Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

At just ten years old, a boy chosen to be the heir to the Dorsey family empire was suddenly outed as not having Dorsey blood? If anyone else had dropped this bomb, people might have just laughed it off. But it was Alivia who spilled the tea. She was riding high on public opinion, and given her tangled history with Max, it felt like a nasty move to bring him down after things went south between them.

Given Alivia's high profile, it seemed reckless to cross Max like this. She must've been cornered.

The moment the news broke, everyone online jumped in, most thinking Alivia had lost her mind.

But then the paternity test from a reputable clinic came out, confirming it was legit. It shook the Beaconsfield elite, but they stayed mum, waiting for the Dorsey family's response.

Chaos erupted at the Dorsey household.

William was the first to react, storming into the hospital ward where the family patriarch was staying.

The hospital corridor was packed with Dorsey relatives and a squad of bodyguards. Michael, being his usual reclusive self, refused to see anyone, letting the guards keep everyone at bay as the family's uproar echoed around. William, red-faced and trembling with rage, rallied the fringe relatives to turn against Max.

But when they reached Dorsey International, they found Max had vanished after meeting with the patriarch, and nobody knew where he'd gone.

William felt like he was punching air - frustrated and helpless.

Where had Max disappeared to in the past few days? That question was on everyone's mind.

Brielle had been waiting for Max to take her to find Dustin. Instead, she got ambushed by Alivia's smear campaign online.

Before this mess, she hadn't seen Max since he'd gone to confront Michael. He'd texted her twice, just telling her to rest. She'd overheard his phone call with Michael that night, talking about having a serious discussion.

Two days passed with no word.

Her phone had a few texts from him; she hadn't been too worried until the online story made her uneasy.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Lately, Max had been in her corner, which didn't sit well with Victoria.

Michael had been calling Max

non-stop. Now, with Max wanting a 'serious talk,' the question was whether Michael was up for

sw novela

Brielle took out her phone and tried calling Max. No answer. Frowning, she drove straight to Dorsey International.

The staff there gave her weird looks as she walked in.

Brielle headed straight to the top floor and ran smack into William and his entourage.

Ignoring them, she went to Max's office. Empty.

She spun around, ready to head to the Dorsey family estate, but William chose that moment to speak.

"Brielle, you've seen the news, right?"

William looked smug, hands behind his back, like he was already the CEO of Dorsey International.

"Max isn't one of us. I've filed a lawsuit. Once it's successful, he'l be jailed for embezzling Dorsey assets."

William spoke loudly enough for everyone on the top floor to hear.

Brielle just laughed.

"Jailed? And will the Dorsey family compensate him for the value he's created for them?"

"That's his duty. After all, the Dorsey family has supported him for years."

William wasn't hiding his ambition anymore. Even if the old man

admired Max, he wouldn't hand over

the empire to an outsider.

With the second son exiled and the third one missing, presumed dead, William was the likeliest candidate for CEO.