Chapter 385
Chapter 385:
Arland drew a sharp, audible breath. His hands tightened around the back of Isolde’s chair. “That is a hostile takeover clause. It’s financial suicide p>
Belle let out a cruel, barking laugh. “Five billion? Government contracts move at a snail’s pace. You’ll be lucky to see fifty million in two years. You’ll never hit that target p>
Grayson ignored them both. His predatory gaze stayed locked on Isolde.
“But if you succeed,” he offered, his voice dropping to a smooth, dangerous purr, “I will invest one hundred million dollars into Carson Dynamics at a ten billion dollar valuation p>
It was a trap — the classic, brutal venture capital snare designed to crush desperate founders. Grayson was dangling a massive payout, confident the impossible revenue target would guarantee he ended up owning her technology for pennies.
Director Caldwell stroked his chin. “It certainly ensures performance accountability p>
Isolde looked at the numbers on the screen. Her mind moved at a terrifying speed.
Her pulse did not spike. Her hands did not sweat. Instead, a cold, absolute clarity washed over her.
She remembered the data from her past life — the exact trajectory of the Phoenix project once the military encryption was lifted and the technology expanded into the civilian GPS market. The revenue wasn’t five billion. In her previous timeline, the technology had generated twelve billion dollars in the first eighteen months alone.
𝘞𝗵𝖺𝘵 е𝘷ery𝗈n𝗲 i𝗌 re𝖺𝖽𝗶𝗻𝗴 o𝗇 𝗴а𝗹𝗇о𝗏е𝘭𝗌.сo𝗆
Grayson was aggressively shorting a market he fundamentally did not understand. He was betting against a future she had already lived.
Isolde kept her poker face flawless. She picked up her silver pen and tapped it once against the wood.
“So,” she said, her voice laced with mild amusement. “You want to bet my entire company against your pocket change p>
Grayson’s jaw tightened. “I am betting against your arrogance. Do you have the spine to back up your mouth p>
He was taunting her. Deliberately trying to break her composure.
Arland leaned down, his mouth close to her ear. “Don’t do it, Isolde,” he whispered urgently. “The ceiling is too high. It’s a death sentence p>
Isolde ignored him. She stopped tapping the pen.
“I accept the bet,” she said clearly.
Daron McKnight choked on his own saliva and coughed violently into his hand. “She’s insane p>
“However,” Isolde continued, her voice rising slightly to cut through Daron’s coughing, “these terms are entirely unbalanced.” She stood slowly, smoothing the front of her black suit jacket. “I require a reciprocal clause p>
Grayson leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “I am the one taking on the massive production risk. I am retooling my entire factory for you p>
“I am the one who brought the federal contract to this table,” Isolde fired back, her eyes flashing with cold fire. “Either we agree to mutual destruction, or I walk out that door right now and take the government’s money to CloudPath p>
Grayson paused. The mention of his biggest rival twisted something in his stomach. He couldn’t let her walk. He needed to own her technology.
“What exactly do you want?” he asked.
Isolde smiled — the smile of an apex predator regarding a wounded animal.