Chapter 675 Isadora: Maggie is Avery's Daughter 1
In the private dining room, Isadora found herself drifting off more than once while talking business with Samuel. She knew exactly why—Avery was still in her head.
Samuel cleared his throat. "What is it? Still can't get Avery out of your mind?"
Before she could deny it, he gave a knowing smile. "You two had a thing. No shame in still thinking about him. Sure, Avery's temper is hell, but the man's got the kind of face that makes women forget his faults. And the Montague family? Any woman marrying into that would be set for life. But from the look of it, that woman with him tonight doesn't stand a chance. Avery's got… particular tastes."
Samuel was Avery's former brother-in-law. They hadn't always gotten along, but he'd been close enough to know the man. His opinion carried weight.
Isadora laughed. "Didn't think you knew him this well. Taylor must have mentioned him a lot back then."
At the mention of his ex-wife, Samuel's expression dimmed. Whatever lightness had been in him slipped away.
Isadora was about to tease him when her phone rang on the table. The caller ID showed it was the nanny from Vesper City.
The woman's voice was urgent, "Ms. Penrose, you need to come right away. Maggie's spiked a high fever. I've had her at the hospital all afternoon, but they can't find the cause. The doctor says they need a family member here."
The words were careful, but Isadora heard what wasn't being said. The doctors suspected acute blood disease.
She told the nanny she'd come immediately and to stay calm. But the moment she hung up, her own calm cracked. She didn't call her assistant—she booked the ticket herself. Every flight to Vesper City was full. The earliest was past midnight.
She called the airline directly, but the answer was the same: no seats available.
Samuel had been listening, piecing things together. His mind reeled.
Isadora had a child in Vesper City.
And whose child could it be? He didn't know her past, but something in his gut told him—only Avery could have fathered a child with a woman like Isadora.
By chance, Samuel had business in Vesper City the next day. Now, it seemed the perfect moment to extend a favor. TaySam Tech's private jet could leave in two hours.
Isadora's relief was genuine. "Thank you, Mr. Collins."
Samuel looked at her, his thoughts tangled. "It's nothing. We almost became family once, remember?"
She didn't dwell on the remark. She was too busy being grateful.
Dinner ended. Avery's date had stormed out—another woman unwilling to tolerate his indifference.
At the register, the manager hovered nervously. "Did the menu suit you tonight, sir?"
Avery barely responded, his mind elsewhere. Outside, at the parking lot, he opened his car door and asked, almost casually, "Isadora and Samuel—did they finish their meal?"
The manager froze, then remembered the gossip. "They left after about ten minutes. Seemed urgent."
"Together?" Avery asked.
The manager nodded.
Avery's expression darkened. The manager felt the temperature drop but wasn't sure what he'd said wrong.
Avery slid into the black Bentley without another word.
The early spring air was biting, but he didn't start the engine. He lit a cigarette, the smoke curling in the cold air through the cracked window.
He sat there, thinking of Isadora. The good, the bad, the sweetness, the rage. And the truth he'd never admit: she was the only woman he'd ever had, in every way that mattered. She didn't care. Her world was bigger than him.
The thought made him furious. He told himself he hated her. But the truth was simpler—he wanted her and couldn't have her.
Vesper City.
The ferry horn echoed over the dark water. Isadora and Samuel parted ways at the dock. She was anxious to get to the hospital; he knew better than to intrude on a family matter.
"Thank you, Mr. Collins," she said, meaning it. "When we're back in Evergreen City, dinner's on me."
He smiled faintly and turned to leave. A photograph slipped from his coat pocket, catching the sunlight. Isadora bent to pick it up. Taylor's face stared back at her.
"You still love her?" she asked.
Samuel looked at the photo for a long moment before answering quietly, "Yeah. But it doesn't matter anymore. You can't live in the past forever. I'll find someone else eventually."
Still, Taylor would always be the brightest part of his life. Years from now, he'd remember her in the quiet of an old garden, under the shade of a tree, thinking of a time when everything felt possible.
Isadora reached the hospital.
The moment she opened the door, Maggie ran into her arms. "Mommy," she whispered, small and warm.
Isadora touched her forehead—burning hot. No matter how strong she was in business, the panic was instant. But she kept her head. Through Serafina's connections with the Windsor family, she found one of the best specialists in the city.
The doctor was as good as promised. No bone marrow biopsy was needed. It wasn't leukemia—just an acute infection. A week of treatment would see her well.
Isadora stayed in Vesper City. Maggie was still ill, but having her mother there made her glow. Even the nanny noticed.
Two days later, the fever broke. Isadora finally exhaled.
The afternoon heat pressed in. Maggie slept soundly, the only sounds the soft hum of the air conditioner and her steady breathing. Isadora used the quiet to catch up on work.
The door opened gently. The nanny looked flustered. "Ms. Penrose, there's a woman here who says she's your sister."
Isadora's head snapped up.
Serafina stood in the doorway, travel-worn. Her first words were blunt. "Who is Maggie's father?"
Isadora thought about lying, but Serafina wasn't someone she could fool.
Serafina stepped closer, stopping by the bed. She looked down at the sleeping girl—five years old, delicate features so much like Isadora's own childhood face. Her fingers trembled as she touched Maggie's cheek.
"Did you have her in college?" she asked.
Isadora, usually the one in control, felt her authority crumble.
After a pause, she admitted, "Yes. It was… an accident."
"Avery's child?" Serafina's voice was calm, but the question hit like a stone.
"Serafina!" Isadora's tone sharpened.
"Her eyes," Serafina said evenly, "are exactly like his."
Isadora had no defense. She joined her sister at the bedside, looking down at Maggie.
Her voice softened into the past. "I was still in school. Avery had just taken over the Montague Group. He was young, under pressure. We met through mutual friends at a dinner. That night, we both drank too much. Things happened.
"The next morning, I left before he woke. I doubt he remembered me—maybe just a vague image of a girl, nothing more. When I saw him again three years ago, he didn't recognize me. So I never told him about Maggie. There was no point."
Back then, with the Penrose family in chaos, she couldn't risk telling Avery—or the Montagues—that she'd had his child. With her family's reputation, she couldn't bear to think how they'd see her. Or Maggie.
What she didn't say—not even to Serafina—was that when she got pregnant, the man she loved was Jacob.
Serafina didn't press. She only looked at Maggie with something tender in her eyes. "Bring her back to Evergreen City. She shouldn't grow up here. She deserves sunshine, friends, a childhood without shadows."
She met Isadora's gaze. "I'll help you raise her."
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