Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Irene lived life on her own terms, a far cry from her muddled days. She was all about taking it one day at a time. If someone caught her eye, she didn't hesitate to bring them into her inner circle. To her, life was all about freedom and ease-why waste time worrying about what others thought? Some people called her promiscuous, but honestly, if given the chance to be with countless attractive men, how many would actually resist? Those who judged her were just jealous they couldn't live as freely as she did.

To Irene, society's rules, especially those that chained women down, were just nonsense. But still, she wasn't the kind of woman Bryan was into. No wonder he only wanted to sleep with her and not be with her.

Her heart ached, tears streaming down her face, her lips pressed tightly together. Bryan looked up and saw her silently crying. His heart clenched, and he reached for a tissue, only to realize he didn't have any. Without thinking, he tore off a piece of his shirt sleeve and handed it to her.

"Have you always been this teary?" he asked, noting that this wasn't the first time he'd seen her cry recently.

Irene tried to respond but found herself speechless. Her heart felt like it had a gaping hole, cold winds pouring in. She could barely see through her tears as she stepped down from the railing, her shoulders quivering, as fragile as if she might break any moment. Bryan raised his hand to comfort her but hesitated, not really understanding the source of her tears. Maybe it had something to do with 001, and if so, his comfort would be pointless. His hand slowly retracted as he forced himself not to look at her. "Bryan, do you still love the woman in the picture?"

"No, it's been seven years. Time is the cruelest thing in the world. I spent the first two years missing her so badly I couldn't sleep. But now, after seven years, it feels like I've stopped thinking about her altogether. I just got used to carrying her picture, glancing at it before missions to make sure I come back alive."

Irene wiped away her tears. So he didn't love her anymore. That was a relief. They had been apart for ten years, and he'd been through so much. She couldn't expect him to have remained alone; that would be too unreasonable. Even ordinary people might go through several partners in ten years, let alone someone like him.

Bryan saw her smile through her tears and frowned, perplexed by her sudden change of mood.

"If you don't love her anymore, could you maybe start loving me?" she asked, hope shining in her eyes.

Bryan's heart skipped a beat, his heartbeat so loud he struggled to hear her words. He swallowed hard, his throat dry.

"Ms. Irene," he started, preferring to use her full name with a formality that had persisted over the years. Before she became a leader, he'd respectfully called her "Miss," and after her rise to power, simply "Boss."

"Do you truly love me? From the bottom of your heart?" he asked.

Irene nodded, tears starting to flow again.

Bryan held her face gently, sighing.

"Do you love me, or are you seeing someone else through me?"

Irene stiffened, looking up at him as he wiped away her tears with his fingertips.

"Seeing 001, do you think I resemble him?"

So that was it.

She looked down, her tears flowingnovelbin

hermore freely, causing B

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ache alongside hers.

"Bryan, how did you survive ten years ago?"

Bryan was surprised. How did she know the ordeal he

through a decade ago?

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"Fisher saved me. I was nearly gone, covered in blood, and it's a miracle I survived. My face was ruined, and spent three months in the hospital. When twoke up, Fisher asked me to work for him, and of course,b agreed."

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Irene paused, taking a deep breath. It was a miracle he had survived.

No more wasted time-every minute lost was a disrespect to life itself.

"You want to know who 001 is, don't you? Come to your room, and I'll tell you."