A pawn in her hands
Michael stood outside the Chairlady's office, his hands shaky. His face looked like he had come face to face with death as it was drained of all color. The last thing he expected to hear was Liam calling Catherine 'Mom'.
There had always been that connection but he chose to ignore it, he chose not to doubt Catherine even when everything pointed that she had lied to him. At that moment in front of her office, he connected the lines. Liam was Catherine's son, whom she had kept away because she didn't want Nicklaus to find out about him, for reasons he didn't know. She adopted him, in Liam's stead; she took care of him like her own son and made him the CEO, so any harm that wanted to come to Liam would be borne by him. He was just a pawn in her hands, one that she would surely get rid of when she didn't need him anymore.