Chapter 479
Chapter 479:
“I was defending you!” Belle cried, her voice trembling. “She humiliated you last night! She threw your coat in the mud p>
Grayson stepped out of the elevator and looked back at her, his expression cold and exhausted.
“She did that to protect her dignity,” he said quietly. “You do this to feed your vanity. They are not the same p>
He turned and walked away, leaving Belle standing alone in the glass box.
In the center of the lobby, Isolde fell into step beside Lucas.
“Hey,” Lucas said, glancing nervously toward the elevators. “I saw you rode down with the ex. Everything okay p>
Isolde adjusted the collar of her suit jacket. Her heart rate was perfectly steady.
“I am fine,” she replied. “I just got stuck in a confined space with two bags of trash that need to be sorted p>
Lucas let out a loud bark of laughter.
“Let’s go,” he said. “The finals are starting. I heard there is a mystery guest judge today p>
𝖭𝗼𝗏e𝗅𝗌 іո 𝗍re𝗻𝘥 𝘰n.соm
Isolde nodded. She already knew exactly who the mystery judge was.
A few yards away, hidden behind a marble pillar, Chase pressed a tissue into Belle’s hand.
“Don’t let her get to you,” Chase whispered. “Once the presentation starts, we will make her a laughingstock p>
Belle wiped her eyes. The tears vanished, replaced by a cold, venomous gleam. She reached into her designer purse and produced a small black USB drive.
“Plug this into the main presentation console,” she said. “I am going to add a little surprise to her perfect PPT p>
The main conference center of the resort had been transformed. The massive hall was designed to mimic the interior of a futuristic space station, complete with metallic bulkheads and harsh, sterile LED lighting. Hundreds of industry professionals and media reporters filled the tiered seating.
Isolde led the SkyLine team — Harper, Lucas, and Arland — down the center aisle toward the competitors’ pit.
As they passed the InnoTech section, Chase deliberately stepped backward and drove his shoulder hard into Isolde’s collarbone.
“Oops,” Chase sneered, loud enough for the surrounding rows to hear. “Look who it is. The ‘special partner’ who bought her ticket with Sterling’s money p>
The engineers nearby turned their heads. The gossip blog post from the night before had spread like wildfire. The whispers — “sugar baby,” “escort” — hissed through the room like a slow gas leak.
Isolde calmly brushed her shoulder where Chase had struck her, as if wiping away dirt, and did not break her stride.
Lucas, however, stopped dead. His face flushed red. He stepped directly into Chase’s personal space.
“Watch your mouth, Chase,” Lucas growled, fists clenching at his sides. “Isolde earned her spot here with raw math. Something you wouldn’t understand p>
Chase let out a loud, obnoxious laugh, glancing around to make sure he had an audience.
“Raw math?” he mocked. “Is that what they call it now? I bet her calculations in bed are mind-blowing p>
Lucas lunged forward.
Isolde’s hand shot out. She grabbed him by the forearm with a grip that was surprisingly firm and yanked him back.