that Max was

could walk away unscathed. Falling for Max

her apartment to freshen up

with missed calls-some from the Haywood family, others