Chapter 451
Chapter 451:
Isolde looked away, her expression indifferent. “Do whatever you want. I don’t need your charity, and I don’t care about the gossip p>
Grayson turned to the door, then spun back sharply, his gaze stern. “Stay away from Arland. He is not a good man. He’s hiding something. Don’t let him fool you p>
Isolde met his eyes, cold sarcasm in her gaze. “At least he never tried to take my daughter away. At least he hasn’t hurt Effie and me, over and over, the way you have p>
Grayson flinched. A flash of pain crossed his face before it hardened again. He slammed the door shut behind him, the bang vibrating the walls, and was gone.
Isolde leaned back against the cold door. All her strength drained away at once. She slid slowly to the floor, her shoulders trembling. Days of corporate scheming, malicious headlines, and her ex-husband’s harassment had worn her thin — but she stayed silent, not daring to make a sound, afraid of waking Effie in the bedroom.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket. The screen lit up with Arland’s name.
S𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘺𝗼𝗎 𝘄𝘰𝗻’t p𝘂𝘵 𝗱ow𝘯 o𝗇 ѕ.c𝗈𝗆
Isolde collected herself, brushed the moisture from the corner of her eyes, and answered, keeping her voice steady.
“Are you alright?” Arland’s voice came through low and gentle, laced with concern. “I was nearby earlier and I saw Grayson’s car outside your building. He was in there for a long time p>
Isolde exhaled softly. “I’m fine. Just a difficult ex-husband throwing a tantrum. He’s gone now p>
Arland didn’t press for details. His voice shifted to solemn urgency. “I have news. The full professional analysis of the brake failure from your accident is ready p>
Isolde straightened instantly, all exhaustion evaporating. Her eyes sharpened. “Tell me. What did it find p>
“The brake lines weren’t cut manually,” Arland said, his voice precise and serious. “Someone deliberately introduced a chemical solvent into the brake fluid. The solvent dissolves the rubber seals in the brake system rapidly at high temperatures, causing total failure. Whoever did this has extremely advanced expertise in both mechanics and chemistry. This was not a random act p>
The early morning air in the Carson Dynamics office carried a faint scent of coffee, but the atmosphere was tense and solemn as daylight filtered through the windows. Arland set a thick document — stamped with an independent forensic lab logo — gently on Isolde’s desk, its edges crisp and precise.
“This is the full independent forensic report,” Arland said, his tone steady and grave. “Complete chemical and mechanical test data, third-party supervised. No tampering possible p>
Isolde flipped through the document, her gaze hardening as she scanned the chemical analysis chart. She tapped the label. “Ethylene glycol ether mixed with high-concentration acetone — industrial mold cleaner. It has no place in brake fluid p>
Her voice dropped. “This mixture vaporizes rapidly at 200 degrees, creating vapor lock that cuts all hydraulic pressure. Total brake failure. It was a carefully constructed fatal trap p>
Arland’s face tightened. “It’s a time bomb. Whoever did this knew you take that mountain road. They knew the brakes would reach that temperature. They meant to kill you p>