Master of his heart (Max and Brielle)

Sure, let's give this text a more relatable and natural feel:

---

How did the Barnes family crumble overnight? Where did he get his intel from?

He kept his cool until someone crossed his line, then it was game over for the Barneses.

King flipped his silver mask over, a cold smirk tugging at his lips. "He's just watching the fireworks from the sidelines."

But he couldn't grasp why Max chose to be just a spectator.

Only when Brielle's life was in jeopardy did he fly into a rage.

Max was a puzzle; he seemed indifferent but held all the cards.

King suspected that most of the time, Max was just playing a role.

Like the ultimate predator, Max effortlessly and secretly blended into the background of all the schemes, watching Brielle fight her battles, level up, and grow stronger because she cared about him. He must be pretty proud of her. King's grip on the mask tightened, the cold metal nearly cutting into his palm.

Max wasn't unwilling to help Brielle out of trouble; it's just that she had shown remarkable strength and a stubborn streak from the start. So, he was taming her.

The word "taming" flashed in his mind, and his palm felt the sting of the mask's edge.

Yeah, he was taming Brielle, making her dependent, trustworthy, inseparable.

And stronger.

He couldn't figure Max out.

Teeth clenched in a sneer, he gave orders to the shadowy figure behind him.

"Antonio's been looking for a partner, right? Grant his request. He's been fed up with William for ages, and probably holds a grudge against Michael too." "Got it."

"Send more men to find Dustin. Don't come back without his body."

"Understood."

After giving his orders, the man lowered his head to study the mask in his hands.

He truly didn't know what Max was up to, so his only choice was to stir up trouble. Dustin absolutely couldn't stay alive, nor could he let Max find him.

In a remote village in Australia, a man lay in bed, his brow furrowed, memories of betrayal by his decade-long companion Dummy who turned out to be someone he'd

seen before, flashing

mind.

his

The recollection stopped abruptly as he heard a woman's scornful voice outside.

"They say he was fished out of the river, cold as ice, and handsome to boot. Seems like Emma's lost her mind. At twenty-five, she's desperate enough to marry any man just to look after her and her mom."

AQUMS

"Shot and slashed across the shoulder, he might well be a fugitive. Those types always run to our backwoods."

"The Moll family, what a curse. The daughter's twenty-something and unmarried, and the mom's a widow."

Emma, returning from gathering herbs on the mountain, heard the gossips as she reached her yard, which was strewn with rare medicinal herbs.

The untouched deep valleys were rich in botanical resources, and her family had been renowned herbalists for generations.

Fed up with the wagging tongues, she waved her knife and stood hands on hips to confront them.

"You lot are like dung beetles yawning-just a bunch of stinkers! Scram! Show up at my doorstep again, and I'll slice you one by one!"

Known in the village for her fierce

it was no wonder Emma

demeanor, it

was still unmarried at twenty-five. If not for her medical skills, which

earned her a place in the

community, she and her monel.ne

would've been bullied long ago.

The onlookers slinked away, but not without a parting jab.

"Tigress. No wonder no one wants you."

"Mad for a man, she won't even spare the dead!"

Fuming, Emma grabbed a snake from her basket and threw it at the women, sending them screaming into retreat.

What a waste, she had intended to use the snake gall for medicine.

She set down her basket and went to check on the unconscious man in her bed.

He had been shot three times, luckily none were fatal.

But one slash ran from his shoulder to his waist; had he not dodged, he would have been cleaved in two.

Emma had initially thought him beyond saving, having been submerged for so long, and with no clue which river had carried him there.

But his will to live was strong, and against all odds, he was still breathing.

On that first day, he spiked a fever of forty degrees. Medical facilities in the village were poor, and she was the only one for miles with a clinic. If she couldn't save him, no one could.

I hope this revision captures the essence you're aiming for while making the text more engaging and relatable for native English readers.