Isadora held the file folder in her hands but didn''t open it right away.
Deanna took a sip of her tea, watching her. "Go ahead. Take a look."
After a long pause, Isadora finally opened the folder and pulled out a document and a small recording device.
Deanna''s voice reached her ears:
"This document gives you thirty percent of The Vaughan Group''s shares. From this moment on, you''re thergest shareholder."
"And this recording—well, it''s a conversation between your dear friend Nte''s cheating boyfriend and another woman. If this gets out, I''m sure Nte''s name will be cleared, and she''ll get her life back."
Isadora''s fingers were icy and stiff as she gripped the papers, though deep down, she almost wanted tough.
The Fitzgerald family matriarch was every bit as formidable as the rumors suggested.
She''d dug into Isadora''s background with surgical precision-right down to knowing exactly what Isadora wanted most.
Without a second thought, Isadora stuffed everything back into the folder.
She leveled her gaze at Deanna, whose smile remained warm and grandmotherly. Isadora''s own voice was clear but edged with coldness. "Mrs. Fitzgerald, are you giving me these so I''ll leave Victor?"
Deanna set her teacup on the table, moving unhurriedly, and smiled again.
"It''s hardly scandalous for a man to have a few women in his life-especially a man like my grandson Victor."
"But love is one thing and marriage is another. I don''t mind if you stay by his side, but let me remind you: The Fitzgerald Group has a long-standing alliance with LS Capital Holdings. If you''re dreaming of bing Mrs. Fitzgerald, I''d advise you to let that idea go."
"I hope you understand your ce, Miss Vaughan."
A chill swept through Isadora, bone-deep.
She understood exactly what Deanna meant.
If she was willing to settle for being the woman in the shadows, the mistress who never made it into the spotlight, she could stay with Victor.
After Isadora left, the housekeeper, Pattie, gently massaged Deanna''s shoulders. "Why not just tell Isadora to leave the young master? Wouldn''t that be simpler?" Deanna shook her head. "You don''t understand. A gentle warning is always more effective than an outrightmand. After today, she''ll figure things out on her own."
"With Victor''s rebellious streak and the strained rtionship with his grandfather, if I pushed too hard, I''d only drive a wedge between us."
Isadora couldn''t even remember how she got home.
The folder on the table seemed to re at her, and she wanted nothing more than to throw it away.
She grabbed a bottle of cold water from the fridge and drained it in a single gulp. The chill hit her chest, soothing her nerves just a little.
After a while, Isadora opened herptop and listened to the recording.
Then she called Nte.
On the other end, Nte was out of breath.
"Hey, what''s up? I just finished my workout."
"I have a recording of Halley. It''s pretty clear-he was just ying you. If you
make this public, everyone will know you did nothing wrong."
Nte was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Where''d you get this? Don''t tell me you actually went to that prince of a man?"
"Don''t worry about it. As long as the recording helps you, that''s all that matters."
She hung up.
Isadora shoved the blue tie she''d bought—still in its packaging—into the bottom of her closet.
She ran a bath, sinking into the water until her mind was swirling with everything that had happened. Her thoughts finallynded on Deanna''s words: The Fitzgerald Group has a long-standing alliance with LS Capital Holdings. If you''re dreaming of bing Mrs. Fitzgerald, I''d advise you to let that idea go.
She shot upright in the tub, pushing the wet hair from her face, her eyes hollow. She''d known this all along.
So why did it still hurt so much?
After her bath, Isadora dried off and wrapped herself in a white towel before heading out to the living room.
Suddenly, she saw him.
Victor was loungingzily on the sofa, bent forward slightly, absorbed in the design book she''d left on the table. His head was bowed,pletely lost in the pages.