Chapter 473

Chapter 473:

“Stay away from my Chief Engineer, little girl,” Cyrus ordered. His voice was quiet, but it landed like a physical blow to the chest. “If you breathe in her direction again, I will personally ensure InnoTech’s stock price hits rock bottom before the market opens tomorrow p>

Belle stumbled backward. Her high heel slipped on a wet stone tile. She flailed wildly and barely caught herself on a bamboo pillar to avoid falling into the water. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird.

Cyrus ignored her entirely. He shifted his gaze back to Isolde.

“And you, Isolde,” Cyrus said, his tone shifting to something lighter but pointed. “Since you finally divorced that idiot, stop hanging yourself on that crooked Lancaster tree. I have a nephew. He is thirty, single, and actually has a functioning brain p>

Isolde felt a flicker of cold annoyance at the unsolicited matchmaking. Her expression hardened into clinical detachment.

“Mr. Sterling,” Isolde said firmly, cutting him off. “I think we should discuss the energy budget for the Mars base simulation p>

Cyrus laughed — rich and genuinely amused.

“Fine. Keep your secrets,” Cyrus said. “I am flying in tomorrow. Save a good seat for me p>

The screen went black.

The VIP spa area fell into a suffocating silence. The only sound was the water bubbling over the rocks.

𝖬𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅𝗌 𝗈𝗇

The socialites behind Belle began whispering frantically.

“Was that Cyrus Sterling?” one of them hissed. “Isolde has backing from the Sterling family? The Lancasters are nothing compared to them p>

Belle stood frozen by the pillar, her body trembling with a toxic mixture of terror and humiliation. She had tried to mock Isolde for using connections to climb, only to realize Isolde was directly protected by a titan who could crush InnoTech with a single phone call.

Isolde stood. She calmly grabbed the belt of her bathrobe and tied it around her waist.

“Harper, pack up,” Isolde said, not looking at Belle once. “We are leaving. The air in here suddenly smells like bad breath p>

Harper grabbed the tablet, spine straight and chin high, and followed Isolde out of the enclosure.

Belle remained rooted to the spot, fingernails digging into her own palms.

In the dark corner near the towel rack, Nancy — a notorious gossip blogger — slowly lowered her phone. She had recorded the entire exchange. She smiled and replayed the clip where Cyrus had said the words about the divorce, then typed out a caption: Tech Godfather publicly selecting a new wife? The real truth behind Isolde Carson’s sudden rise to power.

She hit post. The bomb was planted.

The temperature on the outdoor terrace of the resort dropped rapidly as evening approached.

Isolde sat alone at a wrought-iron table, organizing a thick stack of printed schematics. The heavy outdoor gas heaters hummed loudly, radiating a circle of artificial warmth against the biting mountain air.

Suddenly, the resort’s emergency broadcast system crackled to life.

“Attention all guests,” a mechanical voice echoed across the property. “A severe blizzard warning has been issued. Please evacuate all outdoor areas and return to the main building immediately p>

Isolde looked up. The sky had turned a bruised, violent purple. Thick, heavy flakes of snow were already beginning to swirl aggressively in the wind.