Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Tessa had been locked up for days, not a single glimpse of Andrew, and it was driving her insane.

When she finally managed to escape, she hopped into a cab and headed straight to Alivia's place. She had no clue about the chaos that had hit the Barnes family, so Alivia was the only ally she could think of. Alivia opened the door to find Tessa looking like a complete mess. Annoyance flickered across her face. But to Tessa, Alivia was a lifeline, and she looked ready to drop to her knees and beg. "Alivia, you have to help me this time."

Alivia, barely keeping it together herself, was about to refuse when she saw the fierce determination in Tessa's eyes.

"I'm going to make Aubree pay. That witch must've filled Andrew's head with lies. I'll see her dead!"

A serious look crossed Alivia's face. Aubree's death would hit Brielle hard too. Maybe there was a way to use Tessa one more time. After all, she'd walked right into her hands. Once inside, Tessa hugged her knees tight, her whole body shaking. She had this gut feeling that if she hadn't escaped, Andrew might've locked her away forever-all for Aubree!

Alivia had gotten all dolled up for the night, a spritz of perfume here, a glamorous outfit there. She scribbled an address on a piece of paper and handed it to Tessa.

"Wait for me here. I've got something to do tonight. I'll tell you the plan when I'm done."Belonging to NôvelDrama.Org.

Tessa took the address, her eyes pleading. "Promise you'll come for me, Alivia. You're my best friend."

Alivia rolled her eyes. If Tessa knew Alivia was down to her last dime, she'd probably bolt faster than anyone. This world was brutally real, and Alivia had learned that the hard way in just a few days.

As Tessa stepped out, she nearly bumped into a tall man-Jaired. Her eyes widened in fear, and she quickly pulled her hat down and fled.

Jaired, cheeks flushed from the drinks he'd shared with Andrew earlier, had decided on a whim to drop by for some fun. He hadn't expected to see Tessa-wasn't she supposed to be locked up?

Curiosity piqued, he was about to call Andrew when Alivia pulled him inside. She kissed him, her perfume wrapping around them both. She'd even treated herself to a spa session that afternoon, all for his visit.

In the past, she wouldn't have stooped to such desperate measures, but now she had no choice. Jaired's words from their last encounter still echoed in her mind. She had to change his opinion, or he might actually make her perform like some circus act in front of other men.

Jaired pushed her away, his gaze a bit hazy but far from lost. His good looks gave off the air of a well-bred gentleman, but a sly smile crossed his face as he strolled over to an armchair and settled in.

When Jaired didn't bother hiding his imposing aura, he exuded an intimidating presence. Propping his head on one hand, he looked at Alivia.

She had never seen him like this, and her cheeks flushed as she shed her coat, revealing an outfit designed to make any man's pulse race.

Yet Jaired merely raised an eyebrow and pulled something silver from his jacket pocket, tossing it to her.

"Put it on yourself."

Alivia's face went pale when she recognized the object-a dog collar. Her chest heaved with indignation. How could he humiliate her like this?

Once, he'd been like a puppy trailing behind her, but she'd only had eyes for Max, relegating Jaired to a spare tire. Now, she was ready to offer herself to him for leverage, but Jaired was playing hard to get.

Her fingers dug deep into her palm, drawing blood. She had to let go of her pride to get back at Brielle and Max. Trembling, she cursed Brielle silently a thousand times before reluctantly reaching for the collar.

Jaired's impatience surfaced with a sharp "tsk."

"Alivia, I've dug up some dirt on Brielle."

Her eyes lit up with interest, and without hesitation, she fastened the collar around her neck.

Jaired chuckled, tugging the silver chain attached to the collar, his voice dripping with arrogance, "Crawl over here."

Alivia's eyes widened in disbelief, her lips trembling and turning white from being bitten too hard. She stood up abruptly. No, this was something she couldn't do!

Jaired's gaze shifted to boredom.

"When Brielle was five, she begged on the streets, took insults without talking back. If someone threw a bun at her face, she'd silently kneet down to pick it up and take it back to share with the other kids at

the

orphanage. Could you do that, Alvia?"