Chapter 690

His long eyelashes quivered once more as he bent his hond to light a second cigarette. Through the hazy smoke, Patrick heard him say. “But I don’t want us to part ways.”

The sense of loss Max fell now seemed trivial compared to the devastation of parting with her. He was a businessman, after all, and when it came to choices, he always knew how to pick the most suitable one.

Patrick was speechless, silent for a few seconds before blurting out, “Have you fallen for Ms. Brielle?”

Max ticked the ash from his cigarette with a nonchalant gesture that seemed both casual and seductive. “I probably don’t know that… thing”

He said ‘probably‘ not definitely!

He never admitted to loving Brielle.

Affection was like a storm brewing in the heart. It often made it easy for him to embrace someone, But love seemed cliché, like a chemical reaction following reproduction. It felt dizzying at the start and then faded away, leaving nothing but a trail of failed marriages.

None of the Dorseys‘ marriages were happy. Didn’t Victoria love Everett? Didn’t Faith love Ryan? That was how cheap and selfish love was.

“I just like having Brielle around, it’s like…

Max couldn’t think of a good comparison. He initially thought of saying it was like having a v well–behaved pet, but comparing Brielle to a pet seemed disrespectful. After all, in their circles, pets were just tools to be ordered about and discarded at will.

But he had never thought of her that way. He liked Brielle’s boldness, her shyness, her openness. This ‘pet‘ only showed her soft belly in front of him, blushing at his every word. Even when he had her pinned beneath him in bed, she was so compliant it was unreal, letting him do as he pleased.

He lost interest in smoking, crushing the half–burnt cigarette out. Patrick knew it was bedtime, so he tactfully turned and left.

Max cleared the air of smoke before lying down in bed. Brielle’s scent lingered faintly on the sheets. It was not strong enough to lift his spirits, but it deepened his sense of loss.

He did like Brielle, but her affection probably didn’t even measure up to half of his own.

Well, let it be.

Brielle herself didn’t sleep well, having gone through an entire day of busyness without eating. Her stomach ached throughout the night, and she tossed and turned. When she awoke, daylight flooded the room.

She was about to get out of bed when a sharp pain in her stomach struck. She quickly swallowed a couple of antacids, then clutched her stomach and slumped onto the sofa, waiting for the pain to subside.

Her phone was abuzz with notifications. With one hand over her stomach and the other holding her phone, she scrolled through them. Her newly created Twitter account had exploded with comments overnight.

“Shameless! John’s script is a rip–off of Amelia’s, and Stellar Stage Entertainment is backing this trash!”

15:12.

Boycott Stellar Stage Entertainment! Boycott Brielle! Boycott John!”

“Domestic abuse, infidelity, plagiarism–Stellar Stage Entertainment and John can go to hell!”

“Everyone at Stellar Stage Entertainment is garbage!”

“Brielle and John are having an affair. Maybe she’s the one he cheated with. Go to hell, home wrecker!”

Brielle’s frown deepened as she opened Amelia’s page to find a new post.

“Just learned my ex–husband might have taken my script. I’ll provide evidence this afternoon, and Ms.

Brielle said she’d serve me court papers–where are they? Stellar Stage Entertainment, wait for your day in court.”

If the public decided Stellar Stage Entertainment’s debut script was stolen from Amelia, it would be the end for them–there was no coming back. Amelia was intent on dragging both Brielle and Stellar Stage Entertainment through the mud, down into the sewers!

Brielle’s gaze hardened. She had planned to deal with Amelia in a couple of days, but Amelia was making bold moves. Taking a deep breath, Brielle noticed a text from the police station and promptly returned the call.

she The officer on the line said they had identified the fan who had vandalized her car and asked how s wanted to proceed.

“The damages should be paid for, or 11l sue.”

*Ms. Brielle, the perpetrator is a student. She likely doesn’t have the means to pay and comes from a challenging background–her father works in construction, and her mother’s ill, with a hospital debt of over two hundred thousand Brielle cut him off. “I’m not concerned with the offender’s background. I’m only protecting my legal rights within the scope of the law. If hardship becomes a tool for leniency, what justice does the law serve?”