Reese sat in her office, flipping through a stack of reports, a deep frown etched across her face.


    The press conference had gone off without a hitch. They''d drawn a crowd, and several potential partners had seemed genuinely interested-some even saying as much right there in front of everyone. But now, dayster, not a single contract hade through. Not one.


    She got up to grab some water from the break room. As she reached the door, voices drifted out.


    "No luck closing today either?"


    "Don''t ask. I went over there three times. Their manager tossed our proposal right back at me. Said as long as it''s ckOak, they''re not interested, no matter what we offer."


    "That''s so weird. I had everything lined up with Quantum Tech. The deal was basically done. But when I went back to sign, they''d changed their minds overnight."


    "You think someone upstairs pissed off the wrong person?"


    "Probably. I know Mr. Moore at Ninebridge-he told me he likes our system, but the higher-ups won''t let them work with us."


    Reese''s hand froze on the doorknob.


    Sebastian. It could only be him.


    He''d actually stooped to sabotaging ckOak''s partnerships, just to push her out and drag her back to the Ratcliff family—to turn her into his personal baby factory.


    If he wanted to y dirty, so could she.


    But first, n needed a heads-up. She couldn''t risk her fight with Sebastian dragging ckOak down too.


    Reese turned away from the break room and headed straight for n''s office. She knocked, and when n called her in, she stepped inside, bracing herself for bad news. To her surprise, n didn''t look angry or worried. He actually looked upbeat.


    "n, I-"


    "You''re right on time," he cut in before she could finish. "You did great work on the Al traffic system. The executives are impressed."


    He pulled a folder from a pile and slid it across to her. "This is the de project. Take a look."


    Reese opened the folder, scanned a few lines, and her face immediately went pale. She snapped it shut.


    "n..."


    Field logistics. Anti-jamming. Real-time response. No way this was for civilian use.


    She shouldn''t even be reading this.


    n adjusted his sses. "It''s exactly what you think.


    "I know you''re worried about Ratcliff Global messing with our partners. But this system was never really meant for themercial market. Even if the private sector turns us down, there are other buyers.


    "I didn''t bring you over from Clever Cloud to let you get bullied. Don''t worry. If anyonees after you, I''ll take the heat. And if I can''t, someone above me will. Ratcliff Global isn''t as scary as they think."


    He pushed another document her way. "This is an NDA. Sign it, and you''ll have full control over the next phase. I promise, no one''s going to mess with you."


    Reese''s hands shook.


    No one would be able to touch her?


    That meant Sebastian, too.


    This was perfect. She could keep her cards close for now, wait until she had proof, and not let him see hering.


    "Thank you, n," she said, signing her name without a second thought.


    With her worries out of the way, Reese threw herself into work. Hours slipped by without her noticing, until a security guard knocked on her door, making her realize it was almost ten.


    She packed up, drove toward her apartment, but about a mile away, her car stalled and refused to start. She called a tow truck and had it hauled to the shop.


    Standing on the sidewalk, she realized her apartment wasn''t far. Pulling her coat tighter, she started walking. The streets were still busy at this hour.


    She slowed as she passed a row of bars, music andughter spilling out onto the sidewalk. That''s when she spotted a group of people chatting outside. Even from a distance, Sebastian stood out-tall and impossible to miss.