Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

The sudden death of Daisy set the rumor mill spinning around the Barnes family, already under the harsh glare of public scrutiny. Even though Daisy never had kids with the Barnes, her connection to them was real. Now, with her unexpected death happening right afterContent bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

they kicked her out, it all looked pretty shady.

The Barnes family, already out of favor with the elite circles, found themselves facing even more disdain and gossip.

When Alivia first heard the news, she thought she was seeing things. Just the night before, Jaired had promised to come see her, only to cancel last minute, leaving her waiting all night.

Receiving a call from the cops made the whole thing feel even more surreal. Daisy's last call had been to her, so the police needed to talk to her.

Alivia arrived at the station, sporting a hat and mask to avoid being recognized. Only once inside did she take off the mask.

The cops had their usual questions lined up:

"Seen any suspicious folks around lately?"

"Did Daisy mention anything unusual?"

"Did she have any enemies?"

It wasn't an accident; it was murder. There had to be a motive.

Alivia's face went pale as she remembered Daisy's last words, which had a strange urgency to them, like she had something important to say. But Alivia was too eager to meet Jaired, too focused on impressing him, and had cut the call short. Still, she didn't feel any regret or see Daisy's death as her problem.

But she did see a chance to pin the blame on Brielle, just like Martha had done before.

Looking the officer straight in the eye, tears welling up, she said, "Yeah, Daisy had enemies. One of them was Brielle, the CEO of Stellar Stage Entertainment. They had a fight recently."

Sniffling, she added, "No one knows what Brielle does behind closed doors. I think she had a hand in my mom's death. You should investigate her thoroughly."

"And she's targeting the Barnes family too. With a big company like Stellar Stage Entertainment, you should check if she's dodging taxes."

The officer noted everything down and called Brielle in for questioning.

After all, it was Brielle who had reported the incident. Now, with Daisy's daughter casting doubts, Brielle quickly became a prime suspect.

When Brielle arrived at the station, she immediately locked eyes with Alivia, who was seething with hatred. Alivia had been publicly humiliated and now stood disgraced, while Brielle's career was soaring. It wasn't fair.

Ignoring Alivia, Brielle cooperated fully

evide the police, providing

evidence of her whereabouts and witnesses, which soon cleared her

of any suspicion.

As Brielle left the station, she ran into Alivia again. It was drizzling, and Alivia was huddled under her umbrella. Brielle started to leave but was stopped by Alivia's icy tone, "You think you've won, Brielle, but you'll regret this!" Unfazed, Brielle shut her car door firmly and told Aiden to drive away.

Alivia stood there, trembling with rage, the chill in her bones having nothing to do with the weather.

For now, she was powerless against Brielle, waiting for news from Jaired.

Brielle didn't head back to Pearl Estate but drove straight to Premier Palace.

Max had just arrived, but she hadn't gone to pick him up because of the police stuff.

As she walked in, she saw Max sitting on the couch, focused on his laptop. He closed it when he saw her.

"Leaving the country tomorrow?" he asked.

Brielle nodded and joined him on the couch. Max wrapped an arm around her, leaning in for a kiss when the doorbell rang. It was Victoria, just a couple of minutes behind Brielle.

Victoria's eyes narrowed when she saw Brielle, and her face darkened instantly.

Brielle hadn't expected to run into Victoria, who now wore a mocking smile.

"Our father's in the hospital, and here you are, cozying up. Max, I don't get you. What has she done to you?" Everyone seemed to think Brielle had some spell over Max.

Max stood up, patted Brielle's shoulder, and whispered, "I'm heading to the hospital. Make sure you eat."

Victoria's glare could've stripped paint. The animosity was thick as she stared daggers at Brielle.