Never Again Yours (Isadora and Magnus)

Chapter 39

Victor kept his head down, scrawling his signature in an elegant flourish at the bottom of the document.

At the sound of footsteps, he looked up, half-expecting Isadora. But the woman standing in front of him was someone else entirely.

His brow furrowed, a shadow of annoyance crossing his face.

With a cool, measured voice, he asked, "Who are you?"

Pearl was momentarily stunned the instant Victor glanced her way—his striking good looks were almost disarming. He had fair, cool-toned skin, deep-set eyes, a sharp nose, and chiseled features. The corners of his eyes were long and narrow, and his lips-full and sensual-hinted at a quiet intensity.

Today, he wore a simple gray dress shirt, the top two buttons undone, sleeves rolled up to reveal strong, sculpted forearms. Even as he wrote, veins traced faint lines beneath his skin, giving him an air of restrained power.

Pearl's thoughts ran wild before she could stop herself.

What would it feel like to have those perfect hands wrapped around her waist? Or to be kissed by those devastating lips?

The idea sent a rush of heat through her body, making her blood hum.

"I-I'm Pearl, the daughter of the Vaughan family. From The Vaughan Group," she stammered.

impatient as he cast a

Superficial. Ordinary.

Utterly forgettable.

small nod. "Yes, that's me. The Vaughan family only has one daughter, after

out a cold, derisive laugh. "Imitations get copied so often that even the fake ones start believing

with embarrassment, and she hurried to defend

me, shaped my character, my manners-everything about me for the past twenty years. So

have cared less about

patience for people or things that didn't interest him. If he'd known it was this counterfeit

do you want from me today? Be

lack of true Vaughan blood. Bitterness welled up in her chest. If Isadora hadn't returned three years ago, no one would have called her a

She couldn't forget why she'd come

thing is, The Vaughan Group is working on a global project, but we're a bit short on funding. I was hoping

arms across his chest, his demeanor bored and indifferent. "And

Why, indeed?

had come

The Vaughan Group, but she'd made sure to keep herself informed. From her purse, she pulled out a detailed investment proposal and handed

to admit, it was thorough, and even Pearl found it impressive after reading through it. Otherwise, she never would have stooped to using Isadora's