Chapter 686

Brielle tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the traffic light to turn green, her fingers racing over her smartphone to text Max quickly. She was concerned he might’ve knocked off early from work, and she wanted him to hang tight until she got there.

The rush hour was in full swing, with the streets choked by cars, turning what should have been a fifteen–minute drive into a half–hour crawl. The message sent notification popped up, and she gripped the steering wheel tighter. Her mouth felt dry, as if she’d stuffed it with cotton balls.

Both she and Max were trying so hard to reach out to each other, to clear the air, but it was like the signals between them were jammed.

Murray’s hands flew over his laptop keys, his cheeks flushing as he caught a whiff of perfume from the woman standing behind him. He tried to keep his composure as he spoke. “Miss, as you can see from the data here, hacking into Brielle’s phone was a piece of cake. Someone had already planted a Trojan horse in her system, which made my job a walk in the park.”

Annie was munching on a piece of candy, and the sweet scent wafted into Murray’s nose due to their proximity. Without bothering to gauge his reaction, she perked up at his explanation, throwing her arms around his neck in excitement.

“Isn’t that just perfect? Who’s the genius who planted that thing in Brielle’s phone? That’s why you pulled this off with such ease. They can’t contact each other now, so I guess the misunderstanding just got bigger.”

“In theory, yes, but we can’t rush things,” Murray cautioned, his face turning a deeper shade of red as Annie clung to him.

“Murray, you’re a star. Picking you up was the best decision I ever made. You’re way more useful than Ricardo. He only knows how to brawl and shoot.”

Her praise made Murray’s eyes light up. He was about to return the embrace and wrap his arms around her waist when she added, “But Ricardo is still my favorite.”

His enthusiasm deflated, and his eyes fell. His voice grew husky with disappointment. “Miss, what’s our next move?”

Annie circled his neck from behind, her gaze fixed on the incomprehensible data on the screen. “We’ll just play it cool for now. They can’t communicate, the misunderstandings are piling up, and with me cozying up to Max, they’re bound to break up soon. Though Max doesn’t seem like the type to say, “it’s over, so I’ll have to push Brielle to be the one to call it quits.”

Annie finished her thought with a soft shake of Murray’s neck. “Pretty smart, huh?”

Murray looked down, his voice rough. “You’re always the smartest, Miss.”

Annie released him and began to rant about Alivia with disdain. “That’s what I’m saying they’re all so boring. It’s just a breakup. Why make it so complicated? They’re all useless.”

Annie, who shared a passing resemblance to Brielle, sat on a lofty window seat, chewing her gum, a look of confusion in her eyes. “Murray, do you think I could go ahead and seduce Max? He’s quite the looker, and it wouldn’t be a loss for me, right?”

No one could ever get a bead on Annie’s moods. She was fickle. Her affections changed as quickly as her 15:11 whims. But when it came to Ricardo, she was consistently drawn to his ruthless streak Murray’s body shuddered at her words. He slowly approached her, knelt on one knee, and took her delicate foot in his hands, pressing it to his chest. “Do you want this now, Miss?”

Her smile stiffened, and her foot brushed against his chest as she considered “Let’s role–play then. You be Max, and I’ll be Brielle. How about that?”

Murray bowed his head, kissing the top of her foot with reverence, and murmured. “As you wish.”

Half an hour later, Brielle’s car pulled into the Dorsey International parking lot. She reached the top floor and found Max absent. Even Patrick was nowhere to be seen.

The place was still buzzing with people working overtime, but ever since the staff chat had been disbanded, everyone knew to keep tight–lipped. When they saw Brielle, they remained silent.

With no one in sight and calls going unanswered, Brielle’s irritation spread like wildfire.

Dorsey International was a dead end, so she had no choice but to retreat to her car. However, her license plate had somehow made it onto the internet, and now Amelia’s fans had surrounded her.

Amelia, with her carefully crafted public image, had a substantial following. People encircled Brielle, their faces inflamed with righteous indignation.

“Apologize to Amelia! Don’t think your title as President of Stellar Stage Entertainment gives you any right to act out! We all know Stellar Stage Entertainment is just a sinking ship!”

“Director Amelia has worked so hard to get where she is, and you, as a fellow woman, have insulted her!”

“Brielle! Make a public apology!”

Brielle was caught in the middle of the crowd. Her expression turned icy Had she insulted Amelia? It seemed Amelia was stirring up a storm online again.

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