Isabelle slowly opened her eyes, groggily looking into her surroundings. Her head was pounding and her memories were hazy. Her head throbbed as recollections of an incident that occured before she passed out, seeped back, fragmented and out of order.
Panic set in as she scrambled to sit up when a huge wave of dizziness hit her, forcing her back down. Her eyes widened as she heard some voices approaching. She knew she had been kidnapped, but by who?…. Who was after her life and why?
As the voices got closer, she was able to recognize one as the lady she had met in the restroom. She silently laid back on the cold floor and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep while peeping lightly.
“Was taking our clients so long?” One of the male voices expressed his dissatisfaction. “I can’t miss the club party for anything”
“You fool, what exactly is your problem, Raven,…. Can’t you go a day without clubbing?” The familiar female voice lamented against the man who had spoken earlier. “We can’t leave this place until the clients arrive… Specter, say something”
The third person sighed deeply, obviously bored and tired of listening to their rambling. “No one is leaving until the captive is delivered to its owner, so you both should compose yourself” his voice rang with laziness but was laced with a hint of seriousness.
The other two quieted down immediately they heard his words, a sign that the silent one named Specter, was their leader.
“Someone is coming” Empress whispered to the two men who took a fighting stance. “No, they are two, it must be the clients we’re waiting for” she added after listening carefully to their footsteps.
“Just get ready, it might be an enemy,” Specter said, his voice laced with warning as he slipped a bullet into the pistol in his hands. “They are here”
“Hello! Don’t shoot, it’s us” a man’s voice yelled as he walked into the light with his partner by his side, their hands up to show they had nothing dangerous on them.
“Mr. Brenett, Mr. Max, welcome… We’ve been expecting you” Specter welcomed them in recognition. “Your package is ready for delivery”
“Oh! Is that so?” Kyle asked with excitement in his voice as he tilted his head towards his partner. “Did you hear that, Max?.. your priceless possession is here”
“Where is she?” Max asked, his tone sounding impatient as he darted around the dimly lit room. “I hope she isn’t hurt”
“No, she isn’t” Specter replied with an assuring tone as he pointed towards the spot Isabelle was lying pretentiously asleep. “We brought her here in one piece”
Anger surged through Max’s heart as he gazed at Isabelle’s spot. “Why is she lying on a cold floor?… I specifically told you to treat her well” he roared angrily at them.
“Well, it’s not like we have a bed in here or something” the dumb Raven chipped in, his voice carrying a hint of sarcasm. “It’s not even our base”
Max flared up in anger at the words he heard and walked towards the guy who had uttered them but was intercepted by Kyle who chided him saying, “Keep your anger in check, Max. This is not the time to fight”
“I’m sorry for my partner’s rude behavior, sir. “Specter immediately apologized while throwing a kill glance at Raven who was shaken in fear. “Please, accept our sincere apology”
“Haha,” Kyle laughed humorously at the weird expression on Specter’s face. “It’s fine. I already sent your balance for the job well done”
“Thank you, sir” the trio expressed their gratitude in unison, happiness evident in their voice as they made way for Max who walked over to Isabelle’s spot and pushed her hair backward with a serene gaze lingering on her.
“Isabelle” he whispered, a wide smile curving on his lips as he noticed the twitching of her eyebrows which gave her pretense away. “I know you’re awake, Isabelle”
Knowing she had been found out, Isabelle slowly opened her eyes to see the faces of then she loathed deeply for making her go through all the pains she had experienced. She had been listening to their conversation and was greatly stunned that Max and Kyle were working hand in hand against her and Liam.
“Let go of me” Isabelle grumbled to Max who held her chin upwards. “You must be crazy if you think I’ll still love you after destroying the only thing I cherish”
Max roared out in laughter as if what she said was funny. He looked into her eyes and said, “From now on, I’ll be the only man you will cherish for the rest of your life. Even if it means making you forget him, I’ll gladly take such actions.”
Isabelle felt her bones shiver in fear as she felt the chills from his words. “Don’t you dare try anything stupid with my memories.. no matter how hard you try, I’ll never have feelings for you” she spat into his face, tears trickling down her face as she stared at him with deep hatred in her eyes which hurt Max’s heart.
He pushed her chin away and slapped her hard on the face, yelling back at her. “Whether you like it all or not, you’re mine now. I’m going to make sure that lover of yours goes down with everything he has and you will be by my side to watch him fall”
“You lie” Isabelle shouted, causing herself to choke on her tears. “Liam won’t let you overthrow him”
“I don’t need his permission to overthrow him, I can do that if I want to, and I’m going to”Max retorted with mockery in his voice.
“She’s quite stubborn, isn’t she?” Kyle chipped in from his spot. “Liam sure was dealing with a handful”
“Ugh… Who cares?” Max scoffed as he made to carry Isabelle who abruptly bit him on his hands. Out of anger, Max hit her head on the ground, knocking her out and placing her on his shoulder.
“In my whole dealing with women, you’ve proven to be the most troublesome one among them” Max muttered to the unconscious Isabelle, his voice filled with irritation as he walked towards the kidnappers and said, “I’m pretty sure the payment is enough for you to get out of town. Like I said, do not underestimate Liam Callahan. If he finds you, then you’re as good as gone”
In that instant, they all dispersed into the darkness, to their various destination.