NovelUSAChapter 50 "What's your condition?" Victor's lips curled up, his words slow and deliberate. "Break up with Magnus. Stay far away from him." Isadora had ended things with Magnus ages ago, though nobody seemed willing to believe it.
Was this just another case of a man's damned possessiveness? Victor and Magnus were the heirs to two of Capitolion's most powerful and bitterly opposed dynasties. Maybe Victor just couldn't stand the idea of a woman he'd been with still being tangled up with his greatest rival.
Isadora nodded, agreeing without hesitation. "Fine. I'll break up with him." Victor narrowed his eyes, clearly surprised by how quickly she'd acquiesced.
He studied her closely, searching her face for any hint of hidden emotion-but got nothing.
Suddenly, a sharp bark shattered the tension in the garden.
Startled, Isadora instinctively pushed Victor away, worried someone might see them-even though this was Stratus Manor, and everyone here was on Victor's side. Still, she couldn't shake her discomfort.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtShe smoothed her dress and ran a hand through her hair, trying to regain her composure.
A big, fluffy golden retriever-freshly bathed, its white fur practically glowing- cbounding across the lawn toward them.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!" Behind the dog, Beatty jogged after it, breathless and flustered. "Slow down, Pudding! Wait up!" Watching that living ball of fluff tear across the grass like a streak of lightning, Isadora instinctively reached out her arms.
For the second tthat day, she was nearly bowled over by an enthusiastic, full- speed collision.
But this time, instead of falling backward, Victor caught her-and the dog-in one swift, steady motion, holding both securely in his arms.
He hefted her a bit, and with a teasing hint of disdain, remarked, "Isadora, do you ever eat? You're skinnier than Pudding." Skinny? She called this healthy.
She was five foot five and nearly a hundred pounds-perfectly average, thank you very much.
"Mr. Fitzgerald, you clearly don't understand. This is what we call the ideal figure," Isadora shot back.
"Is that so?" Victor raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I think you could stand to put on a little weight. It'd make you even nicer to hold." The nerve of this man! Isadora felt heat rising in her cheeks. She stepped aside and gently set Pudding down. The dog was certainly sturdy at least eighty pounds by the look of it—and had an endearing habit of launching itself onto anyone in sight.
If Pudding kept up this kind of greeting, Isadora suspected her poor back wouldn't last long.
She reached down to stroke Pudding's freshly washed fur; it was smooth and silky beneath her fingers.
"Pudding smells so good after a bath." The dog seemed to understand the compliment, responding by licking her hand with such enthusiasm that Isadora burst out laughing.
Victor eyed the dog's shameless display of affection and found himself irrationally annoyed. He nudged Pudding aside with his foot.
"Woof! Woof!" Pudding protested.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmVictor shot the dog a sideways glance. "Settle down, would you?" Isadora immediately shielded Pudding. "Don't be so harsh." Victor shrugged, a crooked smile on his face. "Harsh? You two have only known each other a few hours, and already it's like sepic love story." Isadora ignored him and turned her attention back to Pudding. "Pudding," she called.
"Woof! Woof!" "Pudding, go get your toy ball." "Woof! Woof!" Instantly, Pudding bolted off to the base of a nearby sycamore, grabbing the chew toy and trotting back with it proudly.
Isadora watched the dog's rapid obedience in amazement. "Wowm Pudding's so smalt He understands so many commands. Was he professionally trained?" "No," Victor replied.
"What?"
If he hadn't been trained, then this was genuinely impressive. Pudding not only understood human speech, but responded with surprising intelligence. Victor explained, "He just doesn't like strangers getting too close." Did that mean she was still a stranger? Yet Pudding seemed oddly attached to her, almost as if he'd known her forever.
Isadora wondered if it was because she'd always had a soft spot for om strays as a child, feeding and befriending every lost dog she met. Maybe that natural affinity was why Pudding took to her so quickly. Victor watched her, reading her thoughts with ease. Suddenly, he grinned. "Maybe you've just got that dog-mom scent Pudding can't resist." Isadora rolled her eyes. "..."
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