Never Again Yours (Isadora and Magnus) novel Chapter 24

Isadora let out a cold laugh. “The one who gets to bask in your affection and the Vaughan family fortune is Pearl, not me! Why should I be the one to marry for the sake of the family?”

“You… you ungrateful girl!” Richard’s face darkened. “This isn’t your decision to make! Unless you can find someone better than Magnus, you’ll marry him whether you like it or not.”

Eleanor quickly tried to calm him, smoothing his chest. “Please, Richard, don’t get so worked up—it’s not worth risking your health. Isadora’s been impossible lately; she talks to me the same way.”

After a long silence, Isadora finally looked up. “So as long as I find someone more impressive than Magnus, I don’t have to marry him?”

Richard snorted. “If you can manage that, I won’t force you to marry Magnus!”

But in Capitolion, only Victor—the crown prince—outranked Magnus, with a wealth and power that dwarfed even the Vaughans. Yet the Fitzgeralds were the pinnacle of high society; there was no way they’d ever even look twice at the Vaughans.

In other words, Isadora didn’t stand a chance.

—

Hospital.

Gideon finished setting Elise’s IV, then pulled Magnus out of the hospital room, unable to hide his frustration.

“Magnus, you know how fragile Elise is. Why would you let her go into the water? She nearly drowned tonight—she could have died at any moment!”

Magnus’s mind was still replaying Isadora’s words—“We’re even now.” A heavy, dark shadow clouded his face.

Being confronted now only soured his mood further. “And where were you, then? You’re supposed to be her doctor. I pay you a fortune to look after her, yet you let this happen?”

Gideon looked guilty. “You know as well as I do, Magnus—*you’re* the medicine Elise really needs.”

Magnus snorted in disdain. “Gideon, know your place. If you can’t stay professional, if you’re too emotionally involved, you’re welcome to go back to Argentia.”

With that, Magnus strode back into the room.

Elise lay in bed, pale and fragile. When Magnus entered, she opened her eyes and whispered weakly, “Magnus, did I cause you trouble tonight?”

Magnus stared at her, his gaze unreadable. “You shouldn’t have been there.”

“I just wanted to apologize, I—”