Chapter 262
Isolde turned. A sleek black town car had pulled up to the gates. She walked outside. Liam, Grayson’s personal assistant, stepped out, looking visibly uncomfortable. He approached the gate and slid a thick manila envelope through the iron bars.
“Madam Isolde,” Liam said quietly. “Mr. Lancaster sent this.”
Isolde didn’t take it. “What is it?”
Liam cleared his throat. “It is a cashier’s check for five million dollars, to cover the bank loan. He also included a proposal for a structured buyout to prevent the assets from going to public auction.”
Isolde reached out and took the envelope. She pulled out the documents under the dim glow of the streetlamp.
The contract was simple. Grayson would pay off the house, and in return, Isolde would transfer her shares in Carson Dynamics to his holding company for a nominal fee — effectively a forced sale designed to “protect” the assets from creditors.
ѕ𝗁𝖺𝗋𝘦 yo𝗎𝗿 𝘁𝗁о𝘂𝘨𝗵𝘁s 𝗼ո 𝗀𝖺𝗹no𝘃𝗲lѕ.c𝗼𝗆
Isolde started to laugh.
It wasn’t a happy sound. It was a dry, scraping laugh that echoed in the quiet night. Grayson thought money could fix everything. He thought he could burn her house down and then sell her the fire extinguisher at a premium. This wasn’t help — it was the final act of conquest.
Isolde held the check and the contract up in front of Liam’s face. With one swift motion, she tore the thick paper in half, then stacked the halves and tore them again.
“Madam!” Liam gasped, stepping forward.
Isolde threw the shredded pieces through the iron bars. They fluttered down like snow and settled on Liam’s polished shoes.
“Go back and tell your master,” Isolde said, her voice ringing with absolute defiance. “The Carson family would rather sleep on the freezing pavement than eat his garbage.”
Liam looked down at the scraps. “Madam, please. His intention was to stop the foreclosure—”
“Go,” Isolde commanded, turning her back on him.
She walked back into the house and locked the heavy oak door behind her. Then she slid down against it until she was sitting on the cold marble floor, looking out at the dark, empty rooms.
She had no safety net left. She had burned the bridge, the boat, and the harbor.
Isolde pulled her phone from her pocket, opened a secure encrypted dialing app, and punched in a long string of numbers.
The line clicked. A heavily distorted, mechanical voice spoke. “Identity confirmation required.”
Isolde stared into the darkness. “Authorization code Delta-V-Nine. Valkyrie protocol initiated.”
A brief pause.
“Identity confirmed. Welcome back, Commander.”
The morning sun beat down on the glass windows of the Carson Dynamics boardroom.
Isolde sat at the head of the long mahogany table, wearing a sharp, tailored black suit, her hair pulled back into a tight, severe bun. Four senior executives sat across from her, looking exhausted and defeated, exchanging skeptical glances among themselves. To them, Isolde was nothing more than Ellyn’s socialite daughter who had married into money.
The Chief Financial Officer rubbed his temples. “Ms. Carson. The bank representatives will be here at 2 PM to put chains on the doors. We need to draft the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing right now.”
.