Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

A butler, dressed in immaculate white gloves, approached the gentleman and whispered something into his ear, prompting a light chuckle from the man as he set his wine glass down with grace.

As he rose to his feet, a thought seemed to strike him, and he turned to instruct someone behind him. "Keep a close eye on the commotion over there. I need to go have a chat with a few unruly hounds." "Understood."

Brielle had spent the entire afternoon waiting for the results from the paternity center. As the workday was drawing to a close, a dossier was delivered to her.

The results were as expected. She was still linked to Kingston by blood.

She let out a self-deprecating laugh and tossed the paperwork straight into the trash bin.

At that moment, Tiffanie burst through the door, her face flushed with ire.

"I can't even with those high society ladies anymore. Ever since your family drama hit the fan, they've been dragging your name through the mud daily in the chat groups. Some even had their maids snap pictures of Kingston's place, airing out all the dirty laundry about him and his wife's past shenanigans. You know he has a son named James, right? A real thug, always shaking people down for 'protection money'. Lately, he's been telling everyone you're his little sister."

Brielle wasn't part of those chaotic Beaconsfield social circles, but Tiffanie was, and she couldn't stand to look at them for another day.

These high society ladies had been embarrassed in front of Brielle before and were itching to claw back some dignity. Now that Brielle's past was out in the open, they were all too eager to kick her while she was down. Tiffanie was about to say more, but her anger spiked when she caught sight of the latest message on her phone.

[Brielle isn't just a joke compared to Alivia. Even the Barnes family's staff in Beaconsfield live more comfortably than middle-class families. Pfft.]

[And she had the nerve to act all high and mighty before? With parents like that, the nerve!]

[I bet Michael's beside himself, having his most promising son entangled with someone of such lowly birth.]

Brielle simply hung up her coat, not giving the matter any attention, which only served to infuriate Tiffanie further.

That was until Donny walked in. "Ms. Haywood, there's a guy outside claiming to be your brother. He wants to meet you and brought his résumé, says he wants a job at Stellar Stage Entertainment."

However, when Donny thought of that resume, his brows furrowed. A person without an education, who was all talk and no action, and constantly used foul language, simply didn't qualify to enter Stellar Stage Entertainment. But the man was insistent, claiming to be Ms. Haywood's brother and demanding she come down to meet him.

A flicker of impatience crossed Brielle's face. It seemed this family was like chewing gum on the sole of her shoe-impossibly sticky.

"Call the police, and from now on, you don't need to report anything related to the Fox family to me."

Donny could see she was genuinely upset and nodded quickly.

Meanwhile, James loitered outside for a while but left before the police arrived.

After wrapping up the afternoon's work, Brielle decided it was time to meet this so-called movie star that Donny had mentioned. She had the address on her phone.

Tiffanie was just passing by to vent, and Brielle didn't care one bit about the gossip from the social circles of Beaconsfield.

At six in the evening, after clocking

out, Brielle set her navigation for the

movie star's villa. Passing by a dessert shop, she remembered Donny's note about the actor's preference for matcha-flavored sweets with less sugar, so she packed up a beautifully decorated little cake.

Just as she stepped out with the cake, she spotted a young man lingering suspiciously around her car.

Brielle had seen photos of James and recognized him at a glance. James was tall and burly, the type who looked like he was no stranger to a scuffle. Upon seeing Brielle, a grin spread across his face. "Brielle!"

Brielle's brow furrowed, and she made a beeline for her car.

But James grabbed her wrist, "I've heard all about it from mom and dad. I came especially to see you. Just give me a few minutes of your time."

James' grip was strong, and Brielle

e couldn't shake him off. She hadn't expected him to be so towering. Her taekwondo skills seemed pitifully ineffective against him.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

She took a deep breath. "There's nothing for us to talk about. If you keep this up, I'm calling the cops."

James pulled her closer, "Don't be like that. I really do want to have a chat."

Brielle struggled, realizing his stocky build and height advantage would be intimidating to anyone.

The dessert shop was situated near

several rehab centers, with steep steps leading up to it. The movie star, known for his eccentricity, had a relative who was a psychiatrist," which explained why he lived in a villa near the heart of the rehab facility.

This dessert shop, pricey as it was, belonged to other villa owners in the area.

But that wasn't the point. The point was that James had followed her here, and Brielle was now at a disadvantage.