Chapter 347

That same afternoon, Isabella's phone buzzed with Alexander's call shortly after she arrived at The Grandeur headquarters. InnovaTech stood to lose millions if their partnership dissolved.

Seeing his name flash across her screen, she instantly knew his purpose. Her finger hovered over the decline button.

Two more attempts. Two more ignored calls. Then Nathaniel's phone lit up instead.

Nathaniel answered on the second ring, cutting straight to the chase. "Let me guess - this is about InnovaTech?"

"Correct." Alexander's voice carried through the line. "Name your price, Mr. Graves."

"Not happening, Mr. Whitmore. Victoria crossed a line no business partner should ever cross." Nathaniel's tone turned glacial. "Unless you have other matters to discuss?"

"Is there truly no room for negotiation?"

"None." Nathaniel's response brooked no argument. "My legal team and I will be handling this personally. I suggest you refrain from harassing my employees. Any further attempts would only prove you share Victoria's poor judgment and disrespect for professional boundaries."

"Under those circumstances, continuing our partnership would be impossible."

Alexander couldn't touch Isabella directly, but the Sinclair family remained vulnerable. While Nathaniel and Isabella could protect them, unnecessary collateral damage was best avoided.

Nathaniel's warning served dual purposes - shielding Isabella from harassment while simultaneously protecting her family through veiled threats about their ongoing collaboration.

"Consider how this might escalate," Nathaniel continued, "if our partnership suffers unexpected complications that attract...unwanted attention."

The unspoken implications hung heavy between them. Fleming Tech's high-profile project against their international competitors had been publicly announced months ago. National pride rode on its success, with The Grandeur as their ideal partner.

If news broke that Alexander prioritized defending Victoria over this flagship project? The shareholder backlash alone would drown him. The reputational damage would be catastrophic.

Nathaniel didn't need to spell out the domino effect - plummeting stock prices, investor lawsuits, boardroom mutiny. Alexander could connect those dots himself.

A humorless chuckle came through the line. "Message received, Mr. Graves."

Satisfied his point landed, Nathaniel delivered his parting shot. "Any further questions?"

"None."

The call disconnected. Nathaniel immediately dialed Isabella, who answered before the first ring completed.

"Alexander just called."

"I know. I declined his calls. Did he reach you?"