Chapter 585
Chapter 585:
“Since you are here, take a look at this telemetry data,” he said. Then he lowered his voice. “We have some uninvited guests lingering outside. Do you want me to have security escort them away p>
Isolde took the folder. The corner of her mouth curved upward into a dark, humorless smile. “No,” she said softly. “Let them in. Some tragedies require an audience to be truly appreciated p>
Out in the hallway, Grayson reached for the heavy metal handle of the laboratory door and pushed it open. The air pressure in the room shifted as they stepped through. The door clicked shut behind them.
The silence in the laboratory was absolute.
Isolde stood before the glass board, framed by the brilliant, complex mathematics she had just created. She looked like a queen before her throne, waiting for the peasants to approach.
Grayson stepped fully into the laboratory, his eyes locked onto Isolde. A strange, suffocating pressure settled in his lungs, as though the oxygen had been quietly evacuated from the room.
Belle shoved past him. Her high heels clicked sharply against the anti-static floor tiles—a harsh, grating sound that tore through the reverent silence of the laboratory. She ignored Isolde entirely and marched straight toward Professor Nelson, extending her right hand with a practiced, overly enthusiastic smile.
“Professor Nelson!” Belle said, her voice pitched far too loud for the room. “It is such an honor. I am Belle Escobar, CEO of InnoTech p>
𝗬o𝗎𝗋 𝗱𝖺il𝘆 𝖽оsе of ո𝗼𝘷𝖾𝗅s oո ѕ.c𝗼𝗺
Nelson looked down at her outstretched hand. He did not move a muscle to take it. His bushy eyebrows drew together in a deep frown.
“Miss Escobar,” he said, his voice dry and completely devoid of warmth. “This is a sterile, controlled environment. Your perfume is highly disruptive to the air filtration sensors p>
Belle’s hand froze in mid-air. A dark red flush crept up her neck. She lowered her arm slowly, her smile turning brittle. “My apologies,” she stammered. “I was simply eager to meet you p>
Desperate to reclaim command of the room, Belle whipped her head around toward Isolde, her eyes narrowing with malicious intent. She snapped her fingers in the air as though calling a dog.
“Isolde,” Belle said briskly. “Since you are here playing consultant, be a dear and pull Professor Nelson’s itinerary for the next half hour. I need to squeeze in an urgent strategy meeting, and you can make yourselves useful by running these schematics to the copy room p>
The temperature in the laboratory dropped to absolute zero.
Several doctoral students stopped breathing. They stared at Belle with wide, horrified eyes, as though she had just suggested setting the building on fire.
Isolde leaned casually against the stainless steel workstation and crossed her arms. A slow, mocking smile touched her lips. “Running to the copy room?” she asked, her voice smooth but carrying a lethal edge. “The only machines we keep on hand in this sector are quantum supercomputers. Would you like me to feed your archaic thruster designs into one so it can calculate exactly how obsolete they are, Belle p>
Belle’s face twisted with sudden, explosive rage. “Watch your tone with me!” she shrieked, her voice bouncing off the glass walls. “I am a VIP sponsor here p>