Chapter 474

Chapter 474:

She gathered her papers quickly, shoving them into her leather portfolio, and walked briskly toward the heavy glass doors leading back into the main lobby.

She pushed against the brass handle.

The door did not move.

Isolde frowned. She pulled her electronic keycard from her pocket and tapped it against the security scanner.

A red light flashed. A harsh, negative beep.

She tried again. Red light. The extreme drop in temperature had caused the electronic locking mechanism to freeze and malfunction. Or the hotel had initiated an automatic lockdown too early.

The wind suddenly shrieked, whipping across the terrace and carrying sharp crystals of ice that stung her cheeks.

𝗥o𝗺𝘢ո𝖼𝘦 𝗻𝗼𝗏𝖾𝘭𝘴 оո

With a loud clunk, the outdoor gas heaters shut off automatically, their safety sensors triggered by the high winds.

The cold hit Isolde instantly — a brutal, physical assault that sliced right through her thin cashmere sweater. She had left her heavy winter coat in her room, intending to step outside for only a few minutes.

Isolde slammed her open palm against the thick glass door.

“Hey!” Isolde shouted.

Inside the brightly lit lobby, hotel staff sprinted in every direction, frantically directing guests away from the windows. The chaotic noise completely drowned out her voice. No one looked toward the dark terrace.

She pulled out her phone. The screen flickered wildly as the extreme cold began to rapidly drain the battery, the percentage plummeting from forty down to single digits over the next agonizing minutes. Before she could dial the front desk, the screen went dead black.

A violent shiver racked Isolde’s body. Her teeth began to chatter uncontrollably. Visibility outside dropped to less than fifteen feet as the blizzard swallowed the mountain.

Inside the lobby, sitting in a plush velvet booth right against the glass wall, were Grayson and Belle.

Belle was sipping a hot toddy. She glanced out the window and paused.

“Oh my,” Belle said, pressing manicured fingers to her lips in exaggerated surprise. “Is that Isolde out there? Why is she standing in the snow p>

Grayson’s head snapped up.

He turned toward the glass. Through the swirling white chaos, he saw a slender figure huddled against the door, arms wrapped tightly around her own torso, shoulders shaking violently.

“The door must be broken,” Belle said lightly, taking another sip of her drink. “But she is such a genius, right? I am sure she can just hack the security system and fix it herself p>

Grayson didn’t hear the mockery. A spike of pure, blinding panic pierced straight through his chest.

“She is going to freeze to death,” Grayson said, his voice hoarse.

He stood so fast his chair tipped over and crashed onto the marble floor. He ignored the agonizing, tearing pain that ripped across the healing burn wounds on his back. He grabbed his heavy, custom-tailored Armani wool overcoat from the back of the booth and sprinted toward the terrace doors.

Belle jumped up and seized his arm.

“Gray! Stop!” Belle shrieked. “Your back is not healed! Let the staff handle it p>

Grayson violently ripped his arm free, his eyes wild and completely unhinged.

“Get off me!” Grayson roared.