Chapter 466
Chapter 466:
Inside the Merlot Villa, Isolde unpacked her laptop. She walked into the secondary bedroom and stopped.
The room had been converted into a fully functional mini-laboratory.
Harper walked in behind her and gasped. “Carter thinks of everything! He even brought in a high-frequency oscilloscope p>
Isolde ran her fingers over the cold metal of the testing equipment.
“He is sending a message,” Isolde said. “He is telling me not to get distracted by the wine. He wants me to work p>
That evening, the estate hosted a welcome reception on the main terrace.
Isolde changed into a simple, flowing white linen dress. She had no interest in fake smiles and networking. She slipped away from the terrace and walked down a dirt path into the vineyards.
The grapevines were tall, casting long shadows in the moonlight.
She turned a corner and stopped.
Grayson was standing beneath a wooden trellis, leaning against a post for support. He was smoking a cigarette with his left hand, the smoke curling around his head in the still night air. He had clearly escaped the reception to find some quiet.
𝗧𝘩𝘦 bеst 𝗿𝗲𝗏iе𝘸𝘴 𝗼ո 𝗀𝗮𝗹ո𝗈𝘷еl𝗌.𝘤𝗼m
He saw her. He immediately dropped the cigarette and crushed it under his shoe.
“You look… happy,” Grayson said, his voice rough.
Isolde stopped walking and kept her distance.
“A bird that escapes its cage is usually happy,” Isolde replied.
Grayson felt a sharp pain in his chest. “Was I just a cage to you p>
“You used to be the sky, Grayson,” Isolde said, her voice completely devoid of emotion. “Then you became the cage. And now… you are just a stranger on the street p>
He took a painful step closer, his movements stiff.
“That Carter,” Grayson started, his jaw tight. “Is he serious about you p>
Isolde’s eyes turned icy. “That is none of your business p>
“I am asking for your own good,” Grayson insisted, his good hand clenching into a fist. “Men like him play with women and throw them away when they get bored p>
Isolde let out a short, cold laugh that did not reach her eyes.
“You mean exactly like what you did to me?” Isolde asked.
Grayson lost his breath.
“I did not throw you away,” Grayson said. “You chose to leave. You walked out the door p>
“I left because if I stayed one more day, I would have actually died,” Isolde said. “My heart was already dead p>
“Gray! Where are you?” Belle’s shrill voice echoed from the terrace.
Isolde turned around and walked back up the dirt path, leaving Grayson standing alone in the dark shadows of the vines.
The morning sun warmed the stone floors of the villa.
Harper ran into the living room waving a thick, gold-embossed card.
“Isolde! Look at this!” Harper yelled. “It is a VIP pass to the estate’s famous geothermal spa!” She waved the card excitedly. “They say the water is full of rare minerals — amazing for your skin. And it is a co-ed VIP pool. All the tech billionaires hang out there p>
Isolde was typing rapidly on her laptop, adjusting the AI model.