Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Brielle rolled her eyes internally. Just moments ago, Sophia had taken out several bottles of medication, and now she was blatantly lying through her teeth.

The others were petrified, Someone was frantically dialing for an ambulance while cursing Brielle under their breath, Chaos reigned for a moment, and Tessa’s gaze was fixed on Brielle with disbelief. She refused to accept that Brielle wasn’t scared.

She absolutely loathed it when someone made a mockery of her health. That was her red line. Today, Tessa was determined to make Brielle pay.

Tessa wasn’t anywhere close to fainting, but to strike fear into Brielle, she feigned losing consciousness. Sophia and the other classmates hurried to help Tessa out the door, casting malevolent glances at Brielle on their way out. “I’d like to see you wriggle your way out of this one,” Sophia sneered.

Brielle remained silent. In less than twenty minutes, the private room was left with just her and Mason– an outcome she hadn’t anticipated.

Mason, ever so collected, served her a bowl of soup and teased, “Congrats, Ms. Brielle, on a

victorious first battle.”

Brielle furrowed her brows. “Why do I get the feeling she was faking it?”

“Probably was. It’s not the first time she’s pulled a stunt like this.”

Brielle was taken aback. After all, Tessa was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and protected every step of the way by Andrew. Was all this really necessary?

Mason twirled the glass in his hand, his voice nonchalant. “In high school, there was this girl who did well academically, our class rep. She once pressed Tessa for homework. That girl was a bookworm, not the type to butter up Tessa like the others did, and Tessa had it out for her from the start. Plus, that girl was quite the looker–had a bunch of guys in our class crushing on her–which made her a thorn in Tessa’s side.”

As he rotated the glass, Mason continued, “When she pressed for homework, Tessa collapsed. The whole class turned on the girl, and the Rowland family intervened, forcing her to withdraw from school. Within a week, she jumped off the tallest building on campus. Her mother fainted from grief when she came to identify the body.”

Brielle had not expected Tessa to have such a dark history and felt a tightness in her chest. “Didn’t the Rowland family pay any compensation?”

Mason chuckled dryly, setting down his glass, “Not a dime. Instead, they took the girl’s mother to court and had her fined fifty thousand for emotional damages.”

What kind of world was this? Brielle felt sick just hearing about it.

Mason casually continued eating, seemingly accustomed to such stories.

14:22

“That girl’s family had always struggled. Her father was paralyzed from a fall, and they were all pinning their hopes on her getting into a good university. Fifty thousand means nothing to the Rowland family, but it was everything to hers.”

Brielle wanted to ask how they were doing now but feared the answer would only add to her

worries.

Mason pushed a plate closer to her, “Ms. Brielle, do you know why I despise Dorsey International?”

Brielle shook her head. She was indeed curious, but Mason wasn’t obligated to explain. She’d never asked outright.

Mason appraised her for a long moment before speaking in a hoarse voice, “My dad, his name was Everett.” Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

The cup in Brielle’s hand fell to the ground, and she was shocked as if struck by a bolt of lightning.

Seeing her reaction, Mason guessed she might have heard about Everett’s ordeal. “My father was a brilliant pianist, internationally acclaimed, and he had a lovely, loving girlfriend. But then Victoria from the Dorsey family set her sights on him. She tried everything to harm his girlfriend, who miraculously survived every attempt. When Victoria ended up violated by someone else, the Dorsey family blamed my father, forcing him into a marriage with Victoria. Tell me, how are the Dorseys any different from the Rowlands?”

“Ms. Brielle, are you still interested in discussing a partnership on behalf of Dorsey International?”