Never Again Yours (Isadora and Magnus) novel Chapter 138

The private lounge was a kaleidoscope of flashing lights and pounding music, wild and dizzying. Half-empty bottles of expensive liquor littered every surface.

Nanette, only tipsy for now, spotted Magnus sprawled on one of the sofas. She gave a cold, sarcastic smile.

Leaning close to Isadora’s ear, she muttered, “Don’t worry, hon. I’ve got your back tonight.”

Isadora sighed, thinking wryly, Who’s protecting who here? Nanette’s drinking habits were notorious, and not in a good way.

As Sammy ushered Isadora and the others inside, Scales—already halfway to planting a kiss on the cheek of the woman beside him—froze mid-motion.

“Well, if it isn’t the famous Miss Vaughan,” he drawled. “Didn’t you and Magnus call it quits? What’s this, trying to win him back at my birthday party?”

Magnus’s eyes were dark, his face unreadable beneath the club’s shifting lights. He just stared straight at the woman standing in the doorway.

Sammy shot Scales a warning glance, then smiled. “Isadora’s my friend. I invited her.”

Scales was the spoiled only son of the Donovan family, his father’s beloved late-life child—pampered beyond belief. He’d always had a rakish, devil-may-care air about him. And if there was anyone he admired, it was Magnus. He’d defend him in a heartbeat.

So when Isadora broke things off with Magnus, Scales was the first to sneer at her—fake and two-faced, in his view.

“Invited, huh? Back when Magnus ignored her, she’d pester you for scraps of info about him. Now she regrets it, and here she is, up to her old tricks again.”

Nanette wasn’t having it. Her voice, slurred and sharp, cut through the room. “Did you eat garbage for dinner? Every word out of your mouth stinks up the place. Get back together? In your dreams.”

“Oh please,” Scales shot back, “maybe you should worry about your own mess. All those tabloid scandals—can’t imagine what kind of guy would ever go for you.”

Nanette sneered. “Even if I did, I’d never look twice at a jerk like you.”

Isadora kept an eye on her friend, occasionally glancing at the crowd on the dance floor, deliberately ignoring the man across the room. Exes, especially those who’d split this messily, were better off pretending the other didn’t exist.

But even so, Isadora could feel it—Magnus’s gaze, hot and scrutinizing, burning into her skin. It made her uneasy.

The drinks kept coming.

Then, just as a new song began to throb through the speakers, the door swung open. Elise strode in, oblivious to everyone else.

Tonight, Elise looked nothing like her usual self. She wore a plunging lace mini-dress, the deep V neckline showing off a scandalous amount of skin. The contrast between her innocent face and her bombshell figure was pure temptation—clearly, she’d dressed to impress.

A low whistle sounded from across the room, but Elise ignored it. She headed straight for Magnus and slid onto the couch beside him, sitting a touch too close.

Magnus frowned but said nothing. His eyes drifted back to Isadora. In the flickering lights, her pale face was calm—so calm, it was impossible to tell what she was feeling.