Sebastian''s face darkened as soon as he heard her words. He nced at Reese, anger simmering in his eyes, but what he saw stopped him cold. Her eyes were red, her expression a mix of heartbreak and exhaustion-just like that night in the courtyard when she''d pped him, all pain and fury.
A bad feeling twisted in his gut. He pulled out his phone and finally noticed several missed calls from Reese, plus a notification from the court.
"You''re actually serious?" His voice was raw, disbelief and fear tangled together. Reese had filed for divorce. She''d really gone through with it? She wanted out? Why?
He took a step closer, reaching for her shoulder, but Reese shoved him away so hard he nearly stumbled. "Get away from me. Don''t touch me!"
"Sebastian, I''m done. I just want a divorce. That''s it. I don''t want anything else to do with you."
"If you want kids, go ask Sofia, ask Leslie, ask whoever else you want. There''s plenty of women who would line up for the chance."
Sebastian stared at her, confused. Why was she dragging Leslie into this again? He tried to exin, "There''s nothing between me and Leslie. We just work together. You''re my wife. If I ever have kids, I want them with you."
"Reese, this isn''t something to just throw away. You can''t just file for divorce over something so... so small."
Reeseughed, the sound brittle and empty.
Something small?
So this was all just a minor inconvenience to him.
Her eyes filled up with tears. She wiped her face, pressing a trembling hand to her chest. "Why not?"
"You never treated me like your wife. You never defended me, not even once. Even now, all you do is threaten me, treating me like I''m some business rival, just another deal you need to close!"
Sebastian opened his mouth to
answer, but he knew nothing he said would get through to her right now She was done, and he knew it. All he could say was, "I''m only trying to do what''s best for you. Just think about it, okay? I''ll wait for your answer."
The door clicked shut behind him. Reese slid down to the floor, burying her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with quiet, helpless sobs.
Outside, Matthew leaned against the wall, arms crossed, listening to the muffled crying. He hadn''t meant to overhear, but standing guard here at least meant no one else would.
He''d expected drama, but not this. When Sebastian walked out, Matthew''s lips curled in a cold, mocking smirk.
"Nice job, Mr. Ratcliff. You pushed her this far and still think you''re doing her a favor?
"You really are your father''s son. Always thinking you know what''s best, never stopping to ask how anyone else feels."
Sebastian gave him a hard look but didn''t take the bait. He didn''t say a word, just brushed past and walked away.
A crash sounded from the lounge, ss shattering on the floor. Leslie, startled, started toward the door, but n stepped in and stopped her.
She shot him an annoyed look, but just then Sebastian stormed out, his face dark and unreadable. Leslie hurried to his side, voice full of concern. "Sebastian, are you okay?"
He just shook his head, his voice t. "Let''s go."
Leslie quickly followed after him. As they left, she nced back at the lounge, the faint sound of Reese''s crying reaching her ears. A sh of satisfaction flickered in her eyes.
n watched them leave, sighing heavily. He knew Sebastian wasn''t gonna help. Pulling out his phone, n called the PR department.
“Send out a statement right now. Make it clear Reese was set up by Zach. Tag Iron Financial and demand Zach exin himself. ckOak won''t let this slide."
ckOak''s statement hit the inte and chaos erupted. Anyone with half a brain could see Zach was just trying to sabotage ckOak and steal market share. People online
shook their heads at the Ramos fly so ruthless they''d throw their own niece under the bus for profit.
But before the gossip could settle, Zach struck back on Iron Financial''s official ount. He posted a batch of photos the same evidence the authorities had shown before along with a recording of a phone call that left no room for doubt.