Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Spencer sneered inwardly as he approached Pearl Entate, noticing the lights still on. He had suspected that Brielle wouldn’t return tonight after she and Max left the Dorsey mansion, but to his surprise, it wasn’t Brielle who greeted him inside–it was Max himself, casually sitting on the couch

Weighing his options, Spencer recalled the watch incident from before. Max raised an eyebrow as Spencer confidently retrieved his belongings from a drawer, clearly belonging to him. How did Spencer have a key to Brielle’s place, and why were his things there?

“Uncle Max, I’ll leave you to it,” Spencer said, trying to mask the discomfort from the pain Brielle had inflicted earlier, which now oddly felt like a relief.

He hoped this mix–up would drive a wedge between them and pave the way for his own

advance.

Trying to gauge Max’s reaction, Spencer only caught a glimpse before Max took a sip from his coffee mug, seemingly unbothered by his presence.

Feeling a sting of humiliation but respecting the man’s status, Spencer’s fingers trembled as he closed the door behind him. Clutching the watch, he fought the urge to smash it against the wall, wary of making noise that Max might hear. Instead, he pressed the elevator button repeatedly, his frustration growing as the elevator seemed stuck mid–floor.

Meanwhile, Brielle had arrived at the base of Pearl Estate. Impatient, she opted for the stairs, unaware that Max had already shut down his computer, packed up, and left the apartment.

When the elevator finally arrived, Max shared it with Spencer, who was sweating bullets and frantically hitting the close button.

Max stood there, calm, his lean hand holding the same laptop bag Patrick usually carried. Spencer swallowed hard, feeling a knot in his throat when Max asked indifferently about his plans to join the company.

The elevator reached the ground floor, and as Max passed by Spencer, he paused and asked, “Nervous?”

Spencer wanted to deny it, but the sweat trickling down his face betrayed him. He stayed silent as Max exited the building, his silhouette as stoic as an evergreen. Max handed the laptop bag to Patrick, who had arrived to pick him up.

Max had remained indifferent to Spencer’s provocations, taking his actions as trivial as a bad joke.

Upstairs, Brielle stepped into her apartment and immediately sensed another’s presence. Spotting the cold coffee on the coffee table, she rushed to the window and saw the familiar car driving away.

Her heart pounded at the thought of Max turning to Pearl Estate in anger. Without delay, she

dashed to the elevator, dialing Max’s number.

Max heard the ringtone and looked down silently. Patrick sensed the tension and suggested viewing the New Year’s Eve fireworks with Ms. Brielle.

“I’ve seen them already,” Max replied, reminiscing about a beautiful display he had witnessed with her, one that couldn’t be topped. But Patrick’s mention of New Year’s Eve struck a chord–Brielle had no one. Her parents rejected her, the Haywood family despised her, and her ex–husband betrayed her. If he did the same, who would she turn to tonight?

Max recalled Martha’s words from years ago: when you love, you don’t ask if it’s worth it because love doesn’t concern itself with worth.

At the time, he didn’t understand those foreign emotions or whom Martha referred to. But now, he was beginning to grasp the selflessness required, or rather, the art of concealing one’s selfishness seamlessly.

Leaning back, he instructed Patrick to head back to Premier Palace.

Brielle stood at the

s of Pearl Estate, alone. She took out her phone, and after realizing

he wasn’t answering her calls, she sent a message. [It’s New Year’s Eve, and I haven’t had a bite to eat. I’m about to starve myself into a stomachache.]

Regardless, she thought, it’s best to show vulnerability first.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.