Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Aubree noticed Brielle deep in thought and couldn't help but break the silence.

"Did you even let Mr. Dorsey know you were leaving? Did you just sneak out of the hospital?"

Brielle's eyelashes flickered, her lips pressed into a tight line, and she took a sip of water to mask her discomfort.

After all, she couldn't go against her feelings again, couldn't say something that would hurt him. That would be more painful than a knife to her own heart. Better to be a coward, at least for now.

In less than two minutes, she had pieced together all the clues. Max, to avoid any entanglement with the Barnes family, had orchestrated the release of two bombshell pieces of news. This meant Max had been aware of Alivia and Kenzo's true identities all along and almost certainly knew that he wasn't a Dorsey by blood. But the years of care from Martha were undeniable. Besides, Victoria had mentioned that there had been a time when Martha had doctors visiting Max repeatedly, so whatever Max had endured during that period remained a mystery. It was understandable that, in recognition of those years of companionship, Max had arranged for Martha to be looked after in a nursing home as a form of repayment.

Brielle's fingers tightened. Did Max know his true identity? Or did Michael know Max's real lineage? If he did, why would he let Max assume the position of heir to the Dorsey family? If not, what would Max face when the truth came out?

Too many puzzles. Brielle pulled out her phone and first dialed Kenzo's number. Among Max's circle, Kenzo seemed the most approachable. Maybe he knew something. Kenzo's phone was off. Brielle frowned. Senior Jin must have holed up somewhere to focus on his scriptwriting, oblivious to the brewing storm. She set the phone down, and Aubree, having ordered her some takeout, reminded her they had a scene to shoot later before she left.

Brielle sat alone on the sofa, the headache making it impossible to think. She opened a drawer and swallowed a painkiller. She had intended to drive to the casino, but halfway there, Dustin's call came through. With Alivia, the youngest Mark, in trouble and Infinity Brilliance as an investor in the research institute, they needed to reconvene back home and, in tandem with the government, find another suitable candidate.

Brielle had thought about asking Dustin for help but hesitated because of his grandmother's predicament. Now that Dustin had reached out, hope sparked in her eyes.Property © NôvelDrama.Org.

Without hesitation, Brielle arrived at the address by five in the evening. She found the private booth and pushed the door open. Dustin wasn't drinking tonight, just staring blankly at a screen. Brielle mustered a smile.

"Little Brie, come to Tequila Sunset."

"Mr. Lynch."

Dustin usually shunned formal attire, but tonight he was in a sleek black suit. There was no alcohol on the coffee table in front of him, but the scent of spirits clung to him-he'd clearly just come from some social obligation. He rubbed his temples. "I've barely been gone a week, and I can't believe the mess the Barnes family has stirred up."

"Is it troubling you? I heard the institute poured a lot of money into this."

Dustin chuckled, loosening a few buttons for comfort. "Losing money is the least of my worries. It's just that I don't have the time for this."

"How's your grandmother? Is it serious?"

There was a faint shadow under Dustin's eyes as he forced a bitter smile. "It's a heart condition-untreatable."

"Mr. Lynch, you've got to be flexible. If your grandma wants to see her granddaughter so badly, why don't you find someone to temporarily take on the role? As long as you trust this person's character to` cheer up the old lady in her twilight years, her condition might improve, right? That way, you'd have more time to look for your real sister, wouldn't you?"

vern

Dustin's pupils dilated in shock, his gaze fixing on Brielle. His eyes were full of disbelief, incredulous. His family had been in turmoil over the missing sister, his grandmother gravely ill, his mother retreating from the business world early, and his father maintaining a strained. cheerfulness. Yet, they had never considered finding a stand-in for his sister to lift their grandmother's spirits. Because to them, that familial bond was indelible, and deceiving a family member was out of the question. No matter how rakish Dustin was in the outside world, at home, he was expected to toe the line.

But with his grandmother's condition worsening, perhaps there was merit in Brielle's suggestion. A glint of possibility flickered in his eyes as he looked at Brielle, as if eyeing prey. Brielle suddenly felt awkward and her headache intensified, prompting her to massage her temples. But Dustin was only entertaining the thought. If he were to find someone, he certainly wouldn't choose a friend. The Lynches had more than their fair share of enemies. Standing in that spotlight, everyone waited for them to fall. The North American social circles were even more intricate than back home. Someone like Brielle, without any significant backing, would only get chewed up and spat out in their world.