"No."
Isadora had no intention of thinking about him.
"But I miss you. Isadora, you hear me?"
She caught the look in his eyes-dark and fathomless, like a midnight whirlpool. It felt as if she could tumble right into his gaze and disappear.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Then, with an easy, teasing smile, he added, "All I can think about tonight is you. What am I supposed to do about that?"
Of course she should''ve known better than to trust a word he said!
*
After hanging up, Victor''s lips curled in a faint, amused smile.
His assistant, Kemp, knocked politely before stepping in and offering a stack of documents with the deference reserved for someone far above his pay grade.
Victor strode to his desk, uncapped a pen, and signed his name at the end of the contract. Without looking up, he passed the papers back and asked, "Has my flight home on Friday been booked?"
Kemp took the file, hesitated, then gave a quiet nod.
A crisis at the regional branch had pulled Victor out of town, and there was more
on his te than any sane person would take on. Wrapping it all up in a week was ambitious, to say the least.
But since arriving, Victor had worked around the clock, somehowpressing a week''s worth of chaos into four relentless days.
And he was determined to be home before the weekend.
Clearly, something important was waiting for him.
Still, when your orders came from Victor''s grandfather-Dorian Fitzgerald himself there was only so much you could ignore.
After a moment''s hesitation, Kemp spoke up:
"Mr. Fitzgerald, Gemma Lennox-the granddaughter of LS Capital Holdings'' chairman has her graduation ceremony at Harvard this week. Mr. Dorian wanted me to remind you... that you''re expected to attend before heading back."
Kemp''s voice shrank under Victor''s icy re.
Victor''s gaze was unreadable as he looked up. "My grandfather''s orders?"
Kemp stood even straighter. "Yes, sir."
Victor gave a cold, dismissive snort. "Remind me, Kemp-are you working for me, or for him?"
"For you, Mr. Fitzgerald."
"My employee? Then why are you rying his orders to me?"
The chill in Victor''s voice made Kemp feel as if someone had just walked over his grave.
With extra caution, Kemp replied, "Sir, I meant no disrespect."
Victor''s lips twitched in a wry smile. "No disrespect? You seem awfully bold to me. What''s next, are you nning to block my ne on the tarmac?"
Kemp swallowed hard. "...Of course not, sir."
As if he''d ever dare-he was simply passing along the old man''s message. How had he be the viin in all this?
Kemp pressed his lips together. "I understand, sir. I''ll take care of it."
In the end, Victor stuck to his original n and booked his return for Friday.
But news travels fast-especially when Dorian Fitzgerald is involved.
It wasn''t long before Victor got a call from his grandfather.
Dorian''s voice was raspy with age but carried the authority of a man who''d never been refused.
"Victor, Gemma Lennox is your fiancée. Her graduation is an important milestone. If you don''t show up, both the chairman of LS Capital Holdings and I will take it as a personal slight."
Victor pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek, picked up his ss of red wine, and took a slow sip. His eyes were cool, hisugh colder still.
"Oh, I see. The engagement was set up by you and her grandfather, but now you want me to do all the legwork? You really do have a talent for making deals, Grandpa-forced marriage and all."
Dorian''s frown deepened. This grandson always managed to get under his skin.
"The Fitzgerald family has spent a century building our legacy. The Fitzgerald Group is unmatched in Capitolion, and LS Capital Holdings is a European powerhouse on par with us. It''s a perfect match-your fiancée wasn''t chosen lightly."
Victor''s voice was casual, almost mocking. "A perfect match, is it? Maybe you should just marry her yourself, Grandpa-I wouldn''t mind weing a new grandmother."
"You insolent brat! Do you even hear yourself?"