Magnus truly thought Ivy's plan would hold. That this cold, controlled Emperor, would eventually lose his heart entirely to her, the way Magnus himself had lost his long ago.
The plan had been meticulous and the execution flawless. They had cornered him, seduced him, drawn him to the edge and pushed him over.
And yet now, standing here, Magnus realized he had underestimated Damon Iondora's capacity for control. The man had not broken and instead, he had calmly laid his weakness bare before the woman he intended to marry.
He had handed her the knife and bared his throat, all to ensure the stability of his own cage. That marriage would last, and the Empress would have too much control over the Emperor, because Damon let her.
If this was the kind of Emperor they were dealing with, a man who would rather chain himself to a loveless marriage than risk the fire of love, then Ivy's plan would never work.
