Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Aubree had just hung up with Brielle but decided she needed to check on her in person. She got herself together and made a beeline for Premier Palace.

Premier Palace was Max’s turf, and he had someone come out to meet her. It was probably because he was worried about Brielle feeling tense, with the visit to the Dorsey family’s ancestral home only two days away. If Brielle needed to offload, being with her best friend might just do the trick.

Aubree couldn’t help but feel a rare sense of welcome from Max. She was actually stepping foot in Premier Palace!

As she walked, Aubree couldn’t resist snapping pictures every few steps, until she spotted Max sitting in the courtyard with a coffee, rifling through some documents.

“Hey there, Mr. Dorsey.”

Max’s brow furrowed as he looked up.

Aubree plopped down beside him with her usual candor. “I got it all wrong about you last time with Bri’s drama and never got around to apologizing in person. Thought you were just another trash can like Andrew, but it turns out you’re not half bad.”

She chuckled, sitting back and noticing the ‘do not disturb‘ vibe rolling off Max, so she leaned back a bit more.

“But you’ve gotta treasure Bri, Mr. Dorsey. Last time, you blew me off, and that snake Alivia gave me an earful. Oh, and she had the nerve to say something about making Brielle carry a criminal’s baby. Can you believe that? She said if I were late, Brielle would’ve been humiliated over and over. Do you see

what I was dealing with? So when I gave you a piece of my mind, I wasn’t wrong, was I? You better watch out for Alivia. Her smile gives me the heebie–jeebies.”

Aubree was unknowingly spilling beans that Max hadn’t heard yet. Max’s grip on his cup tightened, a chill spreading in his eyes, but Aubree was oblivious. She was still fuming about Alivia’s words back at Dorsey International’s lobby, itching to expose Alivia’s true colors to the world.

Max’s hand twitched, the veins prominent, as he slowly set his cup down. “What else did she say?”

“What do you mean ‘what else?‘ Isn’t that enough? Plus, I bumped into Mr. Lynch on my way out. I’d have never seen Brielle if he hadn’t pulled some strings. And speaking of which, you probably don’t know about the call Dustin made, do you? Turns out the Riddle family was involved. Your buddy Jaired’s been meddling too.”

“Bang!” Max’s cup shattered in his palm, his face dark as a thundercloud.

Aubree, startled by the sight of coffee mixed with blood in his hand, clamped her mouth shut.

She had never dealt with Max directly and had only spoken so boldly because of Brielle’s

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connection to him. But now, with Max visibly enraged, she chickened out and stood up. “Ha, I just remembered Bri needed me for something; she’s feeling down and needs a bit of cheering up from me. I’d better get going, Mr. Dorsey. We’ll chat another time, yeah?” Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Aubree’s heart was racing. She feared if she moved any slower, she might’ve just ended up buried in the Premier Palace garden.

After she left, Max’s clenched fist relaxed slightly. Patrick approached, witnessing the scene, his heart skipping a beat in alarm. “Mr. Max, this-” He quickly called Wesley over to clean up and wrap a bandage around Max’s hand.

After taking care of the mess, Max stood up and headed out.

Meanwhile, Jaired was at Kenzo’s place, animatedly recounting the brawl between Max and Andrew.

Kenzo had his eyes closed, lounging on the sofa, and flickered his eyelids upon hearing, “Just like that, a punch landed right on Max’s cheek. I couldn’t stop it in time, and now, it’s all messed up. No more brotherhood over a couple of dames.”

Jaired caught a tossed orange slice with his mouth and crossed his legs leisurely. “Kenzo, out of all of us, you’re the most even–tempered. Maybe you should step in and mediate? We grew up together. We shouldn’t fall out over some women.”

Before he finished, someone pushed the door open, and both men looked up to see Andrew, dressed in black, stepping in.

Jaired felt the awkwardness of being caught talking behind someone’s back and set his orange down, sitting up straight.

Andrew’s face bore the mark of five fingers, looking rather disheveled. Kenzo and Jaired exchanged a glance – Max, no matter how angry, wouldn’t actually slap someone, would he?

Andrew took a seat, his arms folded, and his eyes shut in frustration.

Jaired stood up hastily. “Max went too far, man. He can’t just go around slapping people like some drama queen.”