Master of his heart (Max and Brielle)
Chapter 1030

Dustin, even with his roguish charm, always treated women with the utmost respect. Back in Beaconsfield, his support for Aubree was like a lifeline during her darkest days.

Who would finally capture his heart was anyone's guess, and Brielle found herself quite intrigued by the prospect.

Having gathered a good amount of intel, Brielle felt she was getting closer to understanding King's situation. The next step was to peel away the mask he wore.

"Sky, it's getting late. Let's call it a night. Whatever you want to dig into, we can tackle it tomorrow," Dustin suggested gently.

Brielle had only recently recovered from an illness and couldn't afford to burn the midnight oil. As soon as Dustin finished speaking, Brielle yawned, wished him goodnight, and headed to her bedroom. With her guess about King's identity, she had been sleeping soundly the past few nights. But tonight, insomnia struck, and she found herself dreaming about her year abroad as an exchange student.

Max had once asked her about her time overseas, but she couldn't quite articulate her experiences then, feeling it was much the same as back home-lonely, buried in research.

Now, she wondered why Max had asked about her exchange year. If memory served, she had spent a year and two months abroad, achieving top grades before returning to her routine of study and research at home. What had Max sensed back then?

But she couldn't ask Max now, with King in the picture. She needed to confirm her suspicions first.

Her dream was long and vivid, featuring an empty castle she couldn't escape, suffocating embraces, and a voice that chilled her to the bone.

"Why try to run? Didn't you say you'd stay with me?"

As an observerin her dream, Brielle could feel goosebumps on her own arms but couldn't make out the face of the man holding her-his presence was domineering, his actions forceful despite his

words.

"I don't want this. I don't want anything," she protested in the dream.

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The temperature dropped as he grew impatient, sweeping her off her feet in a possessive gesture.

Then, the scene shifted, and Brielle found herself as an onlooker once more, witnessing a struggle that left her dream self pale and frightened. "What do you like about me? I'll change, just let me go," her dream self pleaded.

But the man was relentless, his grip tightening as he laughed at her resistance.

Brielle woke from the nightmare feeling shaken, unable to believe the dream's intensity or its resemblance to her own fears.

She had never been involved with anyone other than Max, especially not in such a shameful way. And to dream such a dream so soon after Max's disappearance in a fire filled her with guilt.

Forcing herself awake, she was relieved to see the morning light. The dream had left its mark, stirring her heart into a rapid pace. Brielle's objectives were clear: await Seamus's move and unveil the man behind King's mask.

Yet, over breakfast, she remembered

Kenzo's story about Max

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imprisoning a woman in a castle, forcing her love only to abandon her and their child later. fo Narugi

Such behavior seemed out of character for Max but fit King's profile all too well.