Master of his heart (Max and Brielle)

Martha's funeral was scheduled for two days later.

Brielle was in a meeting at Stellar Stage Entertainment when she heard the news.

Spring had arrived, and with it, the plans for the new year at Stellar Stage Entertainment were being laid out. The pressing issue at hand was convincing a sought-after male star to take the lead role in their latest screenplay. However, when a pop-up notification about the Dorsey International matriarch's burial appeared on her phone, Brielle's eyelashes fluttered ever so slightly.

The senior execs at Stellar Stage Entertainment had long since acknowledged her leadership. Even the wavering ones could tell that the news had hit her hard. After all, the media had been abuzz with reports of Mr. Dorsey's mother's passing, and today was the day of her interment.

They half expected Brielle to wrap up the meeting and rush to Max's side. But instead, she simply choked back a sob, her lashes casting a shadow on her grief-stricken face.

Her heart felt as if it were in a vice, yet her expression remained stoic. "Let's continue," she managed to say.

The executive who had been reporting didn't dare delay and carried on with the upcoming project details.

Brielle's gaze lingered on her phone screen, fixated on a blurry media-captured image of Max's silhouette, leading a procession of black-clad mourners. The spring drizzle seemed to soak the entire scene, the sorrow almost spilling out from the screen.

Feeling her eyes heat up, she realized Max looked so forlorn. Despite being surrounded by many, she felt he was utterly alone. Lowering her lashes, she felt the tears in her eyes. When she looked up, all the senior executives were silently watching her.

Donny quickly offered her a tissue, his tone laced with concern. "Ms. Haywood, got something in your eye?"

Only then did Brielle notice her silent tears. She hastily accepted the tissue, her voice hoarse, "Yeah, thank you."

The execs breathed a sigh of relief, noticing her cracked lips and the unnatural flush on her cheeks.

"Ms. Haywood, if you're not feeling well, you should rest," one of them suggested.

Brielle was running a fever, but she couldn't rest for even a moment, determined to settle the affairs of her company.

She had been in meetings all night with Mason and now continued to push through Stellar Stage Entertainment's projects. She didn't feel tired, only increasingly alert.

"I'm fine, carry on," she insisted. She turned off her phone's screen, refusing to look at any more messages.

After the meeting, she returned to her office, only to be confronted by Tiffanie barging in, her face a mask of fury.

"Brielle, how could you dump Maxie?!" Tiffanie's shaking finger pointed at her.

Brielle focused on her paperwork and didn't bother to engage.

Infuriated, Tiffanie stormed over and swept the documents off the desk. "Do you have any idea how upset he is?! His mother just passed away and the Dorsey family is pressuring him to marry Alivia. How could you break up with him at a time like this?"

Brielle remained silent, unsure of what to say. She started to pick up the scattered papers.

Tiffanie grabbed her by the collar. "Brielle, say something, damn it! Maxie was crying this morning. How could you do this?"

Pushed backward, Brielle collapsed onto the couch, a sharp pain shooting through her back.

Strangely, her heart felt no pain - perhaps it had grown numb from the constant battering.

Enraged and heartbroken, Tiffanie couldn't believe Brielle had the nerve to leave Max. She couldn't bring herself to hit Brielle again. Instead, she kicked the papers on the floor, sending them flying.

Tiffanie stormed in with anger and left the same way, hurling one last insult before she left. "Don't expect me to help you ever again!"

With a loud bang, the door slammed

shut, and Brielle shivered, then

slowly began to pick up the papers, now stained with fresh, damp marks of tears. She tried to wipe them away with her sleeve, but it only seemed to spread the wetness.

What was she to do? Reconcile with Max?

Michael would not hesitate to imprison the entire Fox family, continuing to use them as leverage against her.

Like she did with Mark, could she send them all away, risking another tragedy on the road?

She couldn't face another death in her life.

Brielle couldn't move past Mark's death, and Max couldn't possibly get over his mother's death.

Their love had been a burden from the start, and now the weight was too much for either to bear. The only choice left was to part ways and become strangers once more.