Chapter 357


    Dopamine, the instigator of fondness, the spark behind it all. It represented addiction and longing. The


    name Brielle amplified those cravings.


    Max had lived for twenty–six years, and for the first time, he admitted defeat.


    When Brielle woke up, snow was drifting past the window. She turned over wearily, finding the other


    side of the bed empty. Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up abruptly.


    The movement sent a wave of soreness through her body, and she frowned, taking in the unfamiliar


    surroundings.


    It snowed, and Max had returned. They had kissed their way from the elevator to the doorstep.


    Her cheeks burned with heat as she thought of lifting the nket, only to notice the string of ck


    beads around her wrist.


    Max had given her those beads, leaving a cool kiss on her fingertips.


    Max.


    Max.


    Her mind was now a whirlwind of thoughts about Max.


    After freshening up, she quietly opened the door to the living room. Max was already dressed in a suit,


    sipping coffee, and browsing through the documents Patrick had delivered that morning. He looked up


    slowly at the sound of her footsteps.


    Brielle paused, awkwardly averting her gaze. Her pale skin made the bracelet around her wrist


    stand out even more.


    The fairy of the night had brought The Priest down to earth, and that bracelet was a token of his willing


    descent.


    Brielle walked uneasily, feeling a tender ache with every step. It wasn’t unbearable, but it stirred an


    unsettling restlessness within her.


    Max reached out, grasping her wrist and pulling her into his embrace. She wore the silk. nightgown


    provided by the hotel. Its neckline was modest, but the patchy marks on her neck. were impossible to


    cover.


    “Max,” she said, frozen in his arms, while he remained casual. His hands encircled her waist as he


    continued with his paperwork.


    “Hmm?”


    Brielle bit her lip, taking a while to rx against his chest.


    Max’s chin rested lightly on her shoulder, asking. “Are you hungry?”


    Indeed, Brielle felt a pang of hunger, but happiness hade so unexpectedly that she felt like


    ”


    Chapter 357


    she was walking on clouds, engulfed in a surreal softness.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Max’s fingertip touched her chin, tilting her face up. “Brielle, don’t you have anything to ask?” Like why


    he gave her the bracelet, or why they were having sex again.


    Her gaze met his, unaware of how enchanting her eyes were–sparkling, gleaming, like ss


    submerged in water. If she were a canary, he wished she’d always sing in the opulent cage he’d


    crafted. But he knew well that Brielle was no canary.


    His fingertips gently traced the marks on her neck, as he remembered hisck of control. When he saw


    those irises abroad, he understood what longing was. He thought he must’ve liked Brielle.


    He had been trying to resist this uncontroble feeling, but when he saw her bruised and battered, all


    thoughts of dopamine, desire circuits, oxytocin, and vasopressin seemed irrelevant. He just wanted to


    see Brielle, nothing more.


    Max lowered his head to the marked tender skin and kissed those traces gently.


    Brielle’s toes curled, and her cheeks flushed. “No.” She knew what he was trying to say, so there was


    no need for words to prove it.