Never Again Yours (Isadora and Magnus) novel Chapter 63

Since adding Victor’s contact info the other day, Isadora had barely glanced at it.

Now, on a whim, she opened his social feed, scrolling all the way down like a clueless guy trying to figure out social media.

His profile was refreshingly simple.

Almost every post was a link to something about The Fitzgerald Group.

No selfies—but here and there, a few adorable photos of Pudding.

She backed out of Victor’s page and started typing:

*Thank you for today. Are you free tonight? Dinner’s on me.*

Staring at the words “Dinner’s on me,” Isadora suddenly felt awkward.

She deleted a few words, hesitated, then added:

*Dinner for you and Pudding, my treat.*

Her phone chimed almost instantly.

Victor replied right away:

*Someone’s in a good mood today.*

A small smile played on Isadora’s lips.

Isadora: *I owe it to the prince himself—The Global Project got funded, and I got exactly what I wanted.*

Victor was well aware of everything that had gone down at The Vaughan Group today. Paige Dawson had come back and given him a full report.

He didn’t mind that Isadora used him. In fact, he hoped she’d come to rely on him, step by step. But this time, he wanted her to take the initiative and step into his world.

Victor: *That much luck, and you think dinner is enough of a thank you?*

Isadora paused, genuinely considering it. With Victor’s help, she’d secured thirty percent of the shares today—dinner did seem a little stingy.

Isadora: *How about two dinners, then?*

Victor: *If those two dinners are at your place, you’ve got a deal.*

...

As Isadora read the words “at your place,” her heart skipped a beat.

Was he really just talking about dinner? Or was this his way of hinting at something more?

She took a long drink of ice water, hoping the chill would steady her racing pulse.

Isadora: *My place is tiny—hardly fit for someone of your stature.*

Suddenly, there was a knock at the office door.

Janet poked her head in. “Ms. Vaughan, your meeting is about to start.”

Only then did Isadora remember the marketing meeting she was supposed to attend. She’d gotten so caught up messaging Victor, she’d lost track of time.

“Thank you,” she replied, standing and grabbing her files and laptop.

Her phone buzzed with another message.

She couldn’t resist checking.

Victor: *So, it’s fine for you to be beautiful, but I can’t have beautiful thoughts?*

At that, Isadora couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter.

Janet, still waiting by the door, stared at her boss as if she’d discovered a new continent. In all her time at the company, she’d never seen Isadora—always the consummate professional—smile like that, her cheeks tinged with embarrassment.

Janet had heard that Isadora was engaged, but she’d never once seen the mysterious fiancé drop by, nor had she ever witnessed Isadora chatting with him the way she was now, light and lively.

She’d always assumed it was just a business arrangement between wealthy families, with no real affection.

Had something changed with Isadora’s fiancé?

Suddenly, Isadora remembered—her conversations with Magnus had always been one-sided. If he replied at all, it was a minor miracle; sometimes he’d go days, even weeks, without responding. Once, during a particularly busy project, she hadn’t seen him for almost two weeks.