Chapter 384
Chapter 384:
“Alimony?” she repeated. “That money? I believe I spent it on shoes.” Her tone was light and airy, a stark contrast to the chilling emptiness in her eyes. “It’s so difficult to keep track of such trivial amounts. Your information, like your engineering, seems to be tragically out of date p>
She turned her head and locked her cold, dead gaze directly onto Grayson’s face.
“My company,” Isolde said clearly, “is funded by an inheritance p>
Grayson’s brow furrowed. “You don’t have an inheritance p>
“From my late husband,” Isolde replied, her voice utterly devoid of emotion.
The room fell into stunned silence. Even Belle seemed at a loss for words. The only sound was the faint hum of the air conditioning.
Grayson stared at her, his expression caught somewhere between shock and utter confusion. “I’m sitting right here p>
“The man I married died the day he allowed his mistress to publicly humiliate his wife,” Isolde clarified, her tone as cold and sharp as a shard of glass. “You are simply the CEO of Lancaster Manufacturing. A stranger. A vendor. Nothing more p>
Director Caldwell coughed loudly into his fist and shifted his weight. “This is highly personal. Let’s return to the contract p>
𝖣𝗈𝗐𝗇𝗅𝗈𝖺𝖽𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝖯𝖣𝖥𝗌 𝗈𝗇
Isolde snapped her gaze to him. “This is entirely business, Director. I will not allow a stranger to control the intellectual property of my company.” She pointed a rigid finger at the table. “Carson Dynamics leads this project. Lancaster is the manufacturer building the parts. That is the dynamic p>
Grayson’s face darkened. The shock in his eyes burned away, replaced by violent, consuming fury. The veins in his neck pressed against his collar. He hated being erased. He hated being reduced to a tool.
“I will not be a silent partner,” he snarled, his voice vibrating with rage. “And I will certainly not take orders from the widow of a ghost.” He brought his large hand down flat on the mahogany table. The crack echoed through the room like a gunshot.
“If you want to be the apex predator in this room, Isolde,” Grayson challenged, his chest heaving, “then you have to take a real risk. You have to bleed for it p>
Grayson didn’t take his eyes off Isolde. He snapped his fingers, gesturing sharply to his executive assistant standing near the wall.
“Pull up the standard VAM template,” he ordered, his voice hard and uncompromising.
A massive digital screen behind him hummed to life. A complex legal document appeared, its harsh white light casting long shadows across the boardroom table.
Valuation Adjustment Mechanism.
“You claim Carson Dynamics is the industry leader,” Grayson said, leaning forward, his broad shoulders dominating his end of the table. “Then prove it with your own blood p>
He pointed at the screen. “I will sign on as your subcontractor to build the Phoenix prototypes. But we are adding an equity investment clause to the contract p>
Isolde studied the glowing text. Her face was an unreadable mask. “Go on p>
“If Carson Dynamics fails to generate five billion dollars in gross revenue from this specific project within twenty-four months —” Grayson paused, letting the number hang heavily in the air. “Lancaster Manufacturing absorbs Carson Dynamics’ intellectual property and takes a fifty-one percent controlling equity stake p>