Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Brielle had taken her painkillers, but the sudden stab of pain still managed to sneak up on her, making her break into a light sweat. She needed a moment and made a quick excuse to head to the restroom. After splashing some water on her face, she felt a bit better.

Steeling herself, she re-entered the private dining room and was met with an unexpected sight.

There was Alivia, sporting a baseball cap and mask, clinging to Dustin's arm with a pitiful expression. "Mr. Lynch, you've got to help me. My degree, my grades, they're all legit. I've earned my spot. It can't be that just because I fell for someone, I'm getting tossed aside. Infinity Brilliance is the top investment firm globally. If you don't want to replace me, not even the government can make you."

Brielle stood at the doorway, her cheeks still damp from the water. Seeing the once proud Alivia reduced to begging like this, she couldn't help but smirk a little.

Alivia was clearly desperate, trying to charm Dustin. Her delicate hand was wrapped around his arm, her eyes full of sorrow.

Given Dustin's history with women, there was a chance he might take an interest in Alivia. After all, her beauty was undeniable. She used to carry herself with such confidence, but recent events had shattered her. Now she was grasping at any lifeline she could find. She had reached out to Michael, but he had completely turned his back on her. With the decision to replace Mark, Michael saw Alivia as just as unfit as Brielle to be by Max's side.

Realizing how dire her situation was, Alivia had dropped all pretense. The Barnes family had kicked her out, the academy was looking to expel her, and her former friends were now mocking her through messages.

Her only options now were Jaired and Dustin. Jaired, who seemed so upright, had made an unthinkable proposition. Since she decided to accept it, maybe she could use her "clean slate" to tie Dustin down first.

She had painstakingly found out where Dustin would be that night and had put extra effort into her makeup, looking absolutely stunning.

"Mr. Lynch, we've known each other for a while now. Can't you help me just this once?" Her lips were almost touching Dustin's face.

Brielle knocked on the door frame. "Sorry to interrupt, Ms. Alivia."

The sound of Brielle's voice made Alivia's eyes blaze with hatred. Her lips trembled as she turned to see Brielle, her body shaking with barely contained rage.

If there had been a bottle of wine on the table, she would've smashed it over Brielle's head. That bitch had woken up! How could she be so lucky?

Unable to hold back any longer, Alivia, as disheveled as she was, was filled with loathing for Brielle. "Bitch! How dare you show your face here?!" She no longer cared about Dustin. Stomping in her high heels towards Brielle, she raised her hand to slap her.

But Brielle caught her wrist before the slap landed. With a swift motion, Brielle slapped her back and closed the door to the private room. "Smack!"

The force of the slap sent Alivia reeling, and she tumbled onto the couch. Brielle recalled the news she had seen about Alivia drugging Max, and that too during Martha's wake.

"Ms. Alivia, drugging Max at your

own mother's wake, don't you think

that's a particularly despicable

move? You keep saying you love et

Max, but is that really love? It's coercion, possessiveness. You're in love with yourself, with your own vanity!"

"Shut up! Just shut up! Brielle, you whore! What do you know! I've known Max for years. If you hadn't shown up, he would've married me! Why don't you just die? If you were dead, Max would be mine!"

Blood stained Alivia's mouth as she glared at Brielle, struggling to reach for her hair.

Brielle turned to Dustin, who was sitting across the room, and said calmly, "Mr. Lynch, things might get a bit gruesome. You might want to look away." Obediently, Dustin averted his gaze as the sounds of slaps echoed in the room.Material © of NôvelDrama.Org.

"Alivia, let me tell you, Max is mine," t me tell Brielle declared with each slap. "That slap is for the dirty tricks you played on him, this one for stirring Tessa against Aubree, and the third for showing up tonight to disgust me."

"Whimpering, you bitch, you bitch!" Alivia's cries were drowned out by the sound of Brielle's retribution.