Chapter 566

Chapter 566:

Belle lowered her hands. The absence of any response made her stomach twist with sudden, genuine panic.

“Gray p>

Grayson finally spoke. His voice held no anger at all. It was simply empty.

“Belle, do you know that perjury is a felony p>

𝗟a𝗍𝖾𝘀𝘵 𝗰hа𝗽𝗍е𝘳𝘀 𝘰ո

Belle went still. The tear stopped halfway down her cheek. Her breath caught.

“You don’t believe me?” she whispered. This time, the fear in her voice was entirely real.

Grayson stood. He was a tall man, and the movement cast a long shadow across the desk. He walked slowly around the edge of the mahogany until he was standing only a few feet from her.

“I watched the security footage from the hospital corridor,” he said, his eyes locking onto hers. “Your mother threw the first strike. She aimed for her face. From start to finish, Isolde never made a single aggressive move. She raised her hand only to defend herself, and was still injured in the process p>

Belle took a step backward. Her heel caught on the thick carpet.

“As for extortion,” Grayson continued, taking another slow step forward, “do you genuinely believe a woman with Isolde’s intellect needs to extort you for a failing project? Her value to this industry is worth ten times your entire company. She is Sophia. She could walk into the Pentagon tomorrow and name her price p>

The color left Belle’s face entirely. Her skin looked like spoiled milk.

“You have changed,” she said, her voice turning shrill. “You always stood by me. You always protected me p>

Grayson looked down at her. A heavy, suffocating wave of regret moved through his chest.

“That is because I was blind,” he said quietly.

He turned his back on her and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the glittering Manhattan skyline below.

“I can make one phone call to the precinct captain,” he said to the glass. “I can ensure Cheryl is held in a safe cell and not harassed by other inmates. That is the absolute limit of my involvement p>

Belle curled her fingers into tight fists, her nails pressing into her palms. A safe cell did not save her company.

“What about InnoTech?” she demanded, the crying act stripped away by desperation. “The bank froze our accounts because of Marcus Lee. I need you to sign a corporate guarantee letter — just to unfreeze the funds p>

Grayson turned his head sharply. His eyes were like chips of flint.

“So that is the real reason you came here crying,” he said.

Belle flinched. Her gaze darted around the room, unable to hold his. “I only brought it up because it is urgent p>

Grayson let out a short, humorless sound.

“InnoTech is an independent corporate entity,” he said. “I will not use the Lancaster name to underwrite your catastrophic management failures p>

He walked back to his desk and pressed the silver intercom button.

“Security. Please escort Miss Escobar to the lobby p>

Belle stared at him. Her mouth opened and closed without producing a sound. He was throwing her out. He was abandoning her.