Master of his heart (Max and Brielle)
Chapter 1312

In this world, two people have left the deepest marks on King.

One is his mother, Simone, who shaped his understanding of the world and always reminded him to keep going, no matter what. The other is Brielle, who softened his once hard edges and taught him what it really means to respect someone.

Now, he's doing his best to heal Brielle, to offer her a greater sense of security, never imagining the scoundrel who once hurt his mother lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment.

Brielle returned to Premier Palace a couple of hours later, with Ricardo trailing behind. Ricardo, casually flicking a switchblade between his fingers, mentioned that the professor had been in touch and had even suggested taking Ms. Brielle to an orphanage today. He'd planned to follow through but had a change of heart midway. Going through with it would've meant there was no turning back.

Brielle had finally given him another option.

Avoiding Brielle's gaze, Ricardo walked in silence. Brielle, for her part, didn't say a word the entire way. When they entered Premier Palace, she quietly made her way to King's side, intertwining her fingers with his.

King got up, gripped her hand firmly, and led her outside. In Brielle's memory, Max's mother was Martha. Wasn't Martha supposed to be dead? Wasn't she in a convalescent home abroad?

But the information she was faced with now was overwhelmingly contradictory. Thinking too hard about it only gave her a headache, so she chose silence, staying by King's side. Sensing his bad mood, she silently held his hand, their fingers intertwined.

They walked to a cemetery in Beaconsfield, a place known for its expensive plots. By the time King arrived, someone was already waiting at the most costly grave, looking to him for directions.

After a long pause, King blinked away the sting in his eyes. "Dig," he commanded.

A dozen men got to work, opening the grave. As the coffin lid was lifted, King remembered how he had secretly arranged this plot when he was too young to have much of the Dorsey family's resources. He didn't dare use their influence, so he quietly buried the person here without anyone knowing.

Not even Max had been in the loop.

But now, with the coffin opened, it was clear-it was empty.

King felt a lump in his throat, the taste of blood spreading in his mouth from biting his tongue. Ricardo, seeing this, raised an eyebrow, feeling a surge of disgust. His sister's body had been taken right after the burial, something he hadn't known until now. The last photo the professor sent showed his sister as if she were merely sleeping, but the unmistakable pallor of death on her face revealed the truth-it was a corpse.

As for Max's mother, buried here in secrecy with only a then-minor King knowing, even if the former king of Saudi had later found out, perhaps all that was taken was a skeleton. What would one do with a skeleton? Display it at home as a specimen?

King's fingers trembled slightly as he

ordered the men to cover the coffin

again, then turned to embrace. Brielle. "I need to go to Saudi; you stay here at Premier Palace and wait for me."

Brielle's heart skipped a beat, and she hastily grabbed him. "I'm coming with you."

Seeing her urgency, King couldn't help but realize how blind he'd been to her love for him. It was so evident, her emotions so raw during this period, that she could barely hide them, resorting to a cold facade as her defense.

Yet, it was him who was intimidated, because his care for her made even her slightest glance stir panic within him.

King chuckled, signaling for everyone to leave them be. He then took off his jacket, spreading it on the grassy ground before kneeling down.

Brielle, seeing this, quickly knelt

beside him though he hadn't spoken a word, she didn't ask. She knew the person buried here wasn't Martha there must have been some mistake in her memory. But she trusted him.

As long as he loved her, he wouldn't lie to her.

She had made up her mind about Max, her unyielding wall.

When King had first buried someone here, he had knelt all night, Simone's words echoing in his head about living, about how it's okay not to understand love, as it means nobody can hurt you. He always thought he was like his mother, in love with someone incapable of love.

But Brielle wasn't heartless; she was just as afraid as he was, scared to believe someone could love her.

They were like the loneliest people in the world, finally finding each other.

Worried Brielle might be uncomfortable kneeling, King only let it last for ten minutes before helping her up. "I told her, once everything is over, I..."

He paused, awkwardly averting his gaze to the horizon.

Brielle held her breath, her heartbeat slowing in anticipation.