Never Again Yours (Isadora and Magnus)

After she hung up, Isadora found herself drifting back to the previous night— waiting for Victor until, without realizing it, she'd dozed off.

Sunlight flooded the suite, painting the still-fresh flowers in vivid color. She hesitated, then finally dialed a number she hadn't called in ages.

Ring... ring...

After a few moments, the call connected.

Isadora gripped her phone tightly. "Vi-Victor, are you okay?"

There was a pause on the other end-several seconds of cold, heavy silence.

Then came a sharp, withered voice. "Isadora."

It was Deanna.

Isadora bit her lip, suddenly at a loss for words.

Deanna was half-reclined in a hospital bed, eyes rimmed red, her white hair in disarray. She'd collapsed the night before and had been rushed to the hospital. Victor had been running himself ragged taking care of her, barely leaving her side except for a brief moment when the hospital director needed to speak with him. He'd left his phone behind, and when it started ringing, Deanna noticed Isadora's name on the screen. Her eyes turned razor-sharp. She answered.

After losing Dorian, Deanna's nerves were already frayed. Isadora's call was the last straw. Fury flashed in her eyes, wild and unrestrained.

"Isadora, do you remember what you promised me?"

"You took thirty percent of the Vaughan family shares from me! You swore you'd stay away from my grandson. Why are you still clinging to him, breaking your word?"

"You filthy woman. Shameless, conniving, and now you're trying to use a pregnancy to claw your way into our family, is that it?"

"Let me make this clear: don't even think about it. If you want your child to be safe, you'd better stay as far away from Victor as possible. Otherwise, don't even dream about bringing that baby into this world!"

With that, Deanna ended the call, her hand trembling from the intensity of her outburst. She sat for a while, catching her breath.

Then she typed in a password she'd memorized long ago, and quietly deleted Isadora's call from Victor's phone. She was just about to set the phone back on the table, hoping no one would ever know.

But when she looked up, she froze. Victor was standing in the doorway-tall, imposing, one hand in his pocket. The color drained from Deanna's face. She clutched at her chest.

"Victor, darling... When did you get back?"

Victor's gaze was dark, unreadable. He stepped inside, calmly picked up his phone from the table, and turned it over in his hand.

"What did you delete?"

Deanna's eyes darted nervously. "Oh, I... I just noticed your phone was—"

Victor unlocked the phone, scrolling quickly. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but his sharp eyes stayed fixed on Deanna for several long seconds.

Under his piercing stare, Deanna fidgeted, pressing a trembling hand to her chest. "I'm not feeling well... My head hurts," she stammered.noveldrama

The butler, who'd been listening at the door, immediately called for a doctor and a

nurse.

Within minutes, the medical staff

arrived with their equipment. Victor stepped aside, arms folded,

watching as the doctors checked

Deanna's blood pressure an@gave

heran injection.

After a while, Deanna's color improved a little. Victor never took his eyes off her, his expression impossible to read.

"How is she?" he asked.

The doctor answered, "She's all right. Her blood pressure spiked, but it's nothing serious. At her age, she really shouldn't get so worked up."

Victor tapped his phone, dismissing the staff. "You can all leave now."

They filed out quietly, closing the door behind them.

Deanna forced a stiff smile. "Victor, your grandfather's gone. There must be so much at the company waiting for you. Why don't you go take care of it?"

Victor lifted his eyes, his voice cool and edged with a chilling authority. "Was that Isadora who just called me?"