Chapter 563
Chapter 563:
She paced from the water cooler to the frosted glass door of the interrogation room, her manicured nails digging so deeply into her leather handbag that her knuckles turned a stark, bloodless white.
The heavy wooden door finally clicked open. Her defense attorney walked out, his face a mask of grim professional failure. He loosened his tie without meeting her eyes.
“Miss Escobar,” he said, keeping his voice low. “The police denied this round of expedited bail p>
Belle stopped dead. The air left her lungs in a sharp rush.
“Why?” she demanded, her voice rising and cracking at the edges. “It was a simple push. A misunderstanding p>
The attorney shook his head and drew a folder from his briefcase.
“Opposing counsel submitted a certified medical evaluation,” he explained. “Minor eardrum trauma from the volume of the altercation, and severe soft tissue contusion. They also have the hospital security footage. The prosecutor is treating this as malicious harassment against a patient’s family member. The victim has requested an order of protection p>
A cold sweat broke out across Belle’s neck.
“Isolde,” she hissed through her teeth, tasting bile. “She is trying to bury us p>
Before the attorney could offer another useless explanation, her private cell phone began vibrating violently inside her bag.
𝖳𝘩𝗲 𝖻𝘦𝘀𝘁 r𝖾𝘃𝗂𝘦𝘸𝘀 on
She yanked it out. The screen flashed: Caleb. Her Chief Financial Officer at InnoTech.
She answered before the second ring, her patience entirely exhausted.
“If this is about petty cash reimbursements, do not bother me right now p>
“Belle.” Caleb’s voice was thin and trembling, barely holding together. “We have a massive problem p>
She closed her eyes. A dull ache throbbed behind her temples.
“The news about Marcus Lee’s FBI arrest just hit the major wires,” Caleb said. “The bank called two minutes ago. They’ve frozen our revolving credit facility. Completely locked down p>
The walls of the precinct seemed to tilt inward. Belle reached out and pressed her palm flat against the cold plaster to keep from falling.
“What do you mean?” she gasped. “How long can our liquid cash keep the lights on p>
“We can’t even make payroll next week,” Caleb said, his panic bleeding through the line. “And two of our secondary suppliers just heard the rumors. They’re demanding immediate settlement of their outstanding balances by tomorrow morning. If we don’t pay, they cut off the supply chain. We’re finished, Belle p>
She ended the call. Her fingers were numb.
Her mother was locked in a holding cell. Her company was hemorrhaging on the operating table. Everything she had built — everything she had taken from Isolde — was turning to ash in her hands.
There was only one way out.
She had to find Isolde. If Isolde dropped the assault charges, Cheryl could be released. If Isolde kept quiet about InnoTech’s internal financial rot, the company might survive long enough to find new investors. Belle ran out of the precinct without waiting for her driver, hailed a yellow cab with shaking hands, and gave the address for Mount Sinai Hospital.
The VIP wing was painfully quiet.
Belle moved down the carpeted hallway at almost a run. Her breath tore at her throat.
She stopped outside the door to Saul’s room.