Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Brielle felt like she was running out of air as if someone had a vice-like grip around her throat.

Max didn't seem angry with her. He was just stating a fact, but it still sent a shiver down her spine.

She even wanted to bolt, to find a quiet corner somewhere to catch her breath.

"Brielle, if you're feeling wiped, you should head back and hit the hay," Max suggested.

Before she could muster a response, he spoke up. The subtext was clear: they both needed a moment to cool their jets.

Brielle stood up, her body stiff as a board. She wanted to say a million things, but what would they be?

Could she convince Max of her innocence?

She put herself in Max's shoes and knew her words must have crossed a line for him.

Now, Max seemed set on taking down the Fox family, working overtime to find something, anything to prove she wasn't one of them - all to extricate her from this mess. Meanwhile, Brielle was busy making excuses for James. No wonder Max was steamed. Neither of them was at fault. It was always the same tragic tune - whenever they hit a snag, it turned out nobody was to blame.

Without another word, Brielle left the place. It felt like her feet were encased in lead, and it felt as if she was hauling a ton with every step.

Patrick was waiting for her outside, and seeing her out of sorts, he took the initiative to drive her back to the Premier Palace.

slate all the way home, not a single thought

been up all night waiting for news, and now, Ms. Martha was likely to become a vegetable. This hit him hard." Brielle didn't respond, only offering

she felt utterly drained, clueless

which eventually stopped. Based on what she'd heard from Max, the police must have nabbed

couch, Brielle felt utterly

she had no ties to the Fox family, James

James' name yet, was Brielle supposed to let him

type to tackle things head-on and rarely leaned on others,

with a heart of gold had suffered because of her, and it pained her

sher

her pain might've seemed laughable. If she claimed James had a heart of gold, who would buy that?

she had never set foot in that

accepted everything laid out for her, she wouldn't really be herself, would

lashes drooped as Wesley inquired. "Ms. Brielle, you seem down.

you, Wesley, I don't feel

After receiving the information about James, she had to dig

collected his dues. So, she picked herself up and headed to the street where

away from the glitzy Beaconsfield, in a melting pot of society, but the street was clean. Despite

asked about James, the

he's a big guy, can