Annie''s sweet, innocent question caught Reese off guard. Smiling, she reached over and ruffled the little girl''s hair.
Matthew sat nearby, watching the two of them with a quiet smile, his eyes thoughtful.
After Reese finished treating the wound, the three of them left the lounge together. Reese told Matthew to take Annie home and let her rest. She''d keep an eye on the remaining data.
Matthew knew Annie needed sleep, so he didn''t argue. He thanked Reese, scooped Annie into his arms, and headed for the elevator.
Reese waved goodbye to the little girl, then turned and walked toward theb.
Just as she was scanning her iris at theb entrance, her phone rang. She answered, not bothering to check the caller ID.
"Hello? Who''s this?"
"Reese, awyer came by today. And they brought the police.
"I thought Sofia already gave the house back. Why can''t you just drop it? Why are you pushing things this far?"
"That''s not the same thing," Reese said, her voice calm but distant. "He shorted thepany. He hurt every shareholder. That includes me."
"But he''s your uncle!" Tara''s voice shot up, sharp with frustration. "If he hadn''t taken you in, would you even have what you do now?"
Reese closed her eyes for a moment.
Of course. Because her uncle adopted her, she''d agreed to marry Sebastian just to help thepany, just like he asked. Later, her uncle had used his connection to the Ratcliffs to squeeze into Bridger Lake''s high society.
But what did she get in return?
Leeching off her wasn''t enough. To please Sebastian, her uncle destroyed thepany, crushed everything her grandfather and mother worked for, and even handed over her mother''s house to Sofia and her mom.
She''d more than repaid her debt.
"If that''s all, I''m hanging up."
Before Tara could protest, Reese ended the call, dropped her phone in her bag, and walked into theb.
The next morning, Reese was waiting for the algorithm data to finish when theb door opened. Matthew walked in, slipping on his jacket.
"Sorry you had to pull an all-nighter. Annie brought you breakfast. She''s waiting in the lounge."
"Thanks. I''ll take a break. Let me know when the data''s done," Reese said, rubbing her aching temples as she left theb.
She''d barely made it to the lobby when she froze.
Dylon was at the front entrance, talking to the receptionist. Reese''s face turned cold.
"Reese."
Dylon''s voice was soft, like nothing bad had ever happened between them. Reese looked at him, her eyes ice cold. "What do you want?"
Dylon''s expression darkened. "We need to talk."
It was the middle of the workday and people were moving all around the front desk. Without a word, Reese turned and led him to the lounge.
Inside, Dylon handed her a stack of documents. "This is the new shareholder agreement. I added some more shares for you. Could you look it over and sign it?"
Reese didn''t take the papers. She stared at him, her expression dripping with
sarcasm.
When she didn''t react, Dylon lowered his voice. "Reese, I know you''re still mad about everything, but I had no choice."
"If I hadn''t done it, how could I have gotten the Eastside project?"
"We''re family. If we seed, your life with the Ratcliffs gets easier too. Isn''t that what you want?"
Reese almostughed. Did they ever care about her life with the Ratcliffs?
They were only being nice because she hadn''t divorced Sebastian yet. They still thought she was useful. They just didn''t want to burn theirst bridge.
When Reese wasn''t budging, Dylon''s face went dark. "Still so stubborn. No wonder you couldn''t keep Sebastian''s heart. If that''s how it is, we won''t help you next time you''re in trouble."
With that, he stormed out.
Reese let out a shaky breath, sadness settling deep in her chest. Now, she truly had no family left.
Her phone lit up with a notification from a charity auction. She nced at it, barely interested-then her eyes went wide.
Wasn''t that the ne her mother had always wanted to find?