Once Tara was out of sight, Zach turned to Reese, his eyes sharp and cold. "You''re going to let her have it, right?"


    It sounded like a question, but his tone made it clear he wasn''t really asking.


    Reese''s fingers curled in on themselves. "I bought this as a gift for someone. I''m out of time and can''t pick something else. Please, let me have it. I promise I''ll find something even better for Tara and send it to you both."


    Zach let out a lowugh, but there was nothing friendly about it. "Let you have it? Why would I?


    "When you drugged Sebastian just to cozy up to him, do you know where I was?


    "I was in the ER, barely holding on.


    "If Tara hadn''t been there, I wouldn''t have made it.


    "If she wants something, no matter what, I''ll make sure she gets it.


    "Reese, don''t forget how you managed to stay at the institute."


    Reese''s face lost all its color, her nails digging into her palm. "Fine. Take it."


    Zach''s lips curled in satisfaction. He nodded to the sales associate. "Well? Wrap it up for me."


    The associate snapped to attention and quickly wrapped up the vase, then followed Zach toward the elevators.


    Reese watched him leave, let out a shaky breath, and turned to the associate. "Do you have anything simr? I need a gift for an elder."


    "Yes, right this way." The associate led her to another disy. "We just got this new tea set, handmade by an artist. It''s perfect for elders or friends. Take a look."


    Reese studied the tea set. The ze was smooth, the pattern elegant. But Dominic had said his friend especially liked plum blossoms.


    A sh of disappointment crossed Reese''s eyes. "Anything with plum blossoms?"


    The associate shook her head. "Sorry, we only get one handcrafted plum blossom piece a month."


    Reese checked her watch. "Okay, I''ll take this one, then."


    She paid and carried the gift box out of the mall, moving quickly.


    A breeze blew her hair loose, and she tucked it behind her ear, willing herself to let go of what just happened.


    ckOak Tech''s office was bright and spacious, screens everywhere showing Al models and streams of data.


    After checking in, the receptionist led Reese to the director''s office.


    A man in his fifties sat inside, dressed in a light gray suit and thin-rimmed sses. It''s n, the head of the department.


    "Reese?" n looked surprised. "I didn''t expect the developer of ''Star Trail'' to be so young."


    The woman in front of him looked no older than twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Five years ago, she''d built "Star Trail"—a top-tier management system. She was a standout in Al.


    n stood and shook her hand, giving her a warm smile. "Impressive. The next generation is really something."


    "You''re too kind, n."


    Reese set the gift box on his desk. "Just a little something for you."


    "No need for all that. We''re on the same team now." n waved her off with a big grin, then pulled a folder from his drawer and handed it to her.


    "This is our city traffic Al scheduling system. We''ve hit a snag. I wanted you here to see if you could help us out."


    Reese took the file and skimmed through it. After ten minutes, she looked up at n, her eyes thoughtful.


    The system covered everything-even rural traffic jams. Using it just for city traffic seemed like overkill.


    But that wasn''t her call.


    Reese pulled out her tablet and stylus, scribbling calctions. "The biggest issue is the blind spots in route tracking. And here, the algorithm is way too bulky. We could try..."


    n''s eyes lit up as he listened. When she finished, he pped his hands.


    "Brilliant! Dominic was right to rmend you. No wonder you''re his star student. Come on, let''s talk this over in the tea lounge."


    He led Reese out of the office.


    Reese paused, just for a second. She''d always thought Dominic saw her as a


    quitter, someone who gave up easily. She never expected...


    “n, hi, I''m Elijah from Monarch Partners. I''m here as we scheduled="


    They had just stepped into the hall when a man in a sharp ck suit stood by the reception desk. He stopped talking when he saw Reese.


    "Reese? What are you doing here?"


    This was the woman who''d pulled every trick to marry Sebastian. Why wasn''t she home ying the perfect wife? Why was she at ckOak?


    Reese frowned, feeling a headacheing on.


    Elijah was Neal''s older brother. Back when he found out Sebastian was marrying her, he''d pointed right at her and said she''d ruin Sebastian''s whole life.


    "Is this how you n to get Sebastian''s attention?"


    Elijah stood with his hands in his pockets, looking down his nose at her, a mocking smile on his face.


    "Failed the Clever Cloud test and now you''re trying to sneak into ckOak? Too bad, Reese. Even if you share theirst name, you''ll never be Sofia."


    Reese ignored him and gave n an apologetic smile. "Sorry about this, n."


    Elijah always seemed to lose his cool around Reese. When he heard her apology, he realized he''d gone too far.


    He shot her a re, then tried topose himself as he turned to n. "n, sorry to interrupt. About that joint Al scheduling project..."


    n nced at Reese, who lookedpletely unbothered, and replied calmly, "Mr. Shaw, Ms. Meyer is in charge of this project now. You''ll coordinate directly with her."


    Elijah looked like he''d heard the world''s worst joke. "You''re putting her in charge? n, you can''t be serious. Her?"


    He looked Reese up and down, scoffing. "She only knows how to chase after men. Does she even know what Al is?"