Master of his heart (Max and Brielle)

"You're the boss at Stellar Stage Entertainment?"

"Yeah."

Emma wasn't too thrilled about chatting about Dustin, so she quickly shifted gears. "I'm really craving something spicy today."

"Alright, I'll whip something up for you."

Peyton silently cursed Dustin under her breath as she helped Emma upstairs. After Dustin had dropped Emma off, he didn't notice the woman standing nearby.

The next morning, after breakfast, Peyton mentioned she needed to pop to the store again.

"You've been on a spicy kick lately, haven't you? I'll grab some more meat and whip up a spicy fish stew for dinner."

"Thanks, Mom."

Emma was getting ready for her live stream. Peyton, not quite up to speed with mobile payments, preferred the old-school way of keeping cash on hand. It felt safer to her. She grabbed a small cloth purse, stuffed it with a couple of hundred dollars, and headed out. She'd once taken a cab to the big farmers' market with just fifty bucks and barely made it back. This time, she'd learned her lesson and carried more cash, especially since she planned on confronting that man. Boss or not, he shouldn't be mistreating Emma!

Peyton had her reasons for this confrontation. When she first went to sell a gold bracelet, she met a nice girl named Brielle, who turned out to be Emma's top boss. If this man was also a boss, surely he couldn't outrank Brielle. Brielle seemed like the type who'd stand up for what's right if she knew what was happening.

Peyton figured it was straightforward: even if Emma was pregnant, the father shouldn't be a no-show. She was determined to get some answers.

Arriving at Stellar Stage Entertainment, Peyton bumped into Donny in the lobby. Donny recognized her and, knowing Emma hadn't been around for months, asked, "How's Emma doing?"

"She's good, Donny. I'm here to see someone. Can you take me up to the top floor offices?"

Donny didn't hesitate and chatted with her in the elevator. "Tell her to stop by the office now and then. We've let her stream from home, but it's been ages. She even missed the last company party. Rumors are swirling, some even saying she's quitting."

Peyton, a bit lost on these corporate details, just smiled politely.

When they reached the top floor, she realized she didn't know the man's name. "I'm looking for a very handsome man, one of Emma's bosses. Do you know which office is his?" "A very handsome man and Emma's superior?"

The only exec known for his looks was Mr. Lynch, but he wasn't in today.

"You mean Mr. Lynch? He's not here today. He only comes in a few times a week, and we're not sure if he'll show up today."

"I'll wait for him here then," Peyton said, pointing to the guest lounge, feeling a bit shy.

"Go ahead, have a seat. I'll have someone bring you a glass of water."

"No, that's too kind, really, thank you."

Meanwhile, Dustin wasn't at Stellar Stage Entertainment that day but was out having drinks with Jaired. With Irene and Bryan being all

lovey-dovey, Jaired found Riddle net

family gatherings a snooze and ended up hanging out more with Dustin. Both single and not tied down like Andrew, they had plenty of time to spare.

Their table was crowded with liquor bottles, surrounded by other Beaconsfield elites. But in Dustin and Jaired's company, those folks were just background noise. Jaired noticed Dustin nursing a drink and couldn't help but ask, "It's been over a year since Mr. Lynch's last relationship. This must be your longest dry spell, huh?"

"No one's caught my eye," Dustin

said, setting his glass down. "Maybe

it's because Bri's so happy these days. Their little family is all

lovey-dovey, now off on a

honeymoon with Max. As here

brother, not having a solid

nov

relationship myself kind of makes

me feel like I'm being shown up."

Jaired could relate. Watching his brother and Irene so wrapped up in each other sometimes made him want to gouge his eyes out. But the thought of actually dating was even more unbearable. The real issue was, he had no clue what his type was, having never met anyone who sparked his interest.