Chapter 429

Chapter 429:

Isolde seized him by the lapels of his coat and dragged him out of the car. They tumbled backward onto the wet asphalt, landing in a heap of limbs and mud.

A second later, a loud crack echoed through the valley.

The Escalade tipped backward and vanished over the edge of the cliff.

They lay there in the rain, panting. Isolde pushed herself upright and looked down at Grayson. He was clutching his mangled right hand to his chest, his eyes squeezed shut.

He had risked his life. He had destroyed his car.

уo𝘶𝘳 𝗱a𝗶𝘭𝘆 𝖽𝗈𝘴e of 𝗻о𝘃е𝗅ѕ o𝘯 𝗀𝖺𝗅𝗻о𝘃𝗲𝗅s.сo𝗺

But he had asked for Belle.

Route 23A. The crash site.

Blue and red lights strobed against the wet rock face, creating a disorienting, epileptic rhythm.

Isolde sat on the rear bumper of an ambulance, a foil shock blanket wrapped around her shoulders. A paramedic was shining a penlight into her eyes.

“Pupils are equal and reactive,” the medic muttered. “You’re lucky, ma’am.”

“It wasn’t luck,” Isolde said quietly. “It was physics.”

A few yards away, Belle was making a scene.

She was sitting on a stretcher, a dramatic bandage wrapped around her head, pointing a shaking finger at Isolde.

“She tried to kill me!” Belle screamed, her voice hysterical. “Officer! Arrest her!”

A State Trooper — a tall man in a rain-slicked hat — frowned and walked over to Isolde, notebook open.

“Ma’am, your passenger is making some serious allegations,” he said. “She claims you intentionally refused to brake.”

Isolde looked up at him, her expression calm, almost bored.

“Officer, look at the road,” Isolde said, gesturing to the black asphalt. “Do you see any skid marks from my tires?”

The Trooper looked. “No.”

“Exactly,” Isolde said. “If I had brakes, I would have locked them up. The hydraulic line failed. It was a mechanical failure.” She paused. “Or sabotage,” she added softly, her mind already replaying the car’s telemetry data, searching for the exact moment the pressure had dropped. Evidence. I need the raw data.

“She’s a liar!” Belle shrieked from the stretcher. “She’s jealous! She wanted to crash the car to hurt me!”

Grayson walked into the circle of light.

His right arm was in a temporary sling, his face pale and beaded with sweat. Pain radiated off him in waves, but he stood tall.

“Officer,” Grayson said, his voice commanding despite the injury. “This was an accident. The car malfunctioned. If she had wanted to kill Belle, we’d be pulling a car out of the ravine instead of having this conversation.”

Belle gasped. “Gray! Whose side are you on?”

Grayson turned to look at her. His eyes were dark and exhausted.

“I am on the side of ending this circus,” Grayson snapped. “Stop screaming, Belle. You are embarrassing yourself.”

He turned back to the Trooper. “It was an accident. My legal team will handle the report.”

The Trooper nodded, clearly recognizing the Lancaster name. “Yes, sir.”

Grayson walked over to Isolde and stopped a foot away.

“Are you hurt?” he asked.

Isolde pulled the foil blanket tighter. “Why do you care? You already asked about the important passenger.”

Grayson flinched. “Isolde, I —”

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