Chapter 470

“Sure.” Max’s response was as nonchalant as ever, and he fell silent again.

Michael heeded Alivia’s advice and refrained from bringing up Brielle in Max’s presence, wanting to avoid any chance of Max showing her leniency due to her talents. With work to attend to, Michael didn’t plan on lingering.

Max was healing at a rate that would put any ordinary man to shame. An injury like his would’ve been a death sentence for most. Not only had he dodged a potentially fatal collision, but here he was, ready to check out of the hospital after just three days.

“Where’s my phone?” He directed the question at Michael, who had taken charge of the device. not wishing to disturb his recovery. But now that Max was up and about, there was no need to withhold it.

“It’s in the lounge at the end of the hall.” As Michael’s words settled, Alivia pushed through the door from outside.

“Alivia, go fetch Max’s phone for him, will you?” Michael said.

Alivia had initially stored the phone away, so it made sense for her to retrieve it now.

A flicker of something crossed Alivia’s face as she nodded slowly and stepped out of the room. She glanced back inside the hospital room, where Max sat on the bed, his demeanor as icy as ever, unchanged from before the incident with Brielle.

Content with what she saw, she pulled the phone from her bag. The phone had never made it to the lounge – it had been with her all along. Aubree had called nearly a hundred times, and Alivia hadn’t answered any, even blacklisting her number.

She had also deleted Brielle’s WhatsApp and combed through all the photo albums. Max was never one for pictures, so the albums were empty, which reassured her that Brielle hadn’t broken all of his rules.

After blocking Brielle’s number and completing her tasks, Alivia returned to the hospital room with the phone in hand. “Max, I’ve been charging your phone for you the past few days. It should still be good to go.”

Max took the phone, but he didn’t rush to check anything.

“You sure you want to be discharged?” Michael pressed.

“Dad, I know what I’m doing. There’s an important meeting this afternoon.”

Michael sighed, feeling both pride and frustration toward his youngest son. He wished others would step up like Max, yet also hoped Max would learn to take a break.

Once Max made up his mind, there was no changing it. Michael arranged the discharge, and an hour later, Max was down at the Dorsey Tower, with Alivia in tow.

Alivia was heading to Dorsey International, and Max had no reason to stop her.

But waiting inside the Dorsey International lobby was a woman. With dark circles under her eyes, Aubree was nearly asleep on the couch. At the sight of Max, she sprung up reflexively.

Aubree had been beside herself with worry these past days. She finally heard that Max was awake, but he hadn’t answered her calls or even blocked her.

Now, seeing him walk into Dorsey International with Alivia, Aubree wondered if Max was truly about to ditch Brielle. “Max! You jerk! You’re the worst! How could you even think about abandoning Brielle? Do you have any idea what Bri-”

Brielle had lost a child.

The thought brought tears to Aubree’s eyes, and as she looked past Max to the poised Alivia, she clenched her teeth. “Jerk! You are gonna end up in hell, just like that scumbag Andrew!”

Max’s brow furrowed for a split second. He glanced her way but kept walking to the private.

elevator.

Aubree, chilled by that glance, stood frozen.

Alivia lingered, offering Aubree a tender smile. “Miss Aubree, Andrew was right not to fancy you. A crude woman like you could never catch his eye.”

Aubree squinted, sizing up Alivia from head to toe. Dressed in Chanel, with a Patek Philippe on her wrist, Alivia looked both professional and gracious, a stark contrast to Aubree’s sleep–deprived appearance.

Aubree scoffed, “No matter how pretty you package yourself, Ms. Alivia, Max still hasn’t chosen you.

You’re still following him, and he hasn’t even glanced back, has he? You think you’re so high and mighty, yet you haven’t even touched his hand. Bri, though? She’s had him, inside and out, more times than you can count.”

“You!” The warmth vanished from Alivia’s face, replaced by a cold, thin smile. “Being used and tossed aside like trash is nothing to boast about. If you were any good, you’d be with your friend instead of lurking around Dorsey International.”

She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a whisper meant only for them. “And by the way. I made sure your friend got special attention in jail. She lost a child, didn’t she? Since she’s so keen on having one, maybe carrying the child of some inmate wouldn’t be so bad, right?”