When Sofia saw Dominic, her eyes brightened. "Professor..." Her voice was


    tinged with a little hurt, but then she noticed n and another guy standing behind him, and confusion flickered across her face.


    Why would Dominic show up with n?


    It hit her that Dominic probably hadn''t heard about everything that happenedtely, since he''d been away from Bridger Lake. Sofia moved closer and quietly filled him in on the situation.


    "So you''re saying Reese took our institute''s research to ckOak, and now ckOak''s new scheduling system oveps with our data?" Dominic asked, his eyes searching her face for answers.


    Sofia nodded and handed him her tablet, showing him the two sets of data and algorithms side by side. "I''m not saying ckOak copied our system, but there''s definitely some ovep in the data, so..."


    Dominic had been at a military base for a while, working on top-secret projects at the request of the higher-ups. He''d only just returned for this conference, and the noise at the entrance was his first clue that something was off.


    Now, after hearing Sofia''s exnation, his expression shifted-somethingplicated passed through his eyes.


    "Reese, do you have anything you want to say?" he asked.


    "What could she possibly say?" Elijah cut in with a mocking tone.


    He had stopped by to say hi to Clever Cloud after their recent partnership. He couldn''t help but jump in. "Dominic, you probably missed it, but Reese actually imed Clever Cloud stole ckOak''s data. Now that you''re here, do you think she''ll keep saying that?"


    Dominic turned and searched for Reese in the crowd. She stood off to the side, nervously twisting the fabric at her waist, but she didn''t even try to defend herself.


    Sofia''s lips curled into a small, satisfied smile. She snuck a nce at Sebastian, who was watching her and Dominic, never once looking at Reese.


    Sofia couldn''t help but feel a sense of victory. With Dominic here, Reese''s giarism was basically a done deal.


    A heavy sigh broke the tension. Dominic''s disappointment was almost written all over his face.


    "Reese, I expected better from you." His voice was quiet but sharp. "Someone takes your research, and you just stand there and let it happen? You can''t even speak up for yourself? I thought you were stronger than this."


    Reese finally looked up. She met Dominic''s eyes, opened her mouth, but only a faint, breathless sound came out her throat felt like it was stuck with cotton.


    Elijah, still catching up, asked, "Dominic, what do you mean?"


    Dominic looked around the room, his voice low and steady. "The core algorithm for this scheduling system was Reese''s product seven years ago. I only started researching this area after seeing her work. But after she left the institute, the project was put on hold."


    The whole room erupted in whispers.


    "So Clever Cloud really did copy ckOak''s data?"


    "Ms. Meyer used Reese''s research from seven years ago? But Mr. Ratcliff just said "


    "Shh, men can''t always resist a pretty face. But who is Reese anyway? She did all that seven years ago? Never even heard of her."


    Everyone''s attention snapped to Reese. She instinctively searched for Sebastian, only to find him finally returning her gaze—his eyes cold and unreadable.


    Sofia forced a stiff smile. "Professor, I know Clever Cloud and ckOak have always worked together. You just didn''t want n to be embarrassed in front of everyone, right?"