Chapter 503

Brielle’s cheeks burned with a rush of heat as she hastily snatched the box from the pile.

“I got this one. You guys take care of the rest,” she said, cutting off any potential response from the others as she quickly whisked the box away to the master bedroom.

With the door securely locked behind her, the feverish tension that had gripped her began to dissipate as if she had narrowly escaped disaster. Tentatively, she touched her still–flushed cheeks, alarmed by their heat.

In a flurry, she pulled out the contents of the box–a few assorted items from the alleyway market–and carefully stowed them into her bedside drawer.

Her eyes couldn’t help but dart to the assortment of item. Max did have a knack for shopping. A fresh wave of heat colored Brielle’s face as she made sure there were no other bizarre surprises within the box. Breathing a sigh of relief, she felt as if she had narrowly avoided at social catastrophe in front of so many.

When Brielle returned downstairs a half–hour later, Max was nowhere to be seen, so she decided to break out the yarn she had bought. After all, Christmas was just around the corner, and she had to work overtime to get her projects done in time.

She glanced out at the backyard where a lush greenhouse garden bloomed, a riot of color even in the dead of winter, tended to by a top–notch horticulturist.

Settling down, Brielle turned to Wesley, who was nearby. “Wesley, could you please pass me some paper and a pen?”

Wesley obliged, a smile playing at the corners of his eyes as he saw the yarn by her side. He instructed the chef to prepare some pastries and coffee, setting them down on the table beside her.

Brielle sketched the rough shape of a scarf on the paper, intending to embroider Max’s name on one end. But considering his stature as a CEO, flaunting his name around his neck seemed a bit tacky.

After revising several times and designing a variety of fonts, she finally scrapped them all in favor of drawing a delicate iris in the corner of the scarf. This small detail pleased her immensely, and she began to knit immediately.

Meanwhile, Max had arrived at the nursing home after a call from Martha herself.

“Mother.”

He entered to find Alivia spoon–feeding Martha some soup.

Alivia’s second task was to redeem her image in Max’s heart. So, after parting ways with the others, she had rushed over.

Martha was not in the best of health today. She could sense Alivia’s mood was low, and after inquiring, she discovered the relationship between Max and Brielle had become public.

13:01 Martha felt uneasy, but knowing that even Michael had no sway over Max, she tried to contain her frustration for the time being.

It had been a long while since she had seen Michael. They didn’t resemble a couple as much as they did business partners.

“Max, you’ve come,” Martha said, easing a bit when she noticed Brielle wasn’t with him.

A doctor followed Max, needing to administer an injection to Martha, who had fainted that morning due to excessive emotion and had only recently regained consciousness.

The side effects of the new medication were becoming apparent, and every fainting spell was cause for alarm, fearing it could be the last.

Max sat on the other side of Martha’s bed, expression neutral as he adjusted the blanket over her. At this gesture, Martha’s heart softened. “You are always so busy with work. You visit me less often than Alivia does.”

Max’s gaze didn’t meet Alivia’s, who kept her eyes lowered; her body was tense with anticipation. But she couldn’t avoid Max forever. She needed to act swiftly on her plan.

Martha’s health was fragile, and any mishap due to Max and Brielle could change their relationship.

Would Max be able to remain at peace with Brielle then?

It was unlikely.

As Martha had said, a relationship mired in guilt was an unbearable path to tread–every step was like a blade to the leg, and every moment was torture.

Alivia’s lips curled into a cold smirk. If she could bear it a little longer, she could strike Brielle a fatal blow from which she’d never recover. Every bit of patience now would pay off. She intended to dismantle their relationship, bit by bit, until they were utterly apart.

“Mother, what caused the fainting?”

Max had instructed everyone at the facility not to burden Martha with any external news. She needed peace to recover. Having just gone public with Brielle, Martha’s fainting spell seemed more than just a coincidence to him.

Martha massaged her forehead. “Just a nightmare, I suppose. I keep feeling as though my time. is running short. I wish to see you more. If you and Alivia were to have a child…”