Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Just as she was about to strike at his belly, a mocking voice echoed from not too far away. "Slut!"

Brielle froze, her gaze shifting toward the entrance.

The whole area was a wellness retreat with picturesque views, and at that moment, Martha, sitting in a wheelchair, was being pushed around for a stroll in the vicinity.

There was a riverside walkway meant exclusively for the retreat and the surrounding villa community. Brielle hadn't expected to run into Martha here.

Martha's eyes blazed with an intense hatred as she glared at Brielle.

Brielle frowned upon hearing Martha's unfiltered tirade continue.

"You whore! You think you've won my son over with your bedroom tricks? The guy next to you must be your lover, huh? You sure have a way with men, seducing Max with your cheap tricks. Now that Max isn't around, you're already on the prowl for someone else, aren't you?

"Word is your dad's a doorman, your mom's a lowly maid, and your brother's a no-good thug. How can someone of your low birth lack such self-awareness and cling to Max like that? Don't you feel inferior in front of him?!

"You're not worthy of my son, and that brute next to you, he looks like an uneducated lout. Brielle, oh Brielle, I bet you're with Max just for the money, right? Probably learned all your tricks from your mom. I heard she was quite the little tart in her day. The whole neighborhood knew how cheap she was."

Martha had been seething with fury lately, and she hadn't expected to be caught off guard by a run-in with Brielle.

there. However, she had just finished her medication and was still feeling weak, so all she

scowled. James, who had been restraining her, slowly let go and bellowed, "Shut

to being spoken to in such a way, turned a ghastly shade of pale and let out a sinister chuckle. "Oh, hit a nerve, did I? You adulterers deserve each other.

couldn't take the provocation and marched forward with imposing strides. His towering figure was intimidating enough to send Martha's nurse

by the collar and snarled, "Keep

for

Her son hadn't visited her, and the crushing news Alivia had brought made she wish everything related to

en

say whatever I want about you and Brielle. You're both trash, birds of a feather, partners

shoved Martha back

"James! Stop!"

but James was beyond listening. The wheelchair, with Martha in it, tumbled down the steep

cold, and at this moment,

and Martha, instead of

head striking the sharp edge of a flower bed,

pooking around her inso