Never Again Yours (Isadora and Magnus) novel Chapter 35

Isadora had barely stepped out of the hallway when she saw Richard emerging from his office, flanked by several executives and secretaries. They’d all heard Pearl’s shrill scream and come out to see what was going on.

Glancing over her shoulder, Isadora caught sight of Pearl, fists clenched, looking like she was ready to lunge at her. An idea flashed through Isadora’s mind; she put on her best frightened act and darted behind Richard for protection.

“Dad, Dad, I don’t know what’s gotten into Pearl—she just tried to hit me out of nowhere! Please, you have to help me!”

“You little brat, Isadora! Don’t run! I swear I’ll smash your face in today!” Pearl screeched, charging forward.

But she’d come barrelling out of the stairwell so fast that she didn’t realize how many people were watching until it was too late to stop. Dripping wet and reeking of sour milk tea, she made quite the spectacle—a fact not lost on Richard, who prided himself on appearances more than anything.

His voice rang out, stern and sharp. “Pearl, have you lost your mind? Enough! This is your workplace—get ahold of yourself!”

Pearl stared at Isadora, who was cowering behind Richard, playing the damsel in distress. Rage burned hotter in her chest. Sniffling, she jabbed an accusatory finger at her stepsister and shouted, “Dad, this isn’t my fault! Isadora spilled coffee all over me, then pulled a cup of milk tea straight out of the trash—”

Isadora cut her off with a wounded sigh. “That’s not what happened at all. Laird was carrying coffee and accidentally spilled a little on Pearl. Pearl overreacted and thought I’d put him up to it. She tried to throw her milk tea at me, but I moved, and she ended up drenching herself.”

Laird, standing off to the side, kept his head down and spoke up timidly. “Mr. Vaughan, I swear, I didn’t mean to spill coffee on Miss Pearl. It was an accident.”

“You liar, Isadora!” Pearl shrieked. “You’re making this up! Dad, don’t listen to her—it was all her doing—”

But a crowd was gathering, drawn by the commotion, and Richard’s scowl only deepened. “That’s enough, both of you. Pearl, this is an office, not a playground. You keep this up and I’ll have your mother cut off your allowance.”

That threat made Pearl freeze. No allowance meant no new designer bags, no Chanel, no shopping sprees in the city. She swallowed her anger, forcing herself to mutter, “Sorry, Dad. It won’t happen again.”

Isadora, standing nearby, smirked. Oh, so you know how to put on a show? Two can play at that game.

—

Wainwright Holdings.

Magnus shrugged off his suit jacket and tossed it onto the sofa. “Lean, get Hackett from Finance up here,” he instructed.

Within ten minutes, Hackett was standing before Magnus’s desk, glancing nervously at Lean as if to ask what this was about. Lean just shrugged, equally clueless.

Magnus sat back in his chair, his face unreadable, exuding a cold, commanding presence even in silence. After a moment, he finally spoke.

“Prepare a budget of five hundred million dollars for me. I want it ready as soon as possible.”