Over the next few days, Isabelle discovered that she was becoming more and more alone in Liam's opulent home.
Her future spouse seems committed to keeping her secluded, away from curious eyes and possible dangers.
He would whisper, "It's for your protection, my dear," with a possessiveness that made Isabelle's skin crawl.
Isabelle was therefore forced to live in the opulent cage that was her new house, with Liam's crew always keeping an eye on and controlling everything she did.
One of these long, lonely days was marked by the appearance at her door of a well-known person from the past who posed a threat to the well-planned existence she had been thrown into.
"Isabelle? Is that you?"
Isabelle turned and saw the person who had that painfully familiar voice, her heart thumping in her chest.
"Max?" she exhaled, not believing what she saw.
Her oldest friend Max Callahan, the only person who had comprehended her love of art, was standing there, as dapper and modest as she recalled.
With a broad smile on his face, Max whispered, "It is you," drawing her into a cozy hug.
"God, it's been too long." Clinging to him, Isabelle felt a wave of emotions surge through her that she couldn't shake.
During the hard years when her work was her only comfort, Max had been her pillar of support and her constant friend.
It was a sobering reminder of all she had lost to see him here, in the luxurious prison she now called home.
Pulling back to examine his face, she managed to ask, "Max, what are you doing here?"
Max smiled, but there was a glimmer of sadness in his eyes.
"I work here. as a Callahan Enterprises consultant."
Isabelle's eyebrows furrowed in perplexity. "But... your last name..."
A realization emerged of Max's attributes. "I see your bewilderment, ah. My mother's maiden name was Callahan. Although we haven't been close in a long time, I am Liam's cousin."
At his comments, a weight appeared to be lifted from Isabelle's shoulders.
Naturally, Max served as a family member and a bridge to the outer world.
Muttering under her breath, her thoughts racing, "I had no idea you were related to Liam,"
Max's countenance deepened, his lips squeezing into a thin line.
"It's not something I promote, I promise. Let's just say that Liam and I have had our disagreements over the years."
Footsteps sounded down the corridor, approaching him before Isabelle could push him further.
She tightened instinctively, her body coiling tight as a spring.
However, it was Eliza, Liam's constant helper, who emerged from the corner, her countenance as calmly unimpressed as usual.
"Miss Marino," her eyes darting to Max. "I wasn't aware you had a visitor." Isabelle parted her lips to reply, but Max spoke first.
"Eliza," he murmured, his tone deliberately indifferent. "It's been a while."
Eliza's exquisitely curved eyebrows twitched upwards. "Yes, Mr. Callahan, it is. I had no idea that you were still actively involved in the business."
Max's look became more severe as his jaw clenched.
"Just because Liam and I don't see eye to eye doesn't mean I'm going to abandon my life's work."
There was a tense quiet between them that was full of unsaid tension.
Eliza seemed to gather herself at last, rubbing her hands over the silk of her immaculate skirt suit.
"Obviously," she muttered. Q"Okay, I'll let you catch up now. Miss Marino, Mr. Callahan will have dinner ready for you at eight o'clock."
That being said, she pivoted on her heel and slid off, leaving Isabelle with Max and an infinite amount of unsolved issues.
Max let out a deep, leisurely breath as soon as Eliza was out of sight, his shoulders drooping just a little bit.
"I apologize for that," he whispered, stroking his disheveled hair.
"Eliza and I have never really seen eye to eye." Isabelle's mind raced as she studied him.
"Max, what's happening here? If the two of you don't get along, why are you working for Liam?"
Max's eyes clouded over with a mixture of sorrow and guilt, his face growing painful.
"Isabelle, it's... complex. I haven't been on good terms with Liam for years, not when our father died."
He hesitated as if he was considering what to say.
"The reality is, Liam feels like I should be doing more for the firm.
He believes that I have wasted my potential and my destiny.
Isabelle's eyebrows furrowed in perplexity.
"However, like me, you're an artist. Why would he anticipate that you would enter the business world?"
Max's lips were pursed in a rueful smile.
"You would assume, wouldn't you? However, Liam has never shared my perspective. He views the arts as pointless endeavors that are a waste of time and money."
With a disengaged attitude, he shook his head. "For as long as I can remember, we have been engaged in a never-ending struggle of wills. And right now."
His eyes darted to Isabelle, glimmering with something close to sympathy.
"Now you've been dragged into the middle of it."
The weight of his words settled into Isabelle's chest, causing her heart to stammer.
She didn't want to be involved in the nasty family fight, but she was a pawn caught in the crossfire.
But before she could say anything about her worries, she heard footsteps echoing down the corridor once more, and this time there was a familiar, unsettling presence.
"Isabelle?" Liam broke the uneasy silence with his rich baritone. "What's going on here?"
With her heart racing through her ears, Isabelle turned to meet her soon-to-be husband.
With his brows focused in suspicion, Liam stepped in front of them, his massive bulk seemed to fill the entire corridor.
Max said, "Liam," in a cautiously neutral tone. "It's been a while."
Liam's mouth tenseed just a little bit as his eyes flitted between them.
"I see you two have become... reacquainted."
His comments had a distinct edge as if there was something sinister seething beneath the surface.
The air became so tense it could be cut with a knife, and Isabelle's stomach turned to knots.
With a controlled tone, Max said, "We're old friends, Liam. Surely you don't object to Isabelle having a familiar face around?"
Liam's face stayed enigmatic, his intense gaze staring into Isabelle's eyes and making her want to curl up.
"Of course not," he finally responded, using succinct, exact language. "However, I would prefer it if you limited the number of times you visited. We wouldn't want any unnecessary interruptions, would we?"
The danger, which was barely concealed, hung heavy and oppressive in the air.
With a sharp gulp, Isabelle's throat became parched.
"Of course not," she said, barely able to raise her voice above a whisper.
Liam continued to stare at her for a time without making any facial expressions.
Then he nodded curtly and turned to walk away, his footsteps resonating in the deafening silence like a funeral knell.
Max let out a deep, deliberate breath as soon as he was out of sight, his shoulders drooping just a little bit.
"Do you now understand what I mean?" His expression wounded him as he whispered. "Liam has a way of making everything a battle, a power play."
After the encounter, Isabelle's thoughts raced with a million questions and doubts.
But one thing was brutally obvious: she was a pawn in a game with greater stakes than she could have ever dreamed, caught up in a battle she didn't understand.
She also couldn't get rid of the sensation that the real danger was just getting started, even as the walls of her opulent cage appeared to close in around her.
In the chic, contemporary headquarters of Russo Enterprises located across the city, Damien Russo ambled through his lavish workspace, a menacing grin forming a curve in his mouth.
"Well?" he said, his irritation evident in his tone. "What have you learned?"
Rachel, his assistant, moved forward, holding a thin file in her well-groomed hands.
"It appears that the contemporary headquarters of Russo Enterprises is located across the city." Damien Russo ambled through his lavish workspace, a menacing grin forming a curve in his mouth.
"Well?" he said, his irritation evident in his tone.
"What have you learned?" Rachel, his assistant, moved forward, holding a thin file in her well-groomed hands.
"It seems our little bird has found herself a protector." Damien's eyebrows shot up in curiosity.
"Oh? Tell me, please. With a neutral demeanor, Rachel looked over the file.
"Max, the cousin of Liam Callahan, has entered the photo. The girl and he were kind of close." Damien's smile turned into a slow, content one.
"All right, all right. The stakes seem to have increased." There was a sinister glitter in his gaze. "I do enjoy playing multiplayer video games. Rachel, keep digging. I'm curious about every aspect of Max Callahan, including his secrets, shortcomings, and talents. Liam's world is going to be destroyed piece by piece by us."
Damien managed to smile cruelly and coldly as Rachel swept out of the room after giving a harsh nod.
No matter how many pawns he had to give up in the process, he had no intention of losing the game.