Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Jaired was just about to grab a couple of mates for a night out at the pub when he heard some noise at the door. His eyes lit up, and he hurried over to open it.

But before he could reach it, the door swung open, revealing Irene and Bryan standing there.

Irene, looking utterly exhausted, was cradled in Bryan's arms. She gave Jaired a quick glance before turning her gaze back to Bryan.

"I'm hungry," she said softly.

The sweetness in her voice made Jaired's skin crawl. It was hard to reconcile this gentle, soft-spoken woman with the fierce Irene he knew, who could tear her enemies apart with her bare hands. Bryan looked at Jaired. "Got anything to eat?"

Something about Bryan's presence made Jaired head to the kitchen almost reflexively. But as he realized what he was doing, he wished he could chop off his own legs for betraying him.

Behind him, Bryan's voice carried over. "Make some extra soup, will ya? I'm starving too."

"Sure," Jaired replied.

As he entered the kitchen, he caught a glimpse through the open door of Bryan setting Irene down on the couch. Irene laughed and looped her arms around Bryan's neck, seemingly amused by something only they knew. Bryan also cracked a smile, tenderly stroking her nose, causing her to sweetly lower her hands.

Watching this scene made Jaired's skin break out in goosebumps. He felt if he watched any longer, he might go blind, so he quickly averted his gaze.

The soup was already simmering. As he was about to start on the main dish, Bryan walked in.

"Need a hand with anything?"

Jaired stiffened. "Rinse the veggies, would you?"

To his surprise, Bryan actually went over to the sink and started washing the vegetables. Jaired had only made a casual comment and didn't actually expect Bryan to help. Now, feeling somewhat awkward, he pretended to focus intently on the scrambled eggs with tomatoes he was frying.

Not gifted in the kitchen, Jaired could only manage simple comfort food.

After Bryan placed the cleaned lettuce on the chopping board, he said, "You've had it rough these past years."

Hearing this, Jaired froze, feeling a sudden sting in his eyes from the smoke.

Bryan looked up, noticing Jaired seemingly crying, and turned on the exhaust fan. "Smoke getting to you?"

"Yeah, the smoke... This damn fan should've been replaced ages ago. It's choking me, all smoky and stuff."novelbin

Bryan glanced at the pan, containing nothing but the simple scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and chuckled softly. "Let's get a new one then. I'll pay."

Jaired wiped his eyes dry, pretending it was indeed the smoke. "Whatever, I'm not short on cash."

After all, being the young master of the Riddle family meant wealth was no issue.

Bryan smiled. "Alright, let's get a good one. And maybe we should renovate the place too. Could we turn it into a love nest for me and Ms. Irene?" The spatula Jaired was holding clattered to the floor, his face a picture of shock. "You guys are getting married?"

Bryan nodded, his gaze tender. "We've missed out on too many years. I don't want to miss out anymore."

Jaired couldn't quite pinpoint his feelings. It was just a house, after all. It wasn't about not wanting to let go. After all, this was his big brother.

"Sure, why not? I'll get some guys to work on it. When's the big day?"

"Next week. We'll keep it simple, just

some new furniture. Ms. Irene can't wait. She wants to get married before everyone else. Plus, she's given up on becoming president of North America. Called them up, passed the position to her top pick. Things must be a bit chaotic over there now."

With a new president barely in office before stepping down, it surely looked like a game of house to outsiders. But that was Irene for you. What she wanted, she got. What she didn't want, she'd discard without a second thought, never to benefit her enemies. If the royal family hadn't angered her, she wouldn't have pursued the presidency in the first place. But her chosen successor was competent, personally trained by her.

Now, Irene couldn't care less about North America. She just wanted to be with Bryan every moment, making up for the ten years they'd lost.

Jaired mechanically stirred the food

in the pan, barely registering Bryan's warning about it burning. He quickly turned off the heat and plated the food, still in disbelief that Irene Conce a thrill-seeker and adventurer now longed for a peaceful life.

"Bryan and Ms. Irene will stay in Beaconsfield. That way, you'll have someone to talk to."

As Bryan added the veggies to the pan, he gave Jaired a reassuring smile. "Stop crying, man. You look terrible when you cry. I'll have someone replace the exhaust fan this afternoon." "Right, yeah. It's definitely too smoky in here."