"What? After everything she''s done, you still won''t break up with her? Magnus, you must be out of your mind."
Magnus stood up abruptly, unwilling to listen to Faustina''s nagging any longer.
"As the heir to the Wainwright family, I''ll do what''s expected of me. But my marriage is none of your business. And stop harassing Isadora."
With that, Magnus strode out of the conference room, leaving Faustina alone.
"Magnus! Magnus, sweetheart-how is this my fault? She''s the one who embarrassed your mother in front of everyone today, not me.”
Faustina hade to Magnus hoping for some support, never expecting him to refuse to break up and even me her for making trouble for Isadora. Isadora must have cast some kind of spell on him, she thought bitterly.
Magnus summoned Lean.
"Has LA Wedding finalized the dress design?"
"It''s ready,” Lean replied. "The ''True Heart'' engagement ring and ne from Northmarch''s next jewelry collection have also been auctioned off. We''re just waiting for Miss Isadora toe in for her fitting."
The ''True Heart'' set had once belonged to a Northmarch duchess in the old days. Winning that auction had cost a cool five million.
Just then, Magnus''s phone rang. Elise was calling.
He answered.
"Magnus, I was bored this morning and tried my hand at making dessert. Want toe by and taste it?"
Elise''s voice was bright with hope.
"Not today," Magnus replied tly.
She was clearly disappointed. "Is something going on?"
Magnus hesitated for a second. "Isadora''s going for her wedding dress fitting today."
Elise froze, her hand clutching the phone.
A wedding dress fitting? Did that mean the date was set?
She spoke quickly, "Magnus, I know I''m asking a lot, but my transnt is
scheduled for next week. Can you wait until after the surgery for the fitting?"
Magnus''s tone turned cold. "Elise, the transnt is about your health. Don''t use it as leverage. Gideon will take good care of you."
With that, he hung up.
Staring at her silent phone, Elise tossed it onto the bed in frustration.
Magnus had spent the night with her yesterday, but he''d been distracted the whole time. The moment her condition seemed stable, he''d tried to leave, and only her tears and pleas had kept him there.
She could feel it-Magnus no longer cared for her the way he used to.
No. If things kept going like this, Magnus would end up choosing Isadora.
Gideon entered the hospital room just then and found Elise perched on the sofa, brows knitted, her face pale, her dark hair cascading down her chest—a picture of delicate misery.
His heart clenched.
"Elise, it''s time for your medication."
"Gideon, Magnus is taking Isadora for her wedding fitting. Where are they going? I need to stop them."
Gideon hurried to calm her. "Elise, you''re about to have your surgery. You can''t get worked up."
"If Magnus marries that woman, it won''t matter if my heart is fixed—I''ll have nothing left."
Gideon couldn''t help bursting out, "Do you know how much money and effort went into finding a matching donor? How many people never even get the chance? You''re lucky, Elise."
Tears rolled silently down Elise''s cheeks, and Gideon''s anger melted into pity.
"I''m sorry, Gideon. I just... I love Magnus too much. I''m afraid that once I recover, he''ll stop visiting me altogether."
"He won''t," Gideon said gently. "He wants you to get better. Ever since you came back, he''s always been there for you. He cares about you, Elise."
She wiped her tears.
"You''re right. Magnus has always been good to me. If I want to deserve him, I need to get better."
Gideon sighed softly and reached out, running a hand gently through her hair. Elise, if only you''d realize there are other people in the world worth seeing.
Meanwhile, Isadora returned to The Vaughan Group. Sitting at her desk, she saw the notification-four billion dors in investment funds had just been approved and deposited.