Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Chapter 42

She trudged to her cubicle, firing up her email with the usual lack of enthusiasm, but as the name atop the message loaded on her screen, the color drained from Lucinda’s face, leaving her ashen.

Around her, the complexions of her colleagues went through a spectrum of hues,

eventually settling on a collective look of pensive dread, all eyes flickering toward the director’s office door.

Lucinda felt as if her strength had left her body. She slumped into her chair, powerless.

A colleague approached, placing a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, “Ms. Lucinda, didn’t Ms. Haywood just mention the proposal?”

Now, no one dared to call out Brielle’s name in casual familiarity; it had to be the respectful ‘Ms. Haywood.”

Snapping back to reality, Lucinda quickly retrieved the proposal. The feeling in her gut was. akin to swallowing a fly-disgusting, unbearable, and impossible to ignore.

Standing before the director’s office, Lucinda was acutely aware of the pitying glances. thrown her way. Her face was pale, her fingertips clutching the proposal with white-knuckled intensity. After a few seconds of hesitation, she pushed open the door.

at her desk, focused on sorting through documents. Her hair was pulled up.

surge of envy flashed through Lucinda’s eyes. Why did

Lucinda announced begrudgingly, “Ms. Haywood, here is

landing on the empty coffee mug on her desk-another one of Lucinda’s tasks. Lucinda caught the hint,

That bitch!

an outburst, Lucinda managed to pour a fresh

but her silence was cutting, making Lucinda extremely uncomfortable. Lucinda stood awkwardly, wanting to ask a question but fearing the cold rejection. Her heart

flipping through the proposal. It was one she

Lucinda a while, but she finally managed to say, “There’s an executive meeting in twenty minutes. Ms. Haywood, you’re expected

1/2

nodded absentmindedly, surveying the office. “Ms. Lucinda, I’m not fond of this

felt a tingling at the scalp, nearly passing out

an answer, just grabbed

raged inwardly countless times, her

dialed Spencer’s number. She refused to believe

Spencer, hello, this