Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

In less than a heartbeat, the dagger could slice through her throat.

Starting tonight, Ricardo's identity would be thoroughly erased from Stellar Stage Entertainment.

There was no trace of panic on Ricardo's face. To him, taking a life was second nature. His arm tensed to strike, but Aubree's grip on the tip of his ear sent a confusing warmth through him, causing him to shudder and the dagger to slip from his sleeve. This was a grave mistake.

"Clang."

The sound was especially clear in the quiet of the dressing room, where only the two of them stood.

Ricardo's eyes snapped open, filled with murderous intent.

Oblivious to the danger, Aubree stared at the dagger on the ground, surprise flickering in her eyes. She stooped to pick it up and placed it on the makeup table. "Why are you carrying a paring knife around? Aren't you afraid you might hurt yourself?" Both Aubree and Brielle had seen Ricardo kill on the night she was hurt. He seemed to go mad.

But in their view, it was just a reaction of someone driven to temporary insanity by fear. It never crossed their minds that a teenage boy could be the top assassin on the hit list, the chameleon killer.

That world was too far removed from theirs.

When Aubree saw the dagger, she first thought it was used for peeling apples.

The assassination plan failed. Tonight's debacle was enough to pin Ricardo to a pillar of shame. He took a deep breath and managed a smile at Aubree. "Yeah, for apples. Thank you, Aubree. Let me peel one for you."Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

A fruit basket sat conveniently on the makeup table. Ricardo took the dagger and began to peel with exaggerated care. This incident could not be known to others. It would be too embarrassing.

But what about Aubree? Should he silence her?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, Aubree patted his shoulder with feigned wisdom. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your quirky habit of hiding daggers."

Ricardo's hand slipped, and the sharp blade sliced a long gash across his fingertip. His face turned cold, and he clenched his teeth.

Another mistake.

His forehead throbbed as Aubree, startled by his injury, produced a band-aid with a sexy lipstick mark on it.

"I knew it. Carry a dagger around,

and you're bound to get hurt. Once this shoot is over, we should get Bri to hire a personal assistant for you. a Let them handle the apple peeling."

Ricardo had never felt so powerless in all his years.

He watched Aubree, who was bandaging his finger, not realizing what had just transpired.

Ricardo sighed inwardly and let it go. He could tell that, in some ways, Aubree and Brielle were sharp and

resilient, but in others, they were incredibly naive and oblivious.

Though he didn't understand why Annie suddenly wanted Aubree dead, he wouldn't pursue a mission that had already faced two blunders. "Aubree, that's it. Let's call it a night and get some sleep." He withdrew his hand and carelessly wiped his face with a makeup remover wipe. Aubree didn't insist further, patting his shoulder. "Alright, then I'm off to bed."

After she left, Ricardo stared at the band-aid on his finger and sighed.

Meanwhile, Brielle drove to a rather secluded bar.

Aubree always liked a thrill, but her frequent haunt was always Tequila Sunset.

Although off the beaten path, this new bar's exterior was surprisingly elegant. Perhaps Aubree had discovered a new hidden gem?

She took out her phone to call Aubree but was interrupted by a sudden whoosh behind her.

Instinctively ducking, she avoided the attack.

Turning, she saw a tall man she was certain she did not know. His attack was no accident. He intended to harm her.

Brielle stepped back, eyeing the man-Murray-with wariness.

Murray was more of a hacker than an assassin. Hence, his physical skills were somewhat lacking. He thought Brielle would be an easy target, but she had evaded him.

Without hesitation, Brielle sprinted to her car and locked the doors tight. As she floored the gas pedal, the car felt unstable.

Someone had slashed her tires in less than a minute after she got out, clearly not intending to let her leave tonight. Cold sweat coated Brielle's palms, her heart raced, and she immediately contacted her emergency number. But she had forgotten. Her emergency contact was Max.