Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Jaired let go of her chin, noticing she had clammed up. He raised an eyebrow, amused.

"What's with the sudden silence?"

"I've got nothing left to say. You claim you can achieve anything, so clearly, friendship means nothing to you. You've been serving this organization, probably ditched your family ties long ago. Anything I say now is pointless. Someone who can let go of everything is invincible. You're not even afraid of death, so what could I possibly say to change your mind?"

Her tone was indifferent, eyes shut. For her, it didn't matter whether her eyes were open or closed.

Jaired found her quite intriguing, a smirk forming on his lips.

"Brielle, no wonder Max likes you."

"The one who had me captured this time, it was Kenzo, right? He's the new boss around here?"

Jaired's smile faltered, his eyebrows arching even higher.

"How did you guess?"

"I didn't guess; I was bluffing. I still have no clue where he is."

"Regret letting him go back then? Max went through a lot of trouble."

In North America, Brielle hadn't known how Max had managed it, but they had indeed captured Kenzo.

"I don't regret it. If I hadn't let him go then, facing him now, I'd still feel indebted to him, unable to truly hate him."

"But if I had to do it over, knowing he'd turn out like this, maybe I'd hesitate."

Too many people were involved, too many innocents had died. She couldn't bear the weight of those lives. "Brielle, take care of yourself."

With those words, Jaired walked out. The blindfold remained over Brielle's eyes, leaving her clueless about her surroundings. She stood, her hands tied behind her back using her shoulders to feel around in the empty room. Apart from the spot she sat on, there were just walls all around.

The iron door was securely locked; she had no way of opening it. Blindfolded, she couldn't even tell where the windows were. She had no choice but to return to her spot, waiting to see who would come next.

Jaired walked a distance before

arriving at a smaller path leading to

the base. Upon reaching the

courtyard's center, he looked up to see Kenzo. Kenzo was leaning on the railing, one upstairs, one downstairs, locking eyes for a few seconds. Jaired almost felt like he was back in Beaconsfield a frown crossing his face before he flashed a smile.

"Boss, I've brought the person you wanted."

The term "Boss" instantly defined their current relationship, making Beaconsfield seem like a hometown they could never return to. Behind Kenzo Irene emerged from inside, stepping onto the porch. Seeing Jaired, she chuckled lightly.

"I knew it; there's no task Jaired can't complete."

Kenzo straightened up, Irene wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"Honey, are you ready? If you can't bring yourself to do it, I can take over. I've never been one to show mercy in these situations."

"No need, I want to do it myself."

His tone was calm as he turned and descended the stairs. Jaired, still in the middle of the courtyard, watched him approach, the two men passing by each other. Irene followed closely, turning her head to Jaired. "Jaired, aren't you going to watch? You always love being in the thick of things."

As she spoke, both exchanged glances. Irene lit a cigarette, blowing out a smoke ring before her gaze drifted.novelbin

"Jaired, it's been ten years."

Jaired remained silent, his gaze fixed on a certain part of the courtyard. Irene laughed softly, striding out.