Chapter 423
Chapter 423:
Isolde stopped. She turned slowly, the red fabric of her dress swirling around her legs, and looked at Belle with an expression of cold, absolute logic.
“I didn’t sell you that defective metal, Belle,” Isolde said, her voice carrying easily over the whispers of the crowd. “You outbid me for it. Remember p>
The chaos spilled out of the Pierre Hotel and onto the cold Manhattan sidewalk.
A swarm of paparazzi, tipped off by the sudden plunge in InnoTech’s stock price, were waiting outside. The blinding white flashes of their cameras strobed like lightning in the night air.
Isolde walked calmly toward her waiting Audi.
“Isolde! Stop p>
Belle burst through the revolving doors, her silver gown catching the camera flashes. She was sprinting, her face twisted in absolute panic. Daron and Grayson hurried closely behind her.
Belle reached Isolde just as she grabbed the car door handle.
“You set me up!” Belle shrieked, her voice cracking with hysteria. “You knew Leland was a complete fraud! You knew that metal would shatter p>
Isolde stopped. She didn’t get in the car. She turned around slowly, facing Belle and the wall of flashing cameras.
“I knew Leland had excess inventory,” Isolde stated, her voice perfectly calm and measured. “I attempted to purchase it to fulfill my own contracts. You stole that contract from me.” She took one step closer to Belle. “Are you publicly admitting, right now, that you did not run a basic quality assurance test on a brand-new aerospace supplier p>
𝖬𝗈𝗌t 𝘳𝗲a𝗱 𝗍h𝗶𝘀 𝗐ее𝗸 𝘰𝗇
The reporters on the sidewalk instantly shoved their recording devices closer.
Belle froze. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.
To admit she had known it was bad was fraud. To admit she hadn’t tested it was gross negligence. Either answer would result in massive federal lawsuits that would end her career forever.
Grayson pushed his way through the crowd of photographers and stepped physically between the two women.
“That is enough,” Grayson ordered, his voice a low, commanding bark. He grabbed Belle’s arm. “Get in the car, Belle. Now p>
Belle ripped her arm away from him.
“No!” Belle cried, tears of pure frustration spilling down her cheeks. “She orchestrated this entire thing! She tricked me into buying it p>
Isolde looked at Grayson, then back to Belle.
“I did my due diligence,” Isolde said coldly. “You did what? Corporate espionage?” She tilted her head slightly. “You looked at my private schedule, saw a meeting, and blindly threw Lancaster money at it. That is not a business strategy, Belle. That is just laziness p>
Daron stepped forward and grabbed Belle by the shoulders, pulling her firmly backward.
“Shut up, Belle,” Daron hissed in her ear. “You are making it ten times worse p>
Grayson turned to face Isolde. The anger in his eyes was gone, replaced by a cold, calculating respect. He finally saw the predator she had become.
“You have the real material,” Grayson stated, his voice flat. “Don’t you p>
Isolde gave a single, sharp nod. “A Midwest defense contractor. The supply chain was secured yesterday morning p>
“And your factory?” Grayson asked, his jaw tight.