Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Mason slowly blinked his eyes open, the edges reddened from too much booze, and staggered as he tried to stand.

But then his phone rang-it was Brielle.

Lewis, ever the helpful friend, hit the answer button and held the phone to Mason's ear.

But Mason couldn't get a word out, so Lewis took the phone himself.

"Hey, Mason's at an alumni gathering and might've indulged a bit too much. Need something?"

It was noon for Brielle, and after her call with Tiffanie, she couldn't shake off a feeling of unease, especially knowing Mason wasn't himself. She had to call again.

"Hi, this is Brielle. Did he bring anyone with him?"

Lewis looked around-no sign of anyone else.

"Nope, he came alone."

"Could you make sure he gets home? He recently went through a breakup and might not be handling it well."

Lewis nodded; that was doable.

But Mason, with a girlfriend? In college, sure, girls were interested, but he was too buried in his data analysis to care. Now, drowning his sorrows over a breakup seemed out of character. After ending the call, Lewis turned off the phone and noticed a selfie on the screen.

In it, Mason was with a girl.

Lewis frowned; she was the patient from earlier that day, the one with the perforated stomach.

The two were close, heads touching, the girl puckering up for a kiss while Mason shyly leaned away, capturing the moment.

The sweetness of the photo sharply contrasted with the current reality.

Not knowing where Mason lived now, Lewis decided to take him to his own place.

After a shower, Lewis got a call from the hospital about a patient refusing to cooperate with the psychologist.

"Dr. Lewis, she's extremely resistant and even managed to get cigarettes from another patient an hour ago, burning scars into her hand."

Lewis sighed, familiar with patients wanting to give up, but this level of despair was new to him.

"Dr. Lewis, she's insisting on being discharged soon."

"But her injuries, her wrist, and the stomach issue, she needs to stay."

"She claims it doesn't hurt."

How could it not? She clearly didn't care about the pain.

If Tiffanie was the reason behind Mason's heartache, what exactly had they gone through?

But Lewis was an outsider, a doctor, unable to influence her choices.

"I understand, let her be. I've offered my advice; if she doesn't want help, there's little we can do."

The nurse had no choice but to watch Tiffanie leave the hospital alone, clutching her stomach.

Tiffanie aimed to return to her rented place only to find the doorway littered with trash and slanderous words scrawled in English.

The stench was unbearable, drawing complaints from neighbors and the landlord, who demanded she clean up and move out within a day.

Tiffanie couldn't help but laugh at

Everett's antics, knowing he'd donet

anything to keep Mason away from her, fearing a rekindled romance.

Everett would never allow his son, whom he deemed too good, to be with someone he looked down upon. It was a stain he couldn't tolerate. Only Tiffanie's death or her leaving North America would ease Everett's mind.

Having endured humiliation from the Dorsey family all his life, Everett was determined not to let his son follow in his footsteps. With Mason on the verge of becoming a Wall Street sensation, a woman couldn't ruin everything.

Thinking of the injustices he faced and a lost first love, Everett wished he could eliminate Tiffanie himself but refused to be tarnished by her existence. novelbin

Driving her away through humiliation seemed the only way to make her leave willingly.