Never Again Yours (Isadora and Magnus) novel Chapter 113

A flicker of hostility flashed in Elise’s eyes as she glared at the woman before her. “What are you doing here?”

Penelope Dawson stood tall and imperious, her presence radiating elegance and authority. She looked Elise up and down, taking in the gray dress paired with a knitted cardigan, the limited-edition designer handbag dangling from Elise’s left arm, and the travel mug she gripped in her right hand. Elise’s complexion was pale but rosy, her whole bearing that of an heiress—delicate yet unmistakably refined.

Penelope had heard the rumors. Word was, Magnus Wainwright had moved heaven and earth to save Elise by securing a heart transplant for her—and judging by Elise’s radiant health and graceful air now, it must have been true. Penelope knew all too well that this transformation was thanks to Magnus’s devotion. The talk around Capitol Hill was that Elise was Magnus’s favorite, and for once, gossip didn’t seem to be exaggerating.

Hot news had recently broken: M Boutique, an international luxury brand, was about to make its grand debut in the country. Every major retail group in Capitol Hill with any standing in malls or luxury shopping was scrambling for a piece of the action—including the Harrison family’s own upscale department store. Penelope had done her homework: the head of M Boutique was a close friend of Magnus Wainwright. If Magnus put in a good word, getting M Boutique into the Harrison family’s mall would be a done deal.

That was when Penelope remembered Elise—the Harrison family’s illegitimate daughter, a source of shame, someone her husband Jack Harrison never acknowledged or valued. Maybe Elise could finally be useful. Maybe, just maybe, she could convince Magnus to help the Harrisons land M Boutique.

That was the only reason Penelope had bothered to show up in person today.

Her eyes turned cold. “Is that any way to speak to your elders? You should be calling me Aunt Penelope.”

Elise let out a bitter laugh, her eyes rimmed with red, her voice icy. “Aunt? Did I hear you right, or did you misspeak? You used to wish I’d disappear forever—looked at me like I was nothing but a nuisance. And now you want me to call you Aunt Penelope? Did you take something weird this morning?”

In the past, Penelope had despised Elise and her mother, using every trick in the book to keep them under her thumb, while Elise’s own father, Jack Harrison, was too spineless to stand up to his wife. He’d simply turned a blind eye to everything Penelope did. Elise might have been the Harrison family’s daughter by blood, but she’d lived worse than a stray. If she hadn’t met Magnus, she’d probably be dead by now.