Chapter 312


    Emily continued to stir the pot.


    “Ms. Alivia, you’re busting your hump overseas for Max’s career, while Max is back home and ying


    house with some trophy girlfriend. Are you really okay with that? Did Max ever promise to put a ring on


    it? With no promises, you’re still holding on after all these years. I can’t tell whether that’s devotion or


    just in foolishness.”


    But if mere words could sway Alivia, she wouldn’t have gotten to where she was today. She had


    climbed her way up the academicdder to the research institute, unlike the shallow Emily. So, even


    though anger simmered inside her, Alivia still believed in doing what was expected of her.


    She cracked a smile. “Emily, I’ve known Max for years, and I know exactly what kind of man he is. You


    don’t need to say these things to get under my skin. Don’t you understand why you’ve ended up in this


    mess?”


    She leaned in close to Emily, her gaze dripping with disdain. “It’s because you see Max as just another


    guy. That’s what’s fueling your jealousy.”


    Emily’s face turned a shade of sour grapes, not expecting Alivia to be so unmoved.


    Emily stood up in a huff, no longer bothering to keep up appearances. “Alivia, don’t get it twisted and


    think Max is all yours. Just wait and see. When you get back, you’ll see how much the tables have


    turned.”


    Alivia remained unshaken, confident in the knowledge that she had sent Noah to deal with Brielle. If


    Noah seeded, what chance did Brielle stand with Max?


    A woman of Brielle’s lowly stature could never catch Max’s eye. Alivia didn’t even have to lift a finger;


    by using others, she could ensure Brielle wouldn’t get far. She wasn’t about to make an embarrassing


    exit like Emily.


    After Emily left, Alivia sent a text to her brother. [Hey Kenzo, what’s Max up to these days?]


    Kenzo, lounging on the couch, saw the phone vibrate but ignored it. Ten minutester, he picked it up


    and replied with a single word. [Working.]


    Còntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    That wasn’t the answer Alivia was


    looking for. [Kenzo, you know that’s not what I meant.]


    Kenzo chuckled, his fingers tapping out a response. [Max isn’t nning on settling down with anyone.]


    Alivia breathed a sigh of relief. That was Max for you. And she didn’t need his love, just his loyalty.


    After sending the message, Kenzo stared at his phone, lost in thought. Tthere was no reply–it seemed


    he had reassured his sister.


    Kenzo’s ce was a haven of tranquility, with hardly a servant in sight. In the spacious living room, he


    sat with perfect posture on the sofa, thumbing through a book.


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    Chapter 312


    He recalled Andrew’s nosyments during a phone call about Max growing tired of Brielle. Was it


    true? Perhaps only Andrew belleved what Max had said.


    Kenzo smirked, his mindset unchanged from the past. He enjoyed watching these clever souls hurt and


    chase after each other, only to eventually drift apart.


    However, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off at Dorsey Internationaltely. Max


    probably sensed it, too.


    Meanwhile, Max sat on an oaken chair, opposite a man with snow–white hair practicing his calligraphy.


    This was Michael.


    Neither spoke, but Max was far from nervous.


    Michael finished a piece of calligraphy and set down his pen methodically. “Bradley’s business.


    got snatched up by Williamst night. He came to me, and since the bid didn’t seem like a bi


    deal I let him go for it. I didn’t realize it was a project you’d already vetoed.”


    He was exining to Max, and that was precisely why Max hade tonight. Only in the afternoon,


    when Max saw Bradley’s people around, did he realize Bradley had signed a new deal without his


    consent. They’d gone over his head, straight to the patriarch–what was this about?


    “Father, I’d prefer you not to intervene in thepany’s affairs.”


    Michael rubbed his temples, aware that Max could be quite stubborn. A man with absolute control over


    Dorsey International would not tolerate his authority being trampled on. It was a rule of survival in the


    business world.


    “Max, I didn’t expect William would want a project you’d already dropped. There was nothing. wrong


    with it, and Bradley chose thispany after careful consideration. Why kick them to the curb right


    before signing the contract? What will others say about Dorsey International–that we’re not true to our


    word?”


    Max, of course, wouldn’t admit that he’d done it because the wife of Bradley’s CEO had wronged


    Brielle. Brielle’s leg had suffered a second fracture, all because of Catherine’s doing.


    “What does it matter if the world thinks we’re not true to our word? It doesn’t affect Dorsey


    International’s standing.”


    In the face of absolute strength, rumors were nothing but passing clouds.


    Michael stared at Max, having never doubted his son’spetence, or perhaps his coldness. but it


    was only now that he realized how much he’d aged.


    He waved the matter aside. “Alright, then tell me why you canceled the partnership.