Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Ricardo was waiting on a reply from Aubree, but when he glanced up, he saw her trembling from head to toe.

"Aubree, what's up?" he asked, concerned.

Aubree took a step back, her face as pale as a ghost.

It seemed Ricardo had just recalled something crucial, and he rushed to explain. "About that thing, Mr. Matthew's out of the loop. In our line of work, it's all about the cash; we barely even see our clients face-to-face. He sent me over because he knows I can hold my own, even if it's twenty against one. So, until he's back, I'll be crashing here, okay?"

He pointed to the couch. "You cool with me taking the couch, Aubree?"

Aubree seemed to relax a bit, "No need for the couch. This place has more rooms than I know what to do with."

Ricardo shook his head, a grin spreading across his face. "I'd rather stay here, closer to you. If anything goes down, I'll know right away. Don't worry about me. I'm on a break from filming, got a week off. Once Mr. Matthew's back, I'm out of here. Plus, he's already paid me, so don't stress about that. Just focus on getting your beauty sleep."

Maybe because Ricardo had seen her at rock bottom, Aubree felt incredibly safe with him around. She shot a quick text to Matthew.

Ricardo's here. Turns out he's a hitman. I feel a lot safer now.

Matthew always replied at lightning speed, never more than thirty seconds, making Aubree wonder if he was glued to his phone.

In reality, Matthew was swamped, hadn't eaten all day, and hadn't left his office chair. He didn't want Aubree to feel like she was waiting for him, like she once did for Andrew. He was determined never to put her through that again.

Aubree spent a day at home, then headed back to the set. Her acting was on fire lately, even Casey couldn't stop praising her. Each time she came home to crash, Ricardo was always there waiting.

To Aubree, Ricardo was like a little brother. He wasn't much of a talker, spending his days fiddling with knives and guns, or practicing boxing in the garden when he was bored.

This made Aubree feel even more at ease.

A few days later, with Matthew returning the next day and Ricardo set to leave, Aubree, caught up in her busy schedule, decided to treat Ricardo to dinner as a thank you.

"I booked us a spot at a restaurant. Let's grab dinner tonight, my treat."

Ricardo didn't play coy.

But when they rani

ay into Andrew in the h andey got to the restaurant, s to en.kikistorie way,

was with Julia.

Seeing her, Aubree's expression shifted, and she instinctively looked away.

Julia didn't acknowledge her either, instead chatting sweetly with Andrew.

"Mr. Clements, it's all set then."

Andrew was annoyed, having not expected to see someone so much

like Tessa tonight. What

But when he spotted Aubree, his eyes lit up. "Aubree."

Suuck.

Aubree ignored him, simply walking past.

Andrew quickly followed, "Aren't

tied up

with the set? How do y

for dinner tonight?

tang?" t

His tone was almost pleading, trailing behind her.

Aubree stopped, taking a deep breath. "Tonight's for Ricardo, sorry."

Andrew then looked at Ricardo.

younoveldrama

I

Ricardo, who'd recently been sharing drinks with Andrew, found it tough to turn him down flat.

He just played it cool, staying silent.