Chapter 156

He began to meticulously recall every moment, every nuance of his years with Brielle.

Why had he gotten entangled with Lillian in the first place? Perhaps it was because Brielle always seemed so distant, her laughter devoid of warmth, as if she were trampling on his pride.

Brielle never needed tutoring, so when he showed up at her doorstep, brimming with enthusiasm and homework in hand, she would simply cross her arms and coolly ask him where he was struggling.

Her independence didn’t quite fit the traditional mold of femininity. In contrast, Lillian clung to him daily with questions and would then look up at him with adoration, inflating his ego to soaring heights.

Everything he couldn’t get from Brielle, he received from Lillian. What was so wrong about liking Lillian?

Brielle’s body had been sullied by others.

Spencer felt a mix of disgust and anger. Seeing Brielle walk away without a backward glance only intensified the surge of resentment within him.

He would make Brielle regret this; he would make those men who had tempted her behind his back pay.

In a fit of rage, he punched the wall.

Meanwhile, Brielle quickly slipped into Max’s car, her gaze fixed irritably outside the window.

Spencer hadn’t come out. He was probably still inside, fuming with rage. She had planned to take the day off, but with Spencer there, she was itching to go to the office just to pass the time.

As the car was about to start, Spencer emerged, predictably with a scowl. He looked around, likely searching for Brielle. Then he approached Max’s car and shouted through the window. *Uncle Max, I stopped by the family estate last night, and grandpa asked me to pass on a message to you.”

“What is it?”

Max’s eyes were on his papers, but through the crack in the window, Spencer’s voice continued.

“Grandpa’s wondering when you plan to meet with the Barnes family. Both sides are keen on arranging a dinner. He tried calling you, couldn’t get through, and Patrick’s line was busy. Knowing you’re busy, he sent me to deliver the message.”

The reason Spencer had been at the estate, of course, had to do with that video. Fortunately. Tiffanie, the one who spread the video, had been grounded. Who knew how she was faring now, probably going mad in confinement.

A sneer crossed his eyes. “I hope this time, Uncle Max, you won’t plead for Tiffanie. Aunt Victoria is quite furious this time.”

15:36 Brielle’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. Tiffanie was being punished? Didn’t she claim no one dared lay a hand on her?

She anxiously looked at Max, only to hear him ask indifferently. “Locked up in the attic again? Can’t they come up with something new besides this old trick?”

His tone was mocking, and Spencer didn’t dare to respond.

Max, looking straight ahead, said coldly, “Drive.”

Patrick nodded and promptly hit the gas.

Brielle’s palms were sweating. She couldn’t help but ask, “Is the situation with Tiffanie that serious? It was my lack of foresight. I should have released the video myself.”

“If you had, you’d be the one in Michael’s clutches right now.” Max closed his eyes, tapping his fingers lightly on the documents. “The Dorsey family will always protect their own. No matter how Spencer fails or betrays, Michael will always see it as your fault.”

That was reality.

With Tiffanie taking the heat, Michael wouldn’t notice her for the time being, but if Brielle had been the one to release the video, she wouldn’t live to see another sunrise. Michael’s methods were not something Ryan could ever match.

Brielle’s face darkened, and she looked up. “I know, but I only wanted Tiffanie to watch the show, not drag her down with me.” She felt guilty.

“It’s fine; she’s probably used to being grounded by now.”

It seemed Victoria had no soft spot for Tiffanie, but why? Weren’t they mother and daughter?

Brielle had heard of Victoria’s husband, handsome and refined, a pianist who rarely made public appearances but toured the world giving concerts.

Victoria herself came from a distinguished background. How could such parents not treat their own child well?

Max lifted his hand and pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Victoria chased Everett like a woman possessed. She attended every piano concert of his, but he always. rejected her.”

Everett was Victoria’s husband now. They ended up together, didn’t they?

Sensing her confusion, Max pinched her chin. “One year, while abroad at one of his concerts, Victoria was cornered by thugs and tormented for three days, resulting in Tiffanie. To cover up the scandal, the Dorsey family forced Everett to marry Victoria, claiming it was a premarital pregnancy. In my father’s eyes, nothing and no one could tarnish the Dorsey name, and no one could let the Dorseys suffer any loss, even if Victoria was in the wrong. As long as she wanted sqmething, my father would make it happen for her.”

Such bias had reached the extent of disregarding the wishes of others.