Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

"Smack!"

Emma's hand flew up and delivered a sharp slap across Leona's face. Leona's head snapped to the side, so stunned that she couldn't react at first. She had been pampered all her life, always getting what she wanted. Her parents had never laid a hand on her, and now Touching her swollen cheek, fury ignited within her. She was ready to lunge at Emma.

this nobody had the nerve to slap her.

"You trash! I'll kill you!"

"If anything happens to my mom, it's you I'm coming after!"

Emma's face was a mask of rage, her eyes burning with intensity. Leona had never seen such a murderous look before. It was as if Emma would really get physical if the cops weren't around.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

She was scared, but her pride wouldn't let her back down.

"You just wait. You'll see how I'll make you pay."

The police officer quickly intervened. "Knock it off, or I'll haul both of you down to the station!"

Emma and Leona finally shut up, but the hostility in their glares remained. After the police sent someone to find Peyton, Emma shot Leona one last searing look before heading off.

Meanwhile, Peyton was still sitting on the same bench, dizzy with hunger. She had never been to a mall before, and this one was all about luxury brands, with food courts nowhere to be found on the first floor. After wandering around without finding any place to eat, she had no choice but to return to the bench.

This was the most frightened Peyton had ever felt, almost suffocated by the concrete jungle around her. She started to feel the chill seep into her bones. The sales ladies she encountered had been dismissive, glancing at her from head to toe before shooing her away impatiently.

Someone had kindly told her the food court was on the second floor, but the idea of getting into that tiny, claustrophobic elevator was too much for her, so she retreated. Now, cold and hungry, she curled up on the bench, planning to rough it out for the night. Surely, if Emma realized she was missing, she would call the police? Yes, the police would help her.

Peyton stood up. With no phone and too shy to ask strangers for help, she waited until darkness fell, becoming more and more anxious until she could hardly speak. She positioned herself under the bright lights at the mall entrance, hoping her daughter would find her. As the mall began to close at 10 p.m., the diminishing crowd and the growing unease nearly made her faint. So hungry, so tired.

"Mom!"

Hearing that voice jolted her, and she looked up to see Emma striding over, her face covered in sweat and her lips chapped from dehydration. Seeing her, Peyton burst into tears.

Emma felt terrible. It was her idea to come to Beaconsfield, which had thrown her mother, who'd never left their small town, into such distress.

"It's okay now. We're going home."

A few police officers were behind Emma, all wearing expressions of fatigue. Emma quickly expressed her gratitude.

"Thank you, thank you so much. We found her."

Peyton felt a wave of relief seeing

the uniforms, a deep-seated trust in their authority comforting her.

"Thank you, officers. Really, thank

you."

The police were also relieved. "Glad you found her. Head home, Ms. Emma. You've had a long day. Get some rest."

Emma and Peyton were escorted home in a police car, Peyton's stomach growling loudly. Ashamed, she pretended her stomach ached, clutching it. "Mom, does your stomach hurt?"

Too embarrassed to admit she was just hungry, Peyton murmured, "It hurts."

"I'll stop and get you some medicine."

Worried about the expense, Peyton quickly demurred, "No, rest will do."

She whispered to Emma, "Actually, I'm just really hungry. Haven't eaten all day, and I'm thirsty."

Emma's eyes immediately welled up. "We'll eat as soon as we get home."

Peyton brightened. "Okay. Oh, did I mess up your livestream today? Did it affect your rankings?"

Her understanding of livestreaming was vague, but she knew it was important to her daughter. "No, I took the day off."

Emma lied, not wanting to burden her mother. In truth, she had missed an entire day of streaming, and with the other streamers already a day ahead, catching up now seemed impossible.

Back at their place, Emma found the herbs she had laid out to dry scattered and trampled - clearly Leona's doing. Without a word, she first prepared something for Peyton to eat, then collected the herbs from the ground. They were still usable, after all.

It was already midnight, too late to start streaming. When the official rankings were updated, Emma was far behind, now almost at the very bottom.