Chapter 403
Chapter 403:
She turned her back on Isolde completely and fixed her gaze on Leland. “InnoTech will pay market rate plus twenty percent p>
Leland’s jaw dropped. The cigar nearly fell from his pocket. “Twenty percent p>
Isolde grabbed Belle’s arm. “You cannot do this! That is my entire production line! You are bankrupting me p>
Belle wrenched her arm free and looked at Isolde with pure, unadulterated contempt. “Business is war, Isolde. And you just lost p>
She turned back to Leland. “We want absolute exclusivity. You sell only to InnoTech. Nobody else p>
𝖭𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗋𝖾𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝗇
Leland glanced past Belle at Isolde, his eyes silently asking whether she could counter the bid.
Isolde clenched her fists at her sides. She let her breathing go shallow and rapid, then looked down at the floor. “We don’t have that kind of cash flow p>
Leland rolled his heavy shoulders. He didn’t care about her pain — he cared about the math. “Sorry, sweetheart,” he said to Isolde. “Money talks p>
He reached across the table and shook Belle’s hand. “You have a deal, Ms. Escobar. Exclusive p>
Isolde snatched up her briefcase. She didn’t bother to zip it. “I hope you choke on it,” she hissed at Belle.
She turned and stormed out of the steakhouse, heels clicking furiously against the hardwood floor. Arland followed closely behind. They shoved through the heavy front doors and stepped out into the blinding midday sun.
Isolde walked rapidly down the block and turned the corner into a quiet side street. The moment they were out of sight of the restaurant windows, she stopped.
She leaned her back against the brick wall of an alleyway.
She dropped her briefcase.
And then Isolde began to laugh.
Not a polite chuckle — a deep, breathless laugh of pure, unhinged relief and victory.
Arland leaned against the wall beside her, a massive grin splitting his face. “She took it,” he said, shaking his head. “She actually took the bait p>
Isolde wiped a tear of laughter from the corner of her eye. “She didn’t just take the bait,” she corrected, her eyes flashing with lethal amusement. “She just bought the anchor that is going to sink her entire ship p>
Wednesday morning. The InnoTech CEO office was a shrine to modern minimalism and unearned arrogance.
Belle stood in front of Grayson’s massive desk, holding a thick leather-bound folder. She dropped it onto the center of the desk with a loud, satisfying thud.
“I did it,” she announced, her chest puffing out. “I secured the entire supply chain. Isolde is completely locked out of the market p>
Grayson looked up from his laptop. He reached out, opened the folder, and scanned the contract, his eyes moving quickly across the legal jargon. His brow furrowed when he reached the pricing index.
“A twenty percent premium?” His voice was low and critical. “That is an exorbitant markup, Belle. We are bleeding capital p>
“It is an exclusivity clause,” Belle defended quickly, her voice rising in pitch. “It guarantees that Carson Dynamics starves. Isolde couldn’t match it. She practically cried in the restaurant p>
Grayson nodded slowly. He hated the price, but the strategy was sound. Starve the enemy.