Chapter 444
Chapter 444:
Belle sat at her glass desk, staring at her bank balance on the screen. The numbers were black, but they felt red. A mysterious wire transfer for two hundred million dollars had appeared in her corporate account overnight, signed only with the codename Benefactor. It had saved her from ruin after the titanium fiasco, but it came with strings.
“The Benefactor wants results, Belle,” her mother, Mrs. Juarez, hissed from the sofa. “This isn’t a gift. It’s a leash. That money has a deadline attached p>
“I know that!” Belle snapped, slamming her hand on the desk. “I have to gut Carson Dynamics and win the Daedalus contract. If I don’t show a massive return on this investment, I’m finished. This isn’t just about Grayson anymore p>
“You’re playing with fire you don’t understand,” her mother muttered.
“No,” Belle said, her eyes manic. “I’m fighting fire with fire. Once we win the Daedalus contract, the stock will triple. I’ll pay back the Benefactor and have enough left over to buy SkyLine outright p>
Her Public Relations manager knocked and entered. “Ms. Escobar? The press release is live p>
𝖶𝘦 u𝗉𝗱𝖺t𝘦 𝘦𝘃𝗲𝗋y 𝗐𝗲𝘦𝗸 𝘰𝗇 𝗀a𝗹𝗻o𝘷е𝘭ѕ.𝗰𝘰𝘮
Belle grabbed her tablet.
HEADLINE: InnoTech Secures Massive New Funding Round, Pledges to Dominate Aerospace R&D. “A Bet on the Future,” says CEO Belle Escobar.
Belle smiled. It was a masterpiece of spin. She wasn’t indebted — she was empowered. She wasn’t desperate — she was a visionary backed by smart money.
“Push it to every tech blog,” Belle ordered. “Make me look like Elon Musk in heels p>
Across town, in the sleek, minimalist offices of Carson Dynamics, the mood was grim.
Harper Vance was reading the article on her phone. She snorted so hard she nearly choked on her latte.
“Visionary?” Harper shouted. “Her? She’s never had an original thought in her life that wasn’t on a corporate memo p>
Arland Roth spun his chair around. “It’s a power play, Harper. She’s signaling she has a blank check p>
Isolde walked in and dropped her bag on her desk. She looked fresh, energized by her meeting with Nelson.
“She’s not just signaling,” Isolde said, studying the screen. “She’s recruiting. She’s making herself look like the winning horse to attract talent p>
“It’s working,” Arland said heavily. “HR just got three resignation letters. From our propulsion team p>
Harper slammed her hand on the table. “Traitors! We gave them stock options p>
“People follow the money,” Isolde said calmly. “And right now, Belle looks like she has infinite money p>
She walked to the whiteboard and wrote seven letters: DAEDALUS.
“Let them go,” Isolde said. “If they can be bought by a press release, they aren’t the ones we need for this competition p>
“But the team dinner tonight,” Harper said, looking worried. “At Le Bernardin. If nobody shows up p>
“We go,” Isolde said. “And we order the most expensive wine on the list p>
Back at InnoTech, Belle’s phone rang. It was a headhunter.
“Ms. Escobar,” the voice said. “Intel says the Carson Dynamics core team is dining at Le Bernardin tonight. All of them p>
Belle’s eyes lit up. “Perfect p>
She dialed Grayson.
“Gray?” she said, pitching her voice soft and vulnerable. “I need a favor. Take me to dinner tonight. Le Bernardin. I want to celebrate my… new direction p>
“I’m busy, Belle,” Grayson said, his voice flat.