“I’ve found out the name of the man Maximus plans to marry Isabella off to,” Hudson mentioned in the room, his gaze serious. He had been working endlessly to get the information. “His name is Silence.”
“Silence?” Tatiana exchanged a look with Cassius. He hadn’t heard that name before either.
“I know Silence,” Valentino’s voice sounded from the corner, his wolf sitting by his side.
“Who is he?” Jaxon asked.
“He’s a blue-eyed freak, like my bestie here.”
Cassius rolled his eyes. There he goes again.
Valentino stood and approached the table. “He’s unbeatable. Trust me, you don’t want to face him. The way he destroys his enemies is fucking ruthless.”
“That dangerous?” Hudson asked, and Valentino nodded with a serious look. Tatiana began to freak out bit by bit, but when she felt Cassius’ hand holding hers, she calmed slightly.
“What does he want?” Cassius asked Valentino.
“No one knows. He’s mysterious. No one knows where he’s from or who he really is. He’s like a shadow, with an army of his own. His identity is unpredictable, and he has no known weakness.”
Cassius thought for a while. “Sounds like an interesting person. But why would he want to collaborate with the Wallingtons?”
“Maybe for more power?” Jaxon suggested.
“No… he has enough already. He mostly works alone,” Valentino said, his eyes squinted as he tried to figure out the answer.
“And that man is marrying my sister?” Tatiana asked, her voice trembling. “We need to do something. If he’s that dangerous, he shouldn’t be an ally to Maximus.”
“That’s what baffles me,” Valentino said, looking at Cassius. “If Silence allies with the Wallingtons, this war will be tougher than you can imagine. Impossible for us to win.”
“Then we should stop the wedding. We can’t let them ally,” Hudson said.
“At all costs,” Valentino added.
“How? And when is it happening?” Tatiana asked.
“No clues yet, but it’ll happen soon. That’s what I’ve found,” Hudson replied.
“What about Maya? There’s no news about her?” Tatiana asked.
“She’s kept somewhere,” Hudson looked at Cassius, and he gave him a nod. “We’ve found where she is-an underground place. I’m still gathering more information.”
“They’ll be fine. Both sisters,” Cassius assured Tatiana, and she nodded, trusting him.
—
Isabella’s gaze was fixed on her reflection in the mirror, her heart racing at the thought of her marriage happening in just a few days.
She was marrying a man she knew nothing about, a man said to be dangerous, just like her father.
She hated herself for being weak, wishing she could escape this harsh world. As she stared at her reflection, all she saw was a woman trapped in the wicked clutch of her father. A prisoner with nowhere to run, a pawn to be sacrificed-just like Maximus had called her.
She knew the man arranged for her would be arriving soon, and she had to act fast before things got out of hand. But what could she do? She was under strict surveillance.
Her door swung open, shattering her thoughts and snapping her back to reality. She looked back and found Tristan staring at her with a smug look on his face.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Here to see you. Don’t you miss me?” he asked, his lips contorting into a mischievous smile as he slowly advanced toward her.
“Go away,” Isabella shifted back. Her back touched the table behind her, and she slowly reached for the pen on the table.
“C’mon, baby. I miss the way you moan my name…”
“I’m getting married,” she snapped at him, disgust swirling in her gaze. How could a man rape and constantly torment his own nieces? Isabella prayed day and night that Tristan wouldn’t turn out to be Elsa’s father.
“Do I look like I give a fuck about your marriage?” he asked, venom lacing his voice, sending a chill down Isabella’s spine.
He reached for her face and trailed his finger down her chest. Isabella’s grip on the pen tightened.
He spoke again. “Sadly, I can’t fuck you the way I want right now. Your father forbade it because of your marriage. Well, I have a gift for you, baby girl.”
“I don’t want any gift from you, asshole,” she clenched her jaw.
“Then you prefer I lock the door and teach you some respect in bed? Your father won’t listen to you. He’ll listen to me… don’t worry, I promise it won’t take long.”
Finally, Isabella gave in and followed him up to the room. As she stepped inside, she found a bandage on a table at the center of the room.
Tears slowly welled up in Isabella’s eyes, her breath hitched as she stared at the body laid before her.
‘I’ll find Tatiana, bring her to you, and make sure she finds a way to save you.’
Rosa’s words echoed in Isabella’s head.
“Fearless,” Isabella muttered, tears falling as her heart shattered into pieces. She stepped closer and reached for Rosa’s face. She wasn’t breathing.
She was dead.
“Do you like the gift?” Tristan’s voice sounded behind her.
With ragged breath, Isabella’s eyes snapped to him. “You killed her? Why?!”
“That’s for smashing a vase on my fucking head,” he said, and Isabella sobbed, holding Rosa’s hand. She then reached for the necklace around her own neck-the one Rosa had given her before leaving to find Tatiana.
‘Keep this until we meet again. Whenever you look at it, remember, help is coming, and you can’t give up… because you’re going to give me back my necklace,’ Rosa had said.
Isabella cried even more. Rosa had died because of her.
“She was innocent… Why did you have to kill her? You should have killed me instead!” she yelled.
“I’m glad you like your gift. I’m off, sweetheart… I kinda miss you, and once I return, I’ll have a taste of you.”
Isabella glared at him, disgust and anger swirling in her gaze. “I wish you’d never return… if God can hear me.”
“We’ll see about that,” Tristan smirked and left the room.