ILONA ANDREWS

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Corporate Agility

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We are waiting on the edit of Maggie, and as I explained to my therapist yesterday, everything is too hard. Folding laundry? Too hard. Going for a walk? Too hard. Driving? Definitely too hard. However, some signs of brain activity are returning, so here is a tiny scene for you.

 “As you know, Maria, the current state of the economy requires our company to develop agility in an effort to meet the rapidly changing realities of the marketplace.”

The HR manager smiled, her hand resting on a black folder with FINERGY etched in gold on it.  She was in her forties.  Her makeup was applied with technical precision. Her acrylic nails, translucent pink and of professionally acceptable length, bore small white snowflakes, a nod to the holiday season. A rose quartz necklace dripped from her neck, each bead polished, matching the nails and the nearly transparent pink frames of her eyeglasses.

She seemed plastic, poured into a corporate mold, allowed to harden, extracted, polished, and then placed in the conference room, with her rigid smile and by the book hair. A kind of generic mass-produced manager.

The two men sitting on either side of her had come from the same factory and wore identical expressions of a dutiful concern for the office drone they were about to cut loose.  A united front, in case there were issues.

“In light of these developments, we’ve had to make some difficult decisions.”

 The corporate we. Fun things about polished plastic – it tended to be slick.  Nothing stuck to it, responsibility included.

“We’ve decided to go in a different direction, Maria.”

First name basis, designed to provide an illusion of a personal relationship.  We are all family here. Surely you understand, Maria.  Nothing personal, Maria.

“You’ve been an asset to our team; however, we must reduce our overhead obligations.”

You are not a person, Maria. This was ridiculously badly handled. Painfully drawn out, full of empty platitudes. Just abysmal.

“We have chosen to let you go.”

Finally.

“Try to not see this as a setback, but rather a new opportunity to learn lessons and apply them in your future endeavors.”

No, not just badly handled.  Gloriously badly handled, as if they had made it a point to hit every checkmark of what not to do when firing an employee. Now tell me you will walk me to the door…

“Cory will walk you to the door.”

And we have a home run.

“Good luck, Maria.  We are rooting for you.”

The temptation to offer a golf-clap applause was almost too much, but it would’ve been irresponsible under the circumstances. Arrangements like these came with certain expectations, and they had to be honored.

The box they offered was too large for the meager possessions living on the desk. Sweeping them into the box under Cory’s watchful gaze took mere seconds.  An elevator ride followed, the mirror inside offering a reflection of Cory, stone faced in a Brooks Brothers suit, looming over a woman in her thirties, olive skinned, dark hair cut in a bob, Harper blouse from Torrid a size too large. Quite the contrast.

The trek across a wide lobby was next, complete with pitying glances from former co-workers, at once sympathetic and wary, as if instead of a tired woman in business attire they had spied a leper in filthy rags and worried the disease might spread.

The glass doors of Callas Tower swung open, offering freedom and sunshine. Cory walked out and planted himself in front of the door ready to put his life on the line for the protection of corporate secrets in a case the ex-employee decided to storm the door.

Too little, too late. Heh.

It was time for the dejected walk down the street and out of sight.

The city was going about its business, oblivious to the small tragedies of firings in the name of corporate agility. Thick grey clouds clogged the sky.  It would start drizzling soon.

A gunmetal grey BMW iX slid closer to the curb, whisper quiet as only electric vehicles could be. The rear passenger window rolled down, revealing a woman’s face. She was quite beautiful in a quiet way.  Light brown eyes, flecked with gold and framed by naturally long eyelashes.  A lovely face.  Chestnut hair, braided in a kind of updo that would have been too soft and romantic for the HR trio in the conference room.

She’d changed her hair color.  It suited her better.  Her usual blonde always felt soulless somehow. Too cold.

She tilted her head. “May I offer you a ride?”

“Do we know each other?”

She smiled without parting her lips. “Not closely, but it’s about to rain and your office is at least 20 minutes away.”

Oh. She knew. How?

“In that case, thank you.  I’ll join you.”

A driver emerged, took the box, and opened the passenger door on the other side. Getting in took only a moment.  A large red Doberman sat on the front passenger seat, strapped in by some strange seatbelt contraption, its gaze alert and watchful.

The car slid back into traffic.

Letting go was like a light, imaginary stretch.  A brief effort, followed by a slight lightening of the load.

Gone was the olive skin, the short dark bob, the blouse, and the utilitarian black slacks. He was tall again, his regular persona firmly in place, familiar like an old glove. He stretched for real this time, working a kink out of his shoulders.  The hunched posture had taken a bit of a toll.

She watched him with genuine fascination. He should’ve been used to it by now but coming from her it felt refreshing.

“A moment?”

She nodded.

He pulled his cell phone out of his Zegna suit and picked his second-in-command from the contact list. Zachary answered instantly.

“Here.”

“Dump FINERGY.”

“Understood.”

He ended the call, tossed one long leg over the other, and smiled.

“I believe I will dump FINERGY as well,” she said.

“I highly recommend it.”

“Now I’m in your debt, Prime Montgomery.”

“Not at all.” He slid his glasses a little higher on his nose.  “Please, call me Augustine. Now then, what can MII do for House Harrison?”

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Comments

  5. Oooo! *exuberant happy dance* two of my favourite houses. Thank you so much for giving us this snippet. May you have an improved uptick in your energy. Love how you’ve described corporate firing or rather “releasing “ of staff. Many decades ago I’d had a similar incident but since it was a lowly restaurant hostess position for an international hotel chain, eh.

  6. Omg squeee! *grabby hands* gimme!

    I love this world so much and sincerely hope there are more books in the Hidden Legacy series.

    Thanks for the fun scene!

  12. OMG!!! This and Arcane Society in one day?! This is everything and I am here for it! An embarrassment of riches! Awesome surprises seem to be your specialty. Thank you! <3

  13. Reading along thinking oh new story? 🤔
    Then the transformation still didnt get it.
    Then the names and commence with the excited screaming! 😁😁😁

    • No, it is not Matilda. Matilda is about 25 years younger than Augustine and this will not be the type of relationship between them.
      Matilda is also half-Korean. She can have whatever colour of hair she wants, of course, but she is dark haired naturally.

      • As someone who was gr**med, I’m always so thankful that the romances in House Andrews books aren’t huge age gape romances with protagonists who knew each other while one was a child.

      • Thanks for the reminder of that policy, which I love. And I love the snippet; both for content and for the way it soothes my soul with understanding that more of Hidden Legacy is being considered.

  18. Oh boy, a tidbit from my favorite series!
    Go easy on yourself, pushing to finish a big project takes energy. Rest those amazing grey cells a few days, an at home vacation.

  21. Brain just exploded…in the best of ways. Thank you for today’s magic moment – I needed it.

  22. ❤️ beautiful snippet!

    Relax, you so deserve it. Thank you for bringing sunshine to each day with your writing!

  23. SQUEEEE!!!!!!!!!

    Take your break, you more than deserve it. I’d love to see more to this story when y’all are ready!

  24. I wanna tell you that I’m to old for all this … SQUEEEEEEE!!!!

    Thank you for the snippet. Have some tea and a cookie, it will stop being too hard eventually.

  28. wow! Augustine’s voice is so different. Such a focus on clothing and posture! Love the snippet, thank you!

  30. Not to put pressure on you guys, and please relax and recuperate. But…

    PLEASE BE A NOVELLA I PREDICTED THIS PAIRING YEARS AGO I AM LOSING MY MIND

  34. Love! Lovelovelove!!! As soon as I saw the Doberman, I wondered… This was a fantastic reward for slogging through a bunch of digital paperwork. I totally get where you’re coming from. Mine is the mental/emotional, rather than physical, version of the spoon theory. I can walk and fold laundry, but it’s all I can do to make one phone call some days. Today I had to email a photo of a letter of permission and my DL to the credit union. File was heic rather than jpg. Thank God someone was able to convert it, because I don’t have it in me.

    Then update my CC info on a website that didn’t want to let me log in. I gave up on the healthcare payment site for today. Another effing PW for a separate effing ID site, after I already set up an effing account with your site, complete with another effing PW for you, so you can take my money to pay another effing specialist bill, rly? I. Am. Done.

    And I still have to find a way to set up a signature online for the liability insurance company, which apparently is even less cyber savvy than I am, and do a whole new account because my new home state has finally decided to set up its own healthcare exchange, rather than relying on healthcare dot gov. So all the work I had to do three (3) months ago, I now have to do over by the end of this month, including sorting through a new selection of insurance plans.

    And then there are the home repair contractors. Let’s not go there. I couldn’t even generate a text declining a Christmas invitation (from a family member in another state; I simply don’t have the energy for more than a day trip) without a break for chocolate. This place you’ve created is a truly a refuge. Now I have to go adult. Thanks for providing the best part of my day!

    • Hugs, and know you are not alone in fighting against companies and websites that make it as hard as possible to take care of business.

      • Thank you for the kind words! That was more running away to fight another day, honestly. The bill still has to be paid, if I can manage to navigate through the layers of third-party sites. Fighting shouldn’t be required to pay a medical bill though.

  37. OMG This was too good! I wasn’t sure what I was reading until it said Prime Montgomery. The best!!! 😀

  40. I popped some Prosecco to celebrate the launch a new ‘ship! Thank you for lovely snippet. Hope things get easier for you as you recover from Maggie.

    • That was my thought, too. “Now you’ve done it: put two single people in close proximity, so the Horde is going to ship them.” I can’t remember if they mentioned Diana was married, but that won’t stop The Horde Ship! (Not to be confused with the Borg ship.)

      So…. Montana is right there. Dimery. DiMont. Hmmm…. I’m liking Montana as their shipper name.

      • Sorry, there’s already a ship name for Diana and Augustine and it’s been official for years: PANTHERCAKES!
        Come over to our side, we never have pancakes! 😀

        • I don’t remember that ship name. I even searched the site and it didn’t come up. I think you had advance knowledge and came up with the ship name yourself. No fair!

          You can make it up to me by telling me all the other spoilers you know about. I promise I won’t tell anyone else. ::wink::

            • I had followed the Facebook group but there were too many notices coming through so I unfollowed. Now I’m wondering what else I’ve missed.

        • No, Augustine is not 50 years old here 🙂

          There will be no shipping with children. Augustine has met Matilda when she was 5 and he was 30. This will not be the relationship between them.

          • However, if a thing develops between Diana and Augustine, and the eventual House marriage happens, Augustine would become Matilda’s uncle. 😀

  51. Wow, I did not see that coming. You both have amazing minds. Take some R & R. You have been in Maggie World for months. Time to stretch like Augustine. Thanks!

  54. Squeeeeeee!!!! *inarticulate sounds of joy* Oh House Andrews, how your snippet has made my day! I went from utterly exhausted and soul weary to perhaps still exhausted but grinning like a maniac! Thank you, Ilona and Gordon! Love and hugs to you—💜💜💜

    • +1

      I got some bad news yesterday and have been mopey, but this got a genuine smile and some giggles out of me.

  60. *running in circles, scaring the cat and screaming at the top of my voice*

    Love it, love it, love it! Thank you so much for sharing! You made my day so, so, so much better! <3 <3 <3

  65. Oh COOL!!! A touch of Augustine!!! And Blake’s sister! (I blanked on everyone else’s name.) And Arcane also!! Is it Friday??

  66. I must be slow today because it did not click in my head what world we were in or who the character was until his name was said. Then, total joy and a big “YAAAS!!!” at “…Prime Montgomery”.

    Made me day. Thank you!

  69. The GIDDINESS is suffusing my soul!!!!!! I think this shall be a fun adventure indeed!
    Thanks for the treat. Y’all are the best!

  70. Okay, let’s leap way too far ahead, what talents would their kids have?? Casting illusions on animals? Reading human minds?

  71. SQUEE!!!!!!

    I was confused as to how the she transformed until I got to the end. Love love love and thanks to you.

  72. Lovely, lovely. I hope you’re going to do a novella that involves this. No, I won’t harp on it. But I will come back and read this a few more times.

  77. How did you know I was having Hidden Legacy withdrawals again. I have toms of reading material ready for my to listen to but what do I do? Another re-listen to Nevada, Catalina and the gang. I know Arabella is supposed to go Russian, although the Russian Empire doesn’t sound like they deserve her, I will have faith that you can change my mind and make it amazing… sometime in the future. But what about a funny quirky day in the life noir style short story with our favorite lone gunman, Leon? A series of them even, you know, someday???

  78. Oh what delight! You know how to please us! I definitely needed this today! I’m glad in the midst of all the hardness there was this snippet! I hope things get easier!
    I know about things being hard. I’ve been retired from my secretarial job for a month and I’ve felt snowed under the whole time. Now I am visiting my 102 year old aunt who is having bouts of dementia.
    Again, thanks for the snippet! I felt myself take a breath and had a spark of joy amidst the sadness!

  81. Ooooooohhhh – perfection. You guys never cease to amaze me – brain fog my, ah, left toe – HAHAHA!!! Thanks so much for this 🙂

  82. OMG! My mental excitement just imitated that of a small dog running tight circles at the appearance of a beloved figure. Thank you! House Andrews is always so generous to their fans even when everything is overwhelming. Blows enthusiastic kisses to the authors.

  83. Thank you, thank you, thank you – this made my day – please rest, enjoy the rest, and rest some more. Now please excuse me, I must go reassure my husband and 4 dogs that the screaming they just heard is – nothing, not a thing, move along – heh, heh, heh nothing to see here….. 🙂

  88. The chortle that came out of my mouth upon reading the last few lines was truly majestic.

    I am doing a happy dance!!! Whatever this turns out to be, I cannot wait to be back in that world. Thank you House Andrews!

  91. *Fans self and utters a restrained squeeee. Don’t need to wake up the dogs. Thank you authorlords!

  97. Oh this is so exciting. I read this & reflected on my downsizing experience after 29 years with the same company. 2100 people watched a 12 minute video saying good bye and check your email. This was during Covid so I could do my walk of shame to collect my meager desk belongings over 4th of July when I knew no one would be there. It hurt my heart to leave. But I hope there is more punishment for FINERGY and that good triumphs as always. People work hard; they deserve a little respect when getting kicked to the curb.

    • We just did a layoff two weeks ago at my company and this completely flashed me back to that. I survived. But have been laid off and totally resonated with this story. Sure was glad it had a happy ending!

  98. oh my effing God!!! I needed a blurb like this today! to find out it’s Augustine’s story is just cherry on top! thank you.

  105. Would what Augustine is doing be considered Insider trading or secret shopper? I don’t think he would go to all the trouble just for himself. Thanks for the snippet.
    Hopefully, your brain gets past the “Fire bad, tree pretty.” stage.

    • Maybe it’s a job. He went in, found out, and is selling off any interest he has in the company. Although being the Head of his House it would have to be a special job.

    • “Fire bad, tree pretty.” Wow, that took me back. More than 20 years 0_0.

      +1 on the sentiment, though!

  110. Thank you very, very, very much! I’ll sit back and watch (read) my fellow Horde group go crazy over the snippet.

    ***Silently doing a happy dance.*** 😊🥰

  112. As usually with your lovely mystery snippets guessing what it is is a big part of the fun, and this time it was tougher to guess for me. Might be because I was fascinated by the (too) realistic descriptions of corporate life? But Hidden Legacy!!!!!! Thank you for whatever this is, it was perfect.

  114. Oooooh Bunny! (or a descendant? worried about Bunny now …)

    Glad your brain is starting to work again, I hate it when mine doesn’t too. And obviously thank you for the snippet

    • Bunny belongs to Cornelius and Matilda. I can’t remember whether he’s a red but in any case, Diana can probably afford her own Doberman.

  116. Wait, what just happened?? My brain decided it was getting a Maggie Snippet but that’s clearly Hidden Legacy. Is Maggie in that world, I thought it was something completely different or was that not Maggie and something completely different and and and??? I’m so excited and so confused at the same time. lol

    That was delicious. Thank you!

  119. Hooray! Hope of a novella? I always wondered what went through Augustine’s head. Loved his interview a while back.

  120. Thank you so much for the Augustine snippet, I really needed it after the past few days-battery went dead and had to get a jump then car brakes went out, had to avoid cars and trees and tire up 2 tires, had to stay in a hotel and borrow a car and it’s only Wednesday 😐

  122. Oh. My. Gosh!!!

    *do NOT go all BDH and demand this book immediately, do NOT go all BDH and demand this book immediately, do NOT go all BDH…*

    This snippet was so INTERESTING, how wonderful to consider the future book it may appear in.

    *paste on smile to hide the crazy, flashing eyes full of avarice*

  124. Woot! As much as I’m looking forwards to your foray into Epic Fantasy (and I do believe it will be EPIC) I miss the adventures of Mr. Pointy-Hair.

  127. Insert Medicare instead of Finergy and this snippet would have been cathartic. My brain has melted. DO NOT mention assurance companies to me. That being said the snippet was a welcome surprise. Maybe I won’t go screaming into the night.

  128. I squealed. Outloud!! An actual Squeeee!!!
    I’m imagining a series of novellas focusing on characters like Augustine’s, Cornelius, Leon (is he older or younger than Arabella?) all while Arabella grows up a bit, and they’ll set us up for her trilogy!

  129. The responsible thing would be to tell you off and say “this doesn’t look like taking a break now does it?” while waving my finger at you like naughty children. . . buuuut. . . SQUEEEE!!! Augustine!!

  134. Totally off topic but I just successfully ordered my copy of the Arcane Society Andrews box, actually 2 of them, one for me and one for my daughter who is also a huge fan. I hovered over the computer watching the time count down to 7 pm EST and hit the site right at the 7:01 mark with no problem (I kinda thought the BDH might crash the site trying to order). Anyway, jubilation ensued when the order went through. Now the wait begins!

    Anne in Virginia

    • Congratulations to you (and your daughter)!

      For some reason I misread the original post and thought 1p and 4p EST, respectively, for Arcane subscribers and nonsubscribers. Imagine my disappointment when I went to hopefully purchase a copy at 4p EST and was asked for a code. I read yesterday’s post and then the light bulb went off.

      Readjusted my time expectations and started stalking at 6:55p EST. Incredibly, snagged my copy at 7:03p. I thought for sure all the copies would’ve already been gone, and I would’ve been a wilted mess. So… huzzah!

      • Congrats to you guys! I snagged a copy as well – was busy with bath time for my little one when I suddenly realized, hey, it’s 6:03 CST, yikes! Managed to make the successful purchase and so happy to look forward to receiving the books! I also was wondering whether the BDH would crash the site but happy to say it was all working!

        • Whoohoo to all of us!

          Totally understand about busy time! I’ve been running around for months like an entire farm of headless chickens. It ain’t pretty!

    • By the time I remembered (12:30 AM CDT), there were still autographed boxes. (Well, at least one…) I was out of the house at 6PM CDT, and then I forgot.

      But I got it ordered.

      Now, all I have to do is w*it. Sigh.

  142. OMG! You’ve done it now; pages and pages of squeeing and praying for another book in that world. We miss all those characters!

  147. seeing my name in a totally unexpected snippet about Augustine and Arcane Society all in one day…fangirl bliss! Thanks for all the stories and extras. Hope you get the rest you need, for body, mind, and spirit.

  151. ZOMG!! Yippee on Augustine, Diana, and Hidden Legacy!! (Thank you!)

    Sending you and Gordon lots of fluffy pet cuddles and yarn, a spa day (be it at home or an actual spa), and lots of delicious tea. I hope you can get some R & R and time to rejuvenate.

  153. Thanks so much for the snippet! Please rest and do lots of lovely things to take care of yourselves! ❤️

    I’m glad to see from the some of the comments that I wasn’t the only person squinting and trying to connect the snippet to Maggie. I kept thinking, but how is Maggie the diminutive of Maria??? 😂🤦‍♀️ Not to worry, it eventually clicked, lol. Woohoo for Augustine!

  159. No, this isn’t Matilda 🙂
    It is indeed the aunt, Diana, Head of House Harrison (and single, since people were wondering above).
    Matilda is about 25 years younger than Augustine, he’d be in a different stage of life if she were this grown.

  160. Literally squee’d when I got to the end… I know it’s just a snippet but the idea of an Augustine novella is giving me all the feelings of delightful anticipation. No pressure on our beloved authors though! Am happy to lurk and w*it with p*tience.

  165. I got laid off about 2 weeks ago. I haven’t turned into Augustine and sold off any stocks yet, but this was a lovely short piece.
    My HR department was actually nice and very professional. Over 100 of us were let go the same day.
    I’m now imagining LinkedIn with a profile section for magical talents.

  167. yeah, I even got oast the Doberman without twigging, needed the names to get me to explode!

    thank you fora great snippet!

  169. YES!!!! Just re-reading Hidden Legacy & noticed the hints about them. Augustin picking up Matilda during lock down and then sitting with House Harrison at Bern & Runa’s wedding.

    • 😂 After reading all comments so far, Now I’m craving pancakes!
      thanks so much for this snippet. take care of yourselves, please!

      • With bacon! Fortunately I have both in the freezer. Love Augustine. What a marvelous gift from you. Hope you get plenty of rest and have a wonderful weekend.

  182. Fascinating! House Harrison…Now I need to go back and do some re-reading. Eagerly looking forward to Maggie. Hope the edits go well.

  194. OMG!!!! Thank youuuu! More Augustine pls! I am sorry but the horde is – as always – ravenous 😀

  195. Pancakes! Pancakes! Pancakes! 🥞 Thank you!
    We all read and registered this part “She watched him with genuine fascination. He should’ve been used to it by now but coming from her it felt refreshing” for the builders, right? 🪵🪚🔨🛶

    (but I’ll stick with my hopes for Lenostine/Augustora a bit more!)

  200. Woohoo! Thank you for this gift of a peek into a new book! Hopefully a new book, but a snippet of something made my day a bit brighter!
    Thank you for taking the time

  201. Woohoo! Thank you for this gift of a peek into a new book! Hopefully a new book, but a snippet of something made my day a bit brighter!
    Thank you for taking the time

  206. You are an amazement. Every time you pull me in from the first sentence. And the need to reread, like your novels. Love the twist. Take good care of yourselves. The BDH is excitable and fluffy, but we will wait until you are ready to release your creations.

  211. I think the clothes question when transforming would be tricky. It notes her top is one size too large, but doesn’t say if she wore a pants or skirt. Augustine is a big guy, iirc, but this was a FABULOUS snippet.

    • Augustine’s illusion extends to his clothes 🙂 . He can even glamour other people’s clothes.
      It is specified in the text that he is wearing a Zegna suit once he drops the illusion- maybe another reread? Go on, you know you want to 😂

      • Hmm, this made me think of something. We know from a previous snippet (or somewhere in one of the books) that Augustine is bigger/bulkier/more muscular than he makes himself appear. So I was wondering if he buys clothing in his actual size and uses his illusion skills to make them smaller or does he buy them in the size that he always shows to the world.

    • I got hung up on that at first too, thinking of shape-changers like Saiman, until I remembered Augustine isn’t one of those.

  212. **grinning**

    is this in response to the “give us more Augustine” bellowing from the horde?

    pretty amazing you can manage that in your current state. thank you very much!

    I also agree that laundry is too hard sometimes. Putting away the clean laundry can be insurmountable. And driving is definitely too hard some days.

    And then I think of my great-grandmother who died the year I was born but I still listen to recordings of her oral history about having to draw water from the well and heat it over the fire and then wash the laundry by hand and hope it didn’t freeze on the line hanging outside the dugout on the hillside above on the sheep ranch.

    And I think about what she would think of me complaining with all of my modern conveniences. But somehow that still doesn’t make laundry easier.

    • There are always bellows of GIVE US AUGUSTINE hehe. We are beloved, and House Andrews work hard on surprises for us 😀

  217. Oh.

    That. Was. Delicious.

    if we get an Augustine short…I have no words, because I don’t want to apply pressure…

    So grateful!

  219. My brain is tap dancing and looking at how that happened.

    How did Diana know where, when, and who Augustine would be wearing to offer him that ride? What was her agenda or purpose? Why did Augustine not have a ride of some sort waiting nearby? Was this the end of an investigation, or the beginning of a situation? I deeply enjoyed what we’ve been given and find myself showing my age by quoting Billy Idol, “…More, More, More…”.

    A beautiful gift. Many thanks.

  221. Oh wow. This was so amazing. Thank you!! You really know how to tease and get us hooked. As I wait for Maggie to come out I have been going over the other series from the beginning. I knew I was shooting my self in the foot reading the Hidden Legacy series because I will want to have an Arabella story as soon as I am done and you guy said it will be a while, but they are soooo good. So this little snippet into that world is a treat. I have been trying to figure out how to ask you if we can have an interview of ‘Vicky baby’ and/or Linus like we did Augustin and Arabella. I would love to hear their point of view. How did Linus plan on controlling Mad Rogan when he tried to stop Adam using his power? Also, when did Victoria find out about them? If all she wanted was to have her happy family back, then what was the thinking behind the whole terrorizing thing? Would she really have killed their mom and grandma?

    I am glad you were able to finish Maggie before the holidays. This means you will get to enjoy the holidays with your family and hopefully get a little relaxation. Please use this time to recharge. You have promised us Iron and Magic 2, there is also one more Kate story coming and all this before the next Julie book. Also, a few blogs back you said something about a palette cleanser…..(Kinsmen?).

    I do have some questions for you. Do you remember in White Hot when Nevada described the dog that belongs the her mom’s friend in reference to Bug? I was wondering if you have a friend who acutely has that kind of puppy? Do you guys use the things that happen to you in real life into your stories? I really feel like that scene with the squirl really happed to you guys and you had the same conversation Nevada and Conner did. Or when they talk about the traffics and constructions around the city, those feel so real and they make the story so much better.

    I really hope you understand that I am a huge fan and that is why I seem to demand so much from you. Please rest a little and keep talking with your therapist we need you at your full powers. Do you need to maybe sit in a charging circle for while?

  226. Fantastic snippet! Thanks, that’s given me a little fuel before a very long day (in NZ, so it’s 6am here).

  232. Woot! An Augustine snippet! Made my morning. Thank you!!!

    May your brain continue to recover and your body rest while waiting for Maggie edits

  233. Wishing all the rest you all need. May it be fun and refreshing!

    Thank you for the present…I mean snippet; I’ve hoped for more Augustine since his interview with George.

    You’re all awesome!
    (yes, of course, there was sqeeeing, low key but exuberant)

    Have a wonderful holiday season!!!

  235. Holy cow! I was not expecting this. I don’t know what I was expecting. This is awesome! I’m so excited.

  236. Wow! That was stunningly glorious! It was such a perfect social commentary on the soul-less nature of corporate economics, parasitic shareholder and golden parachute economics …. but to get to the end and then find our beloved Augustine, who was once heartless, but has had time, and encouragement to grow a heart and soul, to be the perpetrator of some karmic revenge … ah, it was an uplifting and shocking delight. thank you, thank you, thank you.

  238. YAS! Better than anti-aging cream. *wiggles in glee* Thank you! Glad your brain still words good. Have a wonderfully warm holidays.

  240. I will ignore every sane response here that says “don’t get excited, it’s just a snippet” and immediately start The Wait for the next book in my FAVORITE of all of the Ilona Andrews worlds…

  245. That was wonderful. Too many comments to read here, but I’m sure lots of “had to go back to the top and reread” which I had to do. Lovely seeing that scene from two completely different angles.

  249. *glances at closet full of Torrid Harper blouses* I am living the actual dream right now. Fresh Hidden Legacy content! And I am over the moon picturing Augustine wearing one of my favorite shirts while sticking it to plastic corporate overlords!!

  256. OMG that was awesome! Never before have I read about someone changing their appearance in first person. It was definitely an enjoyable read.

  258. Whoa…my brain got whiplashed!!! I was expecting Maria to walk down the road and encounter a portal!!!!
    Thank- you for such a lovely treat!

  260. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    The incoherent scream of joy you hear is me all the way from Canada.

    Thank you so very much

  274. ooooh!!! does this mean you’re working on the next book in the Hidden Legacy series?? please please please!

  276. My brain is slow……

    I’m going thru the corporate BS now along with 19,000 other people. When Augustine says “sell” I wish I had a bazillion $ to do the same to my firm……sigh…..

    The story!!! I had to read it twice to figure out what was going on! 🤣 My brain is slow today. I do love Augustine’s character development. Over time he went from someone I loved to hate to a sympathetic figure. I want to know ALL the tea on him!! ❤️

  277. oooooohhhhhhhhh you’ve done it now the hord is stiring as the rumble atarts deep in the belly of the beast…Augustine Augustine Augustiiiiiiiiine 🤣🤣🤣🤣

    thank you for the scene. I how you feel better soon and that all nacener cells will start firing as you’re inner scottie works on getting the brain cells replenished with fuel 😊

  278. OMG nearly passed out from excitement. And I think my mouth is literally watering. I love the hidden legacy world sooooo much. In fact, I think I’m going to bypass the 30+ unread books in my Kindle TBR pile and read them all over again from the beginning. 😍😍😍😍

  282. Well, I wasn’t expecting this. Even with the Doberman and the change, I did not know what it was until the final reveal. Nice

  284. ❤️ House Harrison mystery person and Augustine! Would love a novella about those two 😁Thank you very much for sharing!

  286. Thank you so much for posting this: it’s always such a gift to receive an unexpected snippet! But Ilona, I do hope you and your poor overworked brain are feeling much better and more rested soon…☹️

    So, the snippet…GAH!!!!!!! Sorry this is long, but such big feelings I have right now!!!!!!
    The first part of this snippet reminded me TOO MUCH of being laid off when I was 61.

    In my career I won awards, promotions, and many thanks for being one of the hardest working, most creative, and most successful analysts my co-workers and clients had ever worked with.

    Unfortunately, my last employer (without actually having a need to cut expenses) saw the early part of the pandemic as a good opportunity to cut payroll and cut expenses. They let go most of the employees over the age of 50 companywide (a few dozen people.) Not a single one of the younger employees was let go.

    My manager was one of the plastic people as described in the snippet. My last conversation with him went about the same as the conversation in the snippet. When he asked if I had any questions, I said “yeah, can I hang up now?” (We met via phone…his decision. Coward!) 😂

    Can’t fight that kind of age discrimination. I cried when it happened (once I hung up the phone!) but only because I was a very loyal and productive worker prior to that, didn’t expect this at all, and wanted to be the one to decide when I would retire! I don’t miss the company even slightly.

    Because I had always known something like that often happens to older IT folks, I was always prepared financially just in case and I am now enjoying a wonderful retirement full of good books, kitchen creations, and all the arts and crafts time I could possibly want! 😁

    However, that didn’t stop me from starting to stew about this again after reading the snippet (it’s a me problem to re-live my anger about this every now and then!)

    But then I read further and realized this is an Augustine snippet! That changed everything….I LOVED IT!!!!! So thank you again!!! 🥰

    • Virtual hug from across the world because even if you’re better off now, it shouldn’t have happened this way

    • I’ve been laid off before. I had a really bad case of carpal tunnel (I’m in IT, too), and I was wearing arm braces and had gone to the doctor and been told I would need surgery just that morning. It was horrible! I too cried. I thought it was the end of my career.

      But then, I found it was an answer to a prayer. That separation forced me off of the computer for 6 weeks, and when I returned to the doctor, I was able to show him that my wrists were healed. No more pain or swelling, and I had a full range of mobility again. NO SURGERY REQUIRED!

      So now, I look back and think what a blessing that I was let go from that lousy company. 22 years later, I am still in IT, and I’ve never had my wrists lock up or had my carpal tunnel flare up again.

      I’m so glad you found joy in your early retirement. I think we should always think that set-backs may be blessings in disguise!

  288. I’d read the rest of that! Sounds like a good story. I would also say that your brain is working.

  290. Thank you so very much for the snippet.

    I admit I am pretty slow on the uptake. I was sure that “Maria” was more than she appeared, but how much more was a pleasant surprise.
    Watching Augustine gradually thawing is fun. (On the level of loving to hate Hugh…). I think he will eventually be a decent person, perhaps even a good one.

    We’ll see if Diana decides to give him a chance.

    I am definitely looking forward to more of this story – however long that takes.

  291. I’ve been eyeing Hidden Legacy thinking about a reread (again lol), and I just might do it. Even though my tbr pile could drown me if it wasn’t digital.

    Thanks for the snippet.

  294. Ohhhh. Augustine. And House Harrison. And Corporate Mischief. The description of the HR folks was just glorious. Is this Gus Bunnyson in the car or a relative?

    You are good the BDH. Such a delightful treat.

  301. I can’t tell you how much I loved this. The Hidden Legacy world is the absolute best. Reading this snippet felt like coming home. I would go off and do yet another comfort read of the series, but I’ve already done it too many times, and I’ve practically memorised the books!!

  305. I’m not sure why, but I had the strange urge to do the cat call whistle for Augustine after reading this.

  306. AAAAaaaaaaaaaaaa. We the book devouring horde have no chill. We are all super excited for whatever y’all decide to give us but this snippet makes me supremely happy!

  312. Oooh! You nailed corporate soullessness!

    And I’m so excited for this snippet. Augustine is such a multilayered character and it’s nice to be back in his world again. Thank you!

    • I love the Harper blouse, in theory, but it has no GIVE! I stretched the wrong way and ripped the placket on the buttons. There’s no fixing that. If they made it another material it would be a great blouse.

  316. Just putting this out there…
    Love the way you guys write. I couldn’t have written it better. I love to repeat certain descriptions to my husband, who hates everything sci-fi and fantasy.
    The description of the plastic financial person. Nuff said. Keep it coming!

  321. It has been a very hard and tiring week (first trimester of my first pregnancy and I have been miserable and nauseous all day everyday for weeks now) and I am immediately transported away from my discomfort and into the writings of my favorite authors. Thank you for sharing, even though you’re also burnt out and tired. I shall now quietly and patiently wait for another nugget of gold. Thank you, Authorlords. You’re the best pick-me-up!

  326. How fun! Love seeing Augustine and Bunny. only thing missing is HR saying to sign this document to get your separation payment and giving up the right to sue them.

    • Oof, that hits home. I once had to sign an NDA to get the back-pay owed me plus vacation days promised for the amount of overtime we worked to finish a project.

      We didn’t even get a thank you or a minute to rest and celebrate 3 years of work, just fired on the spot. But the amount was a very non-trivial sum — about $8k or so — and it came with the condition that we couldn’t talk about anything that happened or did not happen over the whole project, to anyone. All we could do was verify date started, date ended.

      I felt terrible taking such a gross deal, but I was exhausted from working 32 days in a row and most of those 10+ hours, so I had no brain. And had just lost my job. I took the money.

      I got the last laugh, though — the paperwork specifically stated while the company existed. It went under less than 6 months later. Something about no support to fix the game you just released online made by seriously sleep-deprived people something something?

      So I get to tell that story all the time, when we’re at an event’s networking or after-party and we hit the “What’s the worst story you have from the before times, the long long ago, when the TSA/your family/the world laughed at you and told you to get a real job?”

  328. did i totally forget any interaction between Augustine and Diana in the books?
    could someone refresh it for me so i can find the book and reread it?

    • She asks him to pick up Matilda once and they sit at the same table at Runa and Bern’s dinner, it’s not anything big on-page 🙂

      • thank you, this will keep me from obsessively rereading to find where they interacted. which doesn’t mean i won’t reread now that the snippet is out but it will be more relaxed.

  332. And a huge smile is on my face. I literally just finished a reread of the Hidden Legacy series. This snippet is like the perfect piece of chocolate after an amazing meal.

    Thanks!

  333. THANK YOU!!!!! I love Hidden Legacy. Can’t wait for Arabella’s trilogy. Will be here when any Legacy books come out. In the mean time….hope you can rest and recuperate as needed.

    • Also, sorry for your lethargy. I hope something happens to brighten your day. You brightened mine with this tidbit!

  341. Everything is hard at the moment… and those of us at that JOYFUL age of Peri-menopause its not getting easier, mentally, physically or monetarily…

  343. House Andrews you are the best!

    I have been thinking about how Maggie seemed to have been very exhausting for you and wondering if the fact that it sounds like it deals with some darker themes made it exhausting work or if it was just that you could see the end but had to write so many scenes to get there.

    My concern for your health meant I hoped you were able to chill out and take a break. However a small insistent hopeful voice in my head said “ Perhaps they will feel like writing a palate cleanser. Perhaps a longish short story or novella like the completed story of ‘ How Gerard met Helen ‘ or some more Kinsmen.” Then I check the blog and wow! What a delightful surprise: a snippet featuring Augustine and Diana from the Hidden Legacy world.

    Thankyou House Andrews. You really are the best.

  344. I want to sell FINERGY too. Never mind whatever corporate secrets Augustine found; any company with an HR department that bad deserves to be dumped.

  346. Color me gobsmacked! A scene from Hidden Legacy?????

    I’m literally in the middle of a reread of White Hot and had been hoping we’d eventually see Michael Latimer again, but I’m totally on board with shipping Augustine Montgomery and Diana Harrison.

    The brief spiel we got in White Hot about how rare and distinct ‘bonding’ is for animal mages had left me wondering how that works in practice. It would be cool if we actually get to see that.

  357. There are worse ways to lay off people. One company I worked for called a large meeting and told everyone in the audience they were being laid off. They didn’t even get a box to remove personal items.

    This happened back around 1987. I left for a new job circa January of ‘89. I remember my boss’s boss being upset that they had spared me the layoffs and I was “ungrateful.” The company was out of business by 1993.

  359. OMG. I am so happy to see this tidbit. Thanks. 🎉🎉

    So knowing a favorite character whose growth and life changes I enjoy will be returning is a thrill.

    Am still confused on his family history, life partner, mentorship of Arabella. Oh boy!

  361. what???? I too was totally gobsmacked. What a snippet!

    but where is it from? what does it mean??? novella? short story? random scene from one of Arabella’s books?

    thanks for the Friday treat!

  363. LOL – I love the Harper blouse from Torrid! Unfortunately, I also have to wear one size too big or I’ll rip the front placket. That blouse has zero give for us big-bosomed girls. LOL

  367. More Augustine and Diana please!
    I enjoy the way that connecting with the Baylor family is a positive force that opens up others to new relationships. Animal mages find human interactions difficult, something Cornelius had gained through his deep love for his wife. He maintained his openness by joining up with the Baylors. Diana was clearly moved to consider human links upon meeting her grieving niece. Years later, Diana has now progressed to wearing a softer hairstyle and color, one that didn’t appear cold and soulless. Augustine was focused only on defending his House and maintaining his warfare advantage until the Baylor sisters changed his priorities.
    Also, we know that Diana and Augustine have previously met, if only thru the Baylors. Augustine had asked Nevada to take on Cornelius’s case as a ‘favor for an old friend’. Diana wasn’t at all surprised to see him transform next to her. And he had recognized her and ‘disrobed’ back to ‘himself’ without any concerns. To find Augustine she probably called her brother who checked MII himself or thru Catalina.

  373. Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! I just did a literal out loud squeal as soon as the character shape shifted!

    Hidden Legacy FTW! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

  375. Wonderful snippet! Augustine – complex, caring, mysterious, brutal, and too long a 2nd tier character. When can we pre-order?

  377. Thank you Busy but boring Friday and I missed this till just Now. Thank you. Have a great relaxing weekend. With little brain activity Thank you!!

  382. Dog is my co-pilot.

    (I’m imagining that the House would have modified for no airbags on doggo’s side of the car. What I’d REALLY like to see, though, is a Batman-esque hidden floor that lets the dog DRIVE the car w/paws and a HUD in a pinch. Hounds-up display.

    Wait, no. Dogs can’t look up.)

    The energy of this firing is so strong, except in my work people aren’t allowed to go back to their desk — their things are packed up for them. And they’re let go on a Friday afternoon to prevent “incidents”. It’s wild.

    I love these snippet shenanigans, moments in a sandbox we’re so happy to play in. And discover every nook and cranny. And see if it really does have pirate gold buried at the bottom.

    • I have been brain dead with allergies for over a week now. So I had not checked the website, or anything else, until today. This woke me up!

  391. Thank you! I was reading and drinking and worrying about the Tuesday car repair bill and the sun came out. now I’m smiling .

  402. I’m so glad you mentioned this in your next post. I might have missed it, and this was just “chef’s kiss”
    thank you

  404. Oh, this is so fantastic! It’s up to you, of course, but I would dearly love if you continued writing in this world, even without the Baylors. The system of the Primes is very interesting, just as the Daniels Atlanta is. You have a mind-blowing talent for world building, and I can’t help but wanting to see more. Subject to your boredom with a world, of course. I still can’t wait for Maggie though!

  405. I wonder what happened to the original Maria. I don’t see Augustine playing a corporate underling long enough to get laid off.

  408. OMG——! Love!

    How thrilling.

    Also, I ADORE your description of the corporate trio. The perfection of those details. Chefs kiss. Truly.

  410. Ahhhhhhhhhhh! It’s been so looooooong! Thank you so much. If only. That was great. Happy Thanksgiving to me and all of you.

  413. a nice thanksgiving treat

    i have considered printing out all the tidbits that never made the books (YET >??)
    so i would have hope and stuff to hold onto .. in the meantime
    this makes me want to really do it….
    you guys are such a tease

    you do know that if you printed out all the parts you have created but that never made the books.. you would have a best seller in minutes of it being out
    (hint hint)

  416. Omg. Yes. I love Augustine! So fascinating. Would read more. 🙂 I love all of HL though and will happily devour anything else in that universe.

  419. Very cool! Augustine is one of my favorites, along with Leon. Loved everything about the Hidden Legacy series. Looking forward to more stories!!

  420. Somehow I missed this because of the holidays and I was in the process of starting a new job. Regardless, I’m glad I found it. Augustine is my favorite and any snippets or new content is welcome. I hope everyone in the US had a nice Thanksgiving.

  421. Oooo. Now I want to know more.
    I would have thought Augustine was above doing minor corporate espionage himself. Something special must be going on.

  423. While I love all HL content, out of all potential books, Augustine is at the bottom. But is this the start of a Augustine/Diana romance?

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