Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

The Barnes household had been in chaos since Daisy returned from the Dorsey residence. Although Michael had publicly agreed to the union of Alivia and Max, Max himself had been conspicuously absent. On the day of the fateful incident, when they burst into the room, they found Alivia crying on Max's bed, a small red stain on the sheets. She claimed Max, intoxicated, had taken advantage of her. Present were members from both the Dorsey and Barnes families, and the consensus was that marriage was the best resolution to the scandal. Yet, Daisy couldn't shake a feeling of unease. So, she had Alivia summoned back to the house.

Alivia had been glowing these past few days, confident that the announcement of their engagement was imminent. Even if Max objected, the decision was out of his hands once their parents made the news public. Throwing herself into Daisy's arms with a coquettish giggle, she said, "Mom, I really owe you one."

Daisy looked at her with a tender gaze. "Oh, you've been so fixated on Max all these years, making me pull this stunt. Don't you dare be this headstrong again."

Alivia smiled, but inside she felt a twinge of resentment. Even with Max drugged that night, he had resisted her. Did she hold no allure in his eyes at all?

In Beaconsfield, plenty of wealthy suitors vied for her attention, yet Max had always been dismissive of her advances, forcing her to fabricate the scene that night.

Still, in the end, she got what she wanted: the marriage was set.

"Alivia, what's Kenzo been up to lately?" Daisy inquired, feeling a headache coming on at the thought of her elusive son.

with satisfaction. Though not born a Barnes, she was treated as one, with all the affection from her parents and brother, who had little interest in the family's assets, ensuring that most of

her relationship with Max would only

Max's current indifference; marriage was for life, and she had time

a servant burst into the room, breathless. "Madame!

stroking Alivia's hair,

servant hesitated, simply murmuring, "Please,

but as they opened the hot

She headed for

her husband, was the Barnes family patriarch's eldest

and so

played right into their hands. They had stormed the family estate, clamoring for Collin

with a throbbing headache as the clamor surrounded him. He could not fathom the. revelation that his cherished