Chapter 558
Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.
She frowned as she flicked on the living room lights, her eyes settling on the silent figure lounging on
the couch. An inexplicable twitch pinched at the center of her brows.
“Max?”
Her voice camed across the room as she stepped out of her shoes at the entranceway and slowly
approached. She was wearing her favorite pair of white slippers today, while Max’s feet were adomed
with his usual ck ones.
With each step, Brielle felt the gnawing pain in her stomach grow more unbearable. Yet, she could
sense the minutiae of emotions radiating from Max even the ends of his hair seemed to broadcast a
message: he was sulking.
She had told herself during thepany meeting earlier that day that she wanted to be the face of the
operation – the idea person, the talker, the one who wasn’t afraid towork.
A rtionship, she mused, was akin to starting a business together. Max was the hands–on type,
ustomed to working and giving in silence. He hadn’t believed in affection at first, but now that he
did, he was at a loss about how to salvage or deepen it. He was always one to act more than speak,
his negative emotions something he preferred to digest alone.
In this partnership, Brielle still wanted to be the outward–facing one. If issues weren’t immediately
addressed, they festered into knots in Max’s mind. Perhaps his fondness for her could overlook these
knots, but if a bigger storm erupted one day, those knots would spread and strangle them both.
Brielle sat down beside him and tentatively reached for his hand. Max pursed his lips, his anger still
present, but he didn’t pull away. He knew well enough that there was nothing between Brielle and that
young man, and that it was all his father’s maniption, but if one were to remain utterly rational in
matters of the heart, it couldn’t truly be love.
Logically, he trusted Brielle, but emotionally, he needed to wallow in his jealousy.
As she took his hand, she began to exin. “That young man was Ricardo, and Ster Stage
Entertainment has been exploiting him. They’ve only paid him about ten grand over three years. I had
Finance increase his base sry, and he probably got a bit too emotional. He’s just a teenager; he
couldn’t control himself, really. I pushed him away immediately.”
Max’s dark eyes lightened slightly with relief, but the thought of that rosary, the million–dor
transaction, and theirst photo together at the orphanage were too ring to ignore. Her soft spot for
Ricardo, borne out of shared experiences, was undeniable. Even her smile was too sharp, so sharp it
caused him difort. And then there was the issue of herte return. If he forgave her too easily this
time, would she take it as a license to stay out all night next time?
“A woman mustn’t be spoiled,” Andrew had said.
Chapter 558
This time. Max resolved to teach Brielle a lesson, and he pulled his hand away with a cool,
Get some rest.”
His tone was indifferent, Inced with a chill that sent a shudder through Brielle. She couldrit help but
follow him, although Max didn’t look back at her. However, he smiled slightly when he caught a glimpse
of her trailing behind him.
Brielle’s stomach was in knots, the pain almost unbearable now, but she knew how to handle
Max.
Persistence was key. Max was the type who could be worn down by a persistent partner, They needed
to clear the air first, then slowly unravel the misunderstandings.
Max headed to the study, intending to work overtime, and Brielle, despite her agony, followed close on
his heels. Even when Max went to the master bedroom to retrieve a forgotten document, Brielle was
right behind him.
Realizing she still cared, Max’s tone softened considerably. “Aren’t you going to sleep?”
Brielle’s face was pale, and her voice strained as if the next word would be apanied by the
torment of her stomach pain. Her fingertips trembled uncontrobly.
She leaned closer to Max, resting her forehead against his back in a muffled voice. “My stomach hurts.
How can I sleep? If you ignore me any longer, I might just pass out, and then you’ll be sorry.”
Max felt a jolt in his heart, almost dropping the documents in his hand. Then he remembered thest
time he was upset, and she had used the same excuse to reconcile. He felt something like
disappointment. It seemed as if she didn’t realize she had done anything
wrong.
urge
He took a deep breath, fighting the to forgive her, determined to make her recognize her
mistake.
She came home sote, turned off her phone, used the same excuse as before, and visited the
orphanage with someone else. He hadn’t even been there himself, despite the fact that he had helped
secure thend for the orphanage, owing a favor to the Hatfield family. Why should an outsider benefit
from his efforts?