Chapter 379
“Set up the meeting with Sterling for tomorrow morning,” Isolde ordered, standing and smoothing the front of her jacket. “I’ll wear the navy blue suit.” She paused. “This is business. Not vengeance.”
An hour later, she stood by the floor-to-ceiling window with a tablet in hand, watching the live InnoTech stock ticker. The green line was climbing at a terrifyingly steep angle. The wedding rumor from the gala, combined with Grayson’s aggressive PR push, was working perfectly — investors were throwing money at the hype.
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“Go up,” Isolde whispered to the screen. “Higher.”
Arland returned carrying two coffees and looked over her shoulder at the display. “Why do you want them to succeed? Every point that stock climbs makes Grayson richer.”
Isolde took a sip of black coffee without taking her eyes off the rising line. “Because the higher they climb, the harder the fall will be.”
She turned to him. “I want them massively overleveraged. I want Grayson to borrow against his other assets to fund InnoTech. When we expose the fatal flaw in the architecture, I don’t want them to simply lose a project. I want the financial shockwave to bankrupt the Lancaster Group.”
Arland stared at her. “You’re gambling with our company too, Isolde. If Sterling backs out, we don’t have the capital to fight a protracted war.”
“I am not gambling,” Isolde said, her voice absolute ice. “I am playing chess. They are playing checkers.”
𝗕𝗲 𝘱𝘢𝗋𝗍 of о𝗎𝗿 с𝗼𝗆𝗆un𝗂𝘵𝘆 о𝗇 g𝗮𝘭ոо𝘃еlѕ.с𝗈𝗺
The secure phone on her desk rang — a direct line she had given to only one person. Isolde hit the speaker button. “Carson.”
“Ms. Carson.” Director Caldwell’s voice filled the room. “Professor Nelson speaks very highly of your recent adjustments to our orbital array.”
“Director,” Isolde said smoothly. “How can I help the Department today?”
“We have a new contract ready for signature,” Caldwell said. “But it requires a private partner with substantial, immediate manufacturing capacity — someone who can build the hardware to your specifications, quietly and quickly.”
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Isolde’s eyes lit up. The final piece of the puzzle had just dropped into her lap.
“I know just the partner, Director,” she said, her gaze falling on the CloudPath dossier. “I’ll have the integration proposal on your desk by Friday.”
She hung up the phone and looked out over the Manhattan skyline.
The trap was fully set. She had the backing of the government, superior technology, and the capital of Grayson’s greatest rival.
“Showtime.”
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The word hung in the air of the sterile Carson Dynamics conference room, the ink still drying on the CloudPath agreement. The meeting with Carter Sterling had been a masterclass in strategic alignment, culminating in a partnership that gave Isolde the manufacturing and data-sharing leverage she needed. The first pillar of her war machine was in place.
Arland pulled open the door of the black SUV. The heavy door swung wide, letting in the sharp, ozone-tinged air of Queens.
Isolde stepped out. Her black stiletto heels struck the concrete with a sharp, definitive crack.
She straightened and tilted her head back, looking up at the massive steel-and-glass fortress of Lancaster Manufacturing. Sunlight reflected off the tinted windows, making the building look like a giant, impenetrable mirror.
.