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."

an ace up his sleeve that could

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 identifying the man who was burned

could be swapped out? Completely

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 this new identity," Dustin

family suspect something?"

buy has to be someone with no kin. No

to you has switched identities, think about whether they're all alone in the world. Even if they're not who they used to be, no one will doubt it. And the man you found wasn't a minor; he

swapped in childhood."

some urgent stuff to deal with, but you

her mind

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

suddenly grasped her wrist and a pair

in

but her hands were pinned behind her, her back against the