Chapter 598
Aubree and Brielle returned to Aubree’s place, shivering so hard their teeth were chattering.
Brielle couldn’t let Max find out about this; she had a hunch that the person behind the attempt on her life was either Michael or Martha. If Max ever got wind of it, there would be hell to pay.
After warming up with hot showers, they each held a steaming cup of tea as they settled into the living room.
The thermostat was cranked up to the max, and Aubree had even gone the extra mile by brewing some ginger tea, a home remedy bound to warm the bones.
The initial adrenaline rush had faded, and the reality of the grave danger Brielle was in had set in – someone was out to get her.
They placed their mugs of ginger tea on the table. Aubree downed hers in one go before speaking up. “Bri, who do you think is behind this?”
Brielle shook her head. The list of people who wanted her dead was, unfortunately, long.
Michael had given her six months, but there was no promise that he wouldn’t strike during that time. As for Martha, after Max provoked her last night, he had mentioned to spike her food with sleeping pills, but what if someone at the nursing home had tipped her off and she wasn’t really out cold?
Nothing was certain.
Aubree leaned back, staring at the ceiling with a wry smile playing on her lips. “You know, Bri, I kind of dig this life of yours. Flirting with Max when you can, dodging murder attempts while running Stellar Stage Entertainment. Ever think about how your potential keeps getting unlocked? I bet your folks were some big shots. With genetics like yours, there’s no way you come from an average Joe family. Have you ever thought about tracking down your birth parents? Maybe their clout outshines anyone in Beaconsfield, and they could shield you. Then we wouldn’t have to give a damn about the Dorseys, the Rowlands, or the Barneses.”
Aubree’s head was also still wrapped in a towel, and both their hair was drying off. Brielle couldn’t help but chuckle as she sipped her ginger tea, feeling a little warmth return to her body.
If her parents had loved her, they wouldn’t have left her at an orphanage when she was so little. She wished she could believe they gave her up because they were broke – at least then she could comfort herself with the fact that they had no choice. But if they were wealthy, powerful, and still abandoned her, it would mean they didn’t want her. Her story was probably not too different from someone like Tiffanie’s.
“I’ve never thought about finding them. I’m happy with my life as it is.”
“Bri, have you ever dreamed about your family?”
Brielle’s grip on her mug tightened suddenly. Of course, she’d had dreams. As a child, when she
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Chapter 598
was hungry and cold, she’d dream of her parents coming to take her home, wrapping her in a warm coat.
When hunger led to hallucinations, she’d see her mother appear. Then, when the Haywood family came along, she thought her dream had come true. She’d tried her best to be likable, to excel at everything. It just seemed to make no difference. She was unwelcome in that home. and after the scandal involving Lillian and Spencer broke, she fully understood her place.
If that was what family was, she didn’t need it. She could do just fine on her own.
She did yearn for someone to love and care for her, but if they didn’t love her back, she’d keep her emotions in check.
Now, she had no expectations of family. That was why the frequency of her dreams about them dwindled over the years, and recently, she hadn’t dreamed of them at all.
The Haywood family had shattered her illusions of family life. The reality was too harsh.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, Aubree suggested, “I’ll give Mr. Dorsey a call. Tell him I’ve got business at Stellar Stage Entertainment, and you’re staying with me tonight.”
Brielle nodded. Max and Patrick had both been swamped lately, with that overseas acquisition deal about to wrap up. They probably wouldn’t have time to catch the evening news. Plus, her wrist needed a couple of days to heal properly.
Brielle suspected Michael or Martha was behind the car accident, but what she didn’t know was that someone else was involved – someone she’d never expected.
Sydney sat in her room, glued to the news, pacing with cold sweat on her forehead. The plan had failed. She had spent a million to take out Brielle. How could it not have worked?
She thought her plan was foolproof. After all, Brielle was cornered. Yet, somehow, Brielle had found a way out.
Sydney was seething, swallowing hard as she reassured herself that her involvement was undetectable. Then, a gentle knock on her door.
“Sydney, it’s so late. Aren’t you coming to bed?” It was her boyfriend, Adrian.
Hearing his voice only intensified her irritation. She was bound by years of obligation to Adrian’s family, so she couldn’t break up with him now without facing the scorn of her neighbors.
