Chapter 536

The threat was more direct than any spoken suppression could ever be Brielle sat silently in the car the tension palpable, while Tiffanie refrained from further conversation The car came to a halt outside the Premier Palace, and Brielle was the first to exit. She turned back, bending slightly to address Tiffanie still inside, “I’m going in then “You sure Maxie’s in the mood to see you now?”

A bref pause flickered across Brielle’s face. “I have to explain things to him.

Tiffanie pondered for a moment, then fished out a lollipop from the glove compartment and tossed it out Catching it deftly. Brielle heard her say, “Alright, go explain.”

Brielle stood still for a moment, slipping the lollipop into her bag. Only when the sound of the car driving away faded did she slowly make her way inside the Premier Palace.

The festive lights were still hanging, the cheerful banners were still plastered on the walls, and even the tacky, colorful fairy lights were twinkling as ever. But inside, it was eerily quiet.

She rang the doorbell, and Wesley came to open the door. A glance around the hall revealed only Wesley. “Max hasn’t come back yet?”

Wesley shook his head, exhaling a weary sigh, “He usually wouldn’t come back for the holidays… I thought, with you here, he might-” He trailed off, the words left hanging.

Brielle swapped her shoes at the entrance, heading towards the sofa while dialing Max’s number. She was wearing the matching slippers they’d bought together: hers white, his black.

The mechanical voicemail greeted her from the other end, no answer. She dialed again. It was as if she’d keep calling until he picked up.

Max stared at his continuously ringing phone, rubbing his temples. His computer was still on. and the executives were waiting for him to speak on an international conference call. All they heard was the incessant ring of his phone, and the CEO, staring at the device, silent.

No one dared to interrupt; they waited in quiet anticipation. Finally, Max faced the screen. “Let’s postpone the meeting until after the New Year. Spend some quality time with your families.”

The international executives couldn’t help but feel that their CEO sounded forlorn when he said those words, but no one argued, quietly packing up their documents as Max shut down the computer.

If he paused, his father’s words echoed in his mind. “That just proves you don’t love her enough.”

ner: 526 Brielle’s retort inevitably followed in his head. “Max isn’t a calculated choice for me, but a defiant act of certainty despite knowing better.”

He touched the coffee next to him, now cold Drinking it now would certainly keep him awake later, but perhaps the bitterness could stifle the tang of despair on his tongue.

Did Brielle love him? Of course, he never doubted that.

How much? That he wasn’t sure of. How shallow was her love, that she agreed without hesitation to his father’s proposition?

Even though it was for them to be together, was she that confident in herself? What if she failed?

It seemed she never considered the possibility or maybe didn’t care about it. That was a blow to him.

Watching her agree so readily, he was incredulous and shocked. His heart felt pierced.

Love, it turned out, could wound so effortlessly, more than any physical injury he had endured.

Brielle had opened the door to him loving someone, and he intended to walk that path with her to the bitter end. But now, he was uncertain. Brielle seemed to love him, but not to the point of being indispensable. It seemed her affection could easily shift to someone else, not necessarily Max, but any man.

For Max, it was different. From the moment she appeared, he had this subtle premonition that she was the reason to turn everyone else away.

Max coughed, reaching for his coffee to drink, when the sound of a key in the lock halted his hand. In the dim light, he saw the figure at the door.

The hope in his eyes slowly crumbled to ashes. It was Spencer.

Spencer turned on the brightest light in the room, and there they were, one standing and one sitting, silently facing each other.

This was Pearl Estate, where Brielle lived. Max didn’t want to go to a hotel or any other residence, so when he left in a huff, he thought of her place, infused with her presence. But now, another man had intruded on this space.

Max’s grip on his cup tightened instantly, while Spencer met his gaze without flinching. “Just here to pick up a few things,” Spencer said.

He hadn’t expected to find Max here and was momentarily caught off guard. Then he regained composure, walked over to a drawer, and retrieved the watch he’d intentionally left behind the last time he was there the same time he’d helped Sydney whisk Brielle away. He had made a copy of Brielle’s keys and left his watch as a deliberate token.

He knew he would need it eventually. And now, the moment had come, and he was discovered by Max.