Master of his heart (Max and Brielle)
Chapter 1410

Back at the meeting spot, Brielle dropped her backpack and noticed King hadn't shown up yet. Just as she was about to check out the fishing area, she caught sight of Samuel's hand bleeding out of the corner of her eye. "What happened?" she exclaimed, startled.

No wonder her backpack had felt so light; had Samuel been helping her carry the weight all along? She couldn't help but find the situation both amusing and endearing.

A bit sheepish, Samuel confessed he'd been pricked by a thorn on the backpack, causing his hand to bleed. It was just a small cut, nothing serious.

"Mr. Haywood, I'm fine, really. I can take care of it myself," he insisted, eager to prevent any misunderstandings with King.

Brielle gestured for him to sit and took a closer look at the thorn's mark. "We need to get this out, or it'll keep bothering you. Just hang tight for a sec." Samuel nodded; he was tough, and this pain was nothing for him.

As Brielle was tending to Samuel, King arrived with a bucket of water, setting it down with a bit of a clatter that startled Samuel into jumping up.

"I'm okay, Mr. Haywood, really! It doesn't hurt!" he blurted, quickly trying to keep his distance, much to Brielle's amusement.

Turning to King, she noticed his expression darken just as Jiang Yu arrived, her face sour but clearly ready to stir the pot.

"How was hanging out with Mr. Haywood, Samuel? Any sparks flying yet?" Jiang Yu teased with a laugh. "Mr. Haywood's a good guy, right? Didn't give you a hard time? What's with your hand? You guys were pretty cozy; did you get hurt for him?" She emphasized the last part, trying to provoke.

King's mood soured at the suggestion of Brielle getting hurt for another man. His eyes narrowed until Brielle suddenly presented him with a perfect orange.

"This one's the best of the bunch," she grinned.

King's scowl vanished, replaced by a smile as he took the orange, weighing it in his hand. The audience, expecting drama, was surprised by how quickly the mood shifted with just one piece of fruit.

"Is it just me, or does Mr. Dorsey seem to lose his edge around Mr. Haywood?" someone wondered.

"Was he some kind of mood magician in a past life?"

"I love this! Can we get more scenes like this? I'm hooked!"

Jiang Yu, seeing King easily appeased, flushed with irritation. Why didn't she ever get such a reaction from him? Had Brielle bewitched him somehow?

She scoffed, unable to resist a jab.

"Mr. Haywood, you seem pretty skilled at handling men. Both Mr. Dorsey and Samuel seem taken with

you. Maybe you could teach me so I can fit in better around here.

Her lack of tact was glaringly obvious.

sw nove

Brielle frowned at Jiang Yu, realizing that previous warnings hadn't made an impression.

King's mood darkened again, and the production crew, fearing a blow-up, quickly intervened to tally the scores.

Brielle earned three points for thirty pounds of oranges, and Samuel got seven points for carrying seventy pounds. "Mr. Dorsey, fifty points," the staff announced.

Curious, Brielle checked King's

bucket and found it brimming with fish. Back in North America, after dealing with tough situations, he often relaxed by fishing, making it second nature to him.

"Impressive," she couldn't help but say, and King's grin widened.

"We can trade these for quite a bit. What do you want for dinner? I'll cook," he offered, oddly fixated on the kitchen lately.

Just as Brielle was about to answer, someone asked Jiang Yu, "Why didn't you catch any fish?"

Jiang Yu glanced at King, trying to

be coy, "Mr. Dorsey, with all those el

points, could you spare me tena

Only those with points get to eat, and I don't want to go hungry."