Chapter 20 Secrets And Threats

• Liam sat at his fancy mahogany desk. It was a sign of his success in the tough world of money. But it felt like a jail cell to him. The air was heavy with the smell of expensive leather and the quiet hum of the city outside. Liam could only stare at the pattern of the wood grain. He could "t focus on anything else. The weight of his worries was crushing him, like a heavy cloak that made it hard to breathe.
• He wasn't supposed to be here. He should be at Isabelle's side, celebrating their engagement, basking in the glow of their shared future. But instead, the thought of her, his fiancée, his supposed soulmate, gnawed at his insides. He couldn't shake the image of her, her laughter ringing in his ears, her hand intertwined with that of his cousin Max, the betrayal a bitter sting on his tongue.
• He remembered the warning he had given Max, his voice laced with barely contained rage. "Stay away from her, Max." he'd said, the words heavy with unspoken threats. The icy blue of Max's eyes had seemed to shimmer with defiance, but Liam had been resolute, his resolve unshakeable. He had sworn to himself that he would never let his family, his legacy, be tainted by the treachery of a man he once considered a brother.