Never Again Yours (Isadora and Magnus) novel Chapter 245

Isadora could hear the mockery in Victor’s tone.

She bit her lower lip, her voice quiet as she spoke. “When I first met Rowena, I hadn’t even been reunited with the Vaughan family yet. Back then, I loved painting, and it was Rowena who asked her mentor to include me in lessons.”

“I had to work part-time jobs to get by, and Rowena was always worried I’d fall behind. She’d find all sorts of excuses to buy my hours so I wouldn’t have to work as much.”

“A lot of our classmates would whisper behind my back, saying I was only trying to get close to her. But Rowena always stood up for me, always defended me from their gossip.”

As Isadora spoke, wave after wave of old memories came rushing back.

Rowena really had helped her so much back then.

She was one of the few people who’d ever shown her real warmth.

Isadora had always been someone to see the world in black and white.

If someone was kind to her, she’d repay them threefold.

But if someone crossed her, she wouldn’t just sit back and take it.

She glanced at Victor, who was still focused on the road.

Dappled sunlight flickered through the trees outside, painting shifting shadows across his sharp features. With his long, dark lashes, it was impossible to read his expression as he stared straight ahead.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Isadora turned her gaze forward, her voice faint as she said, “You’ve always had everything—born with a silver spoon, never had to worry where your next meal would come from. Of course you can’t understand feelings like these.”

Victor flicked his eyes toward her, catching the frustration on her face.

With a smirk, he reached over and pinched her cheek, teasing, “Did I say I wouldn’t help you? Is that why you’re pouting?”

“You didn’t say you *would* help, either,” she shot back. “And from the way you were talking, it sounded like you thought my investment was a waste.”

Victor’s gaze returned to the road, his expression unreadable. He tapped the steering wheel with his fingers. “To be honest, it *is* a waste. Why pour money into a failing design studio when you could just start your own?”