Chapter 280
Isolde reached into the box, pulled out a bottle, and slammed it down on the tray table in front of him, bottom up.
“Read the sticker,” Isolde commanded.
Grayson squinted. “PR Sample. Not for Resale.” He paused. He looked at the expiration date. Then he turned his head slowly toward Belle. “Where did you get these?”
Belle flushed. She turned off her ring light. “I had extras from the campaign. They’re top quality, Gray — it’s the same formula. Why waste money buying new ones when I have crates of them?”
“You gave me free samples to send to Ellyn?” Grayson asked, his voice low. “Nearly expired samples?”
𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺
“They aren’t expired yet!” Belle argued. “And she’s sick — she needs vitamins. I was being generous!”
Isolde laughed. It was a sharp, cutting sound.
“Generous,” Isolde repeated. She looked at Grayson. “You cut off her hospital bill, you threaten to let her die, and then you feed her your leftovers. Do you have no shame? Either of you?”
Grayson looked genuinely embarrassed. “Isolde, I didn’t know. I told Liam to send something helpful. I didn’t check the box.”
“You never know, Grayson,” Isolde said. “That is your problem. You let everyone else hold the wheel while you pretend to be the captain. You let Belle drive you into a ditch.” She looked at the box in her hands. “My mother is not a dumpster for your mistress’s hoard.”
Isolde upended the box over the floor. The plastic bottles scattered like marbles, rolling under the bed.
Belle shrieked. “Those are worth a hundred dollars a bottle!”
Isolde stepped on one and ground her heel down. The plastic crunched and cracked.
“They are worth nothing,” Isolde said. “Just like your promises.”
She turned to Grayson. “I’m done talking. I’m done negotiating. My lawyer will contact you about the divorce terms today. Full custody of Effie. And no alimony.”
Grayson blinked. “No alimony? Isolde, be realistic. You can’t survive without the monthly stipend. You have no job.”
“I don’t want your money,” Isolde said. “It’s dirty.”
“You will starve,” Grayson said, his arrogance creeping back. “And then you will come crawling back.”
Isolde smiled — a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Watch me.”
She turned and walked out. As she moved down the hallway, she pulled out her phone and sent Grayson a single text.
See you in court.
Inside the room, Grayson stared at his phone. He looked at the crushed pills scattered across the floor. He looked at Belle, on her knees trying to salvage the bottles, muttering about inventory.
For the first time, a deep, settling nausea took hold of his stomach. He wondered if he had made a mistake — a massive, fatal one.
But his pride pushed the thought away.
“She’s just being dramatic,” he muttered. “She’ll call back when the credit card bills hit.”
He picked up his phone and dialed his lawyer. “Prepare for a contest. She wants custody. We destroy her.”
The rain had turned the lawn of the Carson Estate into a mud pit.
A large wooden sign stood near the gate: FORECLOSURE AUCTION — TODAY.
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