15. Game

Isabella is less than six steps away from James' mother, who is still raging and spouting barbarities about Maxmilian to the others present, when she feels someone tugging on her arm.

"Have you gone mad?", Maxwell practically growls in her ear, failing miserably to keep his facial features neutral.

The man's mother lets go, also enraged.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Funny, I could ask you the same damn question.

"I'm taking action about this outrage, of course! If that woman keeps talking, we could be in trouble."

"Forget that old woman, we have worse things to deal with," Maxwell says, his eyes startled.

Isabella immediately becomes worried.

"What happened?" she asks, looking away before adding, "Are Elena and Hector giving us trouble?"

"No. Maxmilian just entered the restricted area of the hall."

"What?"

"He just went through the curtains, Mama."

Exasperated, the woman takes a step toward the scene, but stops and talks back to Maxwell:

"The coffin is closed, we don't have to w