Chapter 199

Brielle only found out the next day that Sophia had returned home.

The news came from a direct call from the police station. They had sent an officer to speak with Sophia that morning, hoping to glean some information about the kidnappers, but Sophia wasn’t giving up anything. She insisted she was just out playing.

However, the text message Brielle received told a different story. It warned her she was next.

The text was real. Sophia was lying. However, she was a victim, and with the clout of the Rowland family behind her, the police couldn’t press too hard. They just advised Brielle to stay alert.

Glancing at the number that sent the threatening message. Brielle noticed there were no new texts.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and she put away her phone to answer it. Standing there was Wesley. He held out a steaming pot of chicken soup. “Ms. Brielle, I had the kitchen whip this up for you. I heard you’re fresh out of the hospital. Feeling any better?”

Touched by the gesture, Brielle quickly took the pot, “Thanks a lot.”

Wesley offered a warm smile. “Mr. Dorsey asked for it to be made. He’s still quite concerned about you.”

Feeling somewhat awkward, Brielle knew Wesley had misunderstood something from the start. but she wasn’t comfortable correcting him. To Max, she was just a woman he kept around. This relationship could end at any moment.

“Did he have a good night? I heard Michael was at Premier Palace?”

She had dark circles under her eyes, having spent a sleepless night worrying after hearing that Michael was at the Premier Palace.

She had considered countless possibilities, such as Michael showing up early in the morning and handing her a card, asking her to stay away from Max. But then she thought, with her current awkward situation, was it worth Michael’s intervention? She couldn’t help but feel amused.

“Mr. Michael was at Premier Palace indeed. But I’m not privy to what they discussed.”

“Did they get into a fight?”

“Mr. Dorsey never argues with anyone.”

Really? He seemed pretty quick to anger around her. She felt her face flush with embarrassment.

Wesley’s blunt advice followed, “If there’s a misunderstanding with Mr. Dorsey, Best clear it up soon.

14:16 “Right, thanks for the heads–up.”

After Wesley left, Brielle sipped from the pot of soup, her mind heavy with thoughts. She decided to make a trip to Dorsey International. She wanted to see what William’s next move would be.

But what she didn’t expect was to find a large bouquet of red roses on her desk upon entering her office. Frowning, she asked her colleagues. “Is this a mistake? Were these meant for someone else?”

One of them replied with a hint of envy. “They came first thing in the morning, addressed to you.”

Brielle had barely sat down when her phone pinged with a text from an unknown number.

[Do you like them?]

[Who is this?]

[If you like them, that’s all that matters.]

Brielle’s frown deepened. Could it be Spencer? But knowing Spencer, if he’d sent them, he’d have signed his name boldly, just to make sure she knew.

Was it Max?

The thought made Brielle scoff at herself. Max would never send her such a thing in this lifetime. She asked someone to remove the roses and went about her day.

She was notified that there was a meeting upstairs and grabbed the necessary files. As she entered the elevator, she bumped into William, who was also on his way to the meeting.

Dressed in a crisp gray suit, William’s smile was genteel, but it sent a shiver down Brielle’s spine. She wanted to escape the elevator but feared showing her anxiety, so she reluctantly pressed the close button instead.

“Brielle, weren’t you supposed to head overseas to handle some business?”

Her smile strained, she replied, “Ran into a bit of trouble, it’s been postponed.”

“I heard Noah’s been in talks with Alivia. How’s that going?”

“That’s a question for Mr. Noah.” She kept it professional, hoping the elevator would speed up.

“Alivia’s involvement should guarantee success. She’s been waiting for Max for years, frequently caring for his mother. You haven’t met Max’s mother yet, have you?”