Chapter 307
Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)
The chill in the manâs aura seemed to grow colder, like the frost on a winterâs morning.
Outside the elevator, Noah was blissfully unaware of the icy tension building inside. Hearing. Brielleâs response, he mistakenly thought his concern had not gone unnoticed, and he doubled. down on his effort. âHey, I heard you hurt your leg. I know this topânotch doc. Want me to take you over after work?â
Others from the companyâs upper echelon were also outside the elevator, but Noah didnât bother to hide his intentions. His pursuit of Brielle was public knowledge, and so would be the eventual breakup.
After all, the only one who would face embarrassment was Brielle.
Noah planned to make the breakup a spectacle, hoping to gain some points with Alivia. With that thought, he felt quite pleased with himself.
Brielle, on the other hand, found Noah irksomely verbose. She couldnât remember finding him this annoying before. She frowned, aware that many eyes were upon them.
Surely, with Max trapped as well, the executives had all come to show their concern. Was Noah putting on a show for the whole crowd?
Using the light from her phone, she noticed a slight furrow in Maxâs brow, suggesting he was also growing tired of Noahâs persistence.
âBrielle, that doctor is really good.â Noah was now feeling relentless and noticed the murmuring of the e executives around him. All except for the HR Director and the Finance Director, who seemed at a loss for words.
Both were aware of Brielleâs relationship with the CEO. Was Noah brazenly hitting on the bossâ
mistress? They looked at Noah with a mix of pity and disbelief, but he was preoccupied with winning Brielle over and took no notice.
âThereâs this great steakhouse not far from the clinic, with a view overlooking all of Beaconsfield from the window seats. Interested, Brielle?â
Brielle felt a headache coming on but kept her cool. âThanks for the offer, Mr. Noah, but itâs not necessary.â
As she finished speaking, the elevator doors opened. Seeing Max, Noah reluctantly greeted him with respect, âMr. Dorsey.â
Maxâs expression was frosty: his gaze was like a sheet of ice. For a moment, Noah felt as though that look could shatter him.
Brielle ignored the tension between the two men. She felt a wave of dizziness from the sudden descent and took a moment to regain her composure before speaking politely. âMr. Dorsey, Iâll be back at work as soon as my leg heals. I should head out now.â
Maxâs lips pressed into a thin line, managing only a curt, âHmm.â
Watching Brielle leave, Noah hastily followed, âBrielle, youâre injured. Let me drive you home. Itâd be bad if the wound got infected.â He shadowed Brielle closely, reaching out to support her. Nearby. Max looked on, his countenance darkening. Patrick instinctively stepped back to avoid. the chill in the air.
Max found the creature orbiting Brielle intolerably irksome, but what reason could he have to intervene?
His fingers twitched at his side, and he eventually instructed Patrick. âTake Ms. Haywood home.â
He used the formal âMs. Haywood,â which seemed perfectly reasonable to the other executives â just a boss caring for his employee.
Patrick was tasked by Max, nodded, and approached Brielle.
Brielle, noticing Noahâs persistence, finally stopped. âMr. Noah, I thought I made myself clear last time.â
She had been blunt when Noah bizarrely delivered flowers to her department. Why was he intensifying his efforts now?
Noah smiled, a calculating look in his eyes that didnât sit well with Brielle. She trusted her instincts:
Noah didnât like her. In fact, he loathed her. So why pursue her? Was someone pulling his strings?
âBrielle, Iâm serious about you. If you donât like flowers, I can give you something else.â
Brielleâs stomach churned at the thought of those three fingers. âNo, thank you.â
Noah was certainly not the sender of that anonymous package.
Leaning on her crutch, she moved to leave, eager to escape Maxâs piercing gaze. She needed time to clear her head and to sort through her thoughts.
She had imagined a million ways things with Max might end, but never in such a dismal fashion.
What was this? It was as if the universe was reminding her not to get too greedy.