Never Again Yours (Isadora and Magnus) novel Chapter 4

Victor shot him a cold, dismissive glance.

He strode into the living room, grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the bar, and poured himself a full glass. Lifting it to his lips, he downed it in one go. The burn of the liquor finally cut through the syrupy afterglow of the night, jolting him awake.

Finley let out a teasing click of his tongue.

“Well, look at you. Guess a satisfied man doesn’t need the little help I brought, huh? Tell me, who’s the woman who finally managed to pluck our untouchable prince off his pedestal?”

Finley was dying of curiosity.

After all, Victor had a reputation in the business world for being ice-cold, ruthless, and sharp as a blade. Behind closed doors, though, he was nothing like the rest of their crowd.

For Finley and his friends, blowing off steam meant sipping drinks, flirting with actresses and models, maybe splurging on a wild night if the mood struck. Victor joined in occasionally, but he always craved something with a little more edge—racing, surfing, skydiving, boxing. Women, to him, were just a hassle he didn’t need.

Finley was about to give up hope of getting an answer when Victor set his empty glass on the counter. With a flick of his finger, he spun the tumbler, sending it whirling and scattering prisms of light across the marble surface.

His eyes were dark, unreadable. Casually, he said, “Isadora.”

Finley froze, caught off guard.

Of all people—her?

Isadora’s name had been making the rounds in high society lately. Not so much because of the Vaughan family’s pedigree, but because she happened to be Magnus’s fiancée.

Magnus was Victor’s archrival in business—both of them heirs to top-tier fortunes, but they ran in completely different circles. Recently, Magnus had been making headlines for throwing a lavish wedding, all in pursuit of his longtime crush, Elise. The whole city was gossiping about it, and poor Isadora—the official fiancée—had become the punchline of every joke.

Even Finley had heard the rumors.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Wait, are you messing with Magnus on purpose? If you wanted to get even with him, I’d have thought Elise would be your type. Isadora’s been out of favor for ages.”

Victor’s glare was sharp enough to cut through steel. Finley suddenly felt a cold sweat run down the back of his neck.

Victor scoffed. “Magnus? You really think I’d waste my time on him?”

Finley gave a sheepish laugh. “Of course not, you’ve got better things to do. It’s just…well, Isadora is his fiancée, and you and Isadora…that’s a bit…”

You’re not actually going to be the other man, are you?

He didn’t dare say that part aloud.