Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

In the cozy, dimly lit booth, Brielle rubbed her temples, trying to clear her head. Dustin Lynch, after finishing his chat with the manager, closed the door behind him.

"Little Brie, if you're still into Max, why'd you break it off with him?" he asked, leaning casually against the polished mahogany bar.

Brielle sank into the plush sofa and recounted the whole saga involving the Fox family. Dustin's eyes narrowed as he listened, his voice taking on a more serious tone.

"So, you're saying you're neither a Haywood nor a Fox, and someone's been messing with your DNA tests?" he asked.

"Yeah. In my memories, a girl with the last name Monty died in a fire because of me. I owe her my life, so I can't let James get into trouble," Brielle explained.

Dustin reached out, gently tousling her hair and secretly winding a strand around his finger. "Little Brie, being cautious is smart, but to keep James safe, maybe you should think about sending them out of the country."

Brielle lowered her lashes. "It's not just about James. It could be Aubree or anyone from Stellar Stage Entertainment."

The more people she cared about, the more vulnerabilities she had. Was she supposed to break up every time she felt threatened? At the root of it all, she felt too weak.

Dustin's phone buzzed with a message, prompting a slight smirk. "I get it. Michael hates you so much that he'd use any leverage over you to hurt Max if he sees you two getting close."

always feel like he has an ace up his sleeve that could hurt

the real crux of the matter. The Dorsey family had been standing tall in Beaconsfield for years, and Michael had watched the Barnes family empire fall without uttering a word. No one knew what he was plotting, and with Max's true identity being a mystery, Brielle's head was spinning with where to even begin the search. The police hadn't made any headway in

out? Completely erasing one person's data and replacing it with their own, DNA and

rarely do such favors. It's called 'buying an identity.' Once you've bought it, the casino handles the dark ops, and you can go anywhere with

friends and family suspect something?"

the identity you buy has to be someone with no kin.

the gravity of the situation. "If you suspect someone close to you has switched identities, think about whether they're all alone in the world. Even if

swapped in childhood."

slowly, offering her a reassuring smile. "I've got some urgent stuff to deal with,

nodded, her mind

her fingertips trembling and lips quivering with the weight of realization. Parentless, friendless, identity changed in adulthood. All signs pointed to one

heavy heart, Brielle stood to leave. But as she turned the corridor, a hand suddenly grasped her wrist and a pair of lips claimed hers. The familiar scent of Romanée-Conti filled her senses, a luxury

in

away, but her hands were pinned behind her, her back against the cold wall, legs trembling. "Stop, Max," her voice broke, her mind foggy