Chapter 453
Chapter 453:
The rich crimson shade brightened her complexion and sharpened her gaze, stripping away every trace of vulnerability and exhaustion. She stared at her reflection, her mind clear and still. Tonight, she was not a slandered outcast. Not a helpless victim.
She was ready.
Night draped over Manhattan. Gilded light flooded the grand ballroom atop The Pierre Hotel as the Nexus Corp annual gala officially began. Reporters packed both sides of the red carpet, flashguns popping in rapid succession, turning the night sky as bright as daylight. Top-tier luxury cars pulled up one after another, and elegantly dressed guests filed in at a steady pace. The air carried the mingled scent of champagne and fine perfume, the weight of wealth and ambition pressing down on every corner of the room.
Grayson and Belle had just finished walking the carpet. Belle wore an ivory white tulle gown dotted with tiny sequins, her arm looped tightly through Grayson’s, a perfectly composed smile fixed on her face as she posed for the cameras. The shutters clicked endlessly.
Arthur leaned close to Grayson’s ear, his voice low. “Sir, no one from Carson Dynamics has shown up. From the look of it, they’re probably too scared of the rumors to come p>
Grayson said nothing. His fingers moved unconsciously over the cold surface of his champagne flute. His gaze cut through the noisy crowd and fixed on the ballroom entrance, his brow slightly furrowed, his expression unreadable.
Not far away, Belle was holding court with a cluster of key reporters, her tone brimming with practiced confidence. “That’s right. InnoTech has deep roots in this field, and we are determined to secure the core ISSDC project. We hold an absolute advantage in both technical strength and industry resources p>
𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻
Before she could finish, a distinct commotion erupted at the red carpet entrance. The reporters who had been huddled around Belle immediately spun their cameras and rushed toward the far end of the carpet, equipment in tow. The entire atmosphere shifted in an instant.
A black BMW X7 glided to a stop at the start of the red carpet. It was not one of the ostentatious luxury cars favored in elite circles, but its sleek, unembellished lines carried a calm, commanding presence that stood in sharp contrast to the surrounding opulence.
Arland stepped out first and opened the rear passenger door.
A foot encased in black pumps — red-soled — pressed firmly onto the carpet, the thin heel tapping softly against the fabric. Then Isolde stepped out, and for a split second, the entire venue fell into an eerie hush.
She wore a tailored black velvet couture gown, its matte fabric falling in clean lines, cut to follow the sharp contours of her frame. A daring deep V at the back revealed her defined shoulder blades — elegant, cold, and precise. She wore no gaudy jewelry, only a complex multifunctional engineering watch on her left wrist — a quiet mark of who she was, understated yet overwhelming.
She was nothing like the woman this crowd remembered: the restrained, quietly pitied figure known as Grayson’s ex-wife. Every trace of resignation was gone, replaced by an unapproachable sharpness — a beauty that cut like a blade.