"Holy crap! So Sofia''s been pretending to be all sweet and innocent, but she''s actually the real snake? She tried to hurt a kid just to get ahead. Doesn''t she worry about karma catching up with her?"
"I actually used to feel bad for her when Reese supposedly stole her boyfriend. But now? Looks like she brought this on herself. She even hinted that Reese was the one ruining her rtionship with Mr. Ratcliff, trying to turn us all against Reese. What a master maniptor."
"Trying to hurt an unborn child? Isn''t that straight-up illegal? Why hasn''t Ratcliff Global just called the police and had her arrested already? If they keep letting her stay, she''ll only cause more trouble."
"It gets scarier the more you think about it. What if all those nasty rumors about Reese online were nted by Sofia? She''s been twisting public opinion this whole time. That''s so gross!"
"Sofia needs to get out of the business world. With morals like that, she should be cklisted for good!"
"I''m all for Ratcliff Global suing her. She has to face the consequences- otherwise, how are any of us supposed to move on from this?"
Thements section had turned into an all-out public shaming. The entire feed was flooded with usations of "evil viin" and "schemer." Even the influencers who had once shared Sofia''s interviews were getting called out for taking her money to promote her. In a panic, they rushed to delete their posts and post apologies.
Sofia stared at her phone, overwhelmed by the endless stream of hate. Her face drained of color.
It was over. This time, it was really over. With Ratcliff Global''s statement out there, her dad would find out everything she''d done. Her reputation in the industry was destroyed.
Worse, she might take DeepQuanta Al down with her.
Frantically, she grabbed her phone and called Tara.
"Mrs. Wiles..."
There was a rustling of papers on the other end, and Tara''s voice was quiet, but Sofia could hear the urgency.
"Ms. Meyer, I get what you''re going through, but Zach and I have our own messes to clean up. We can''t help you handle the online bacsh.
"That statement from Ratcliff Global has hit DeepQuanta too. The only thing I can tell you is that Reese ended her pregnancy ages ago. You were just her scapegoat.
"If f you want to clear your name, you''ll have to get the evidence yourself."
A tiny spark of hope flickered in Sofia''s chest. She thanked Tara and ended the call.
Tara really didn''t have time to worry about Sofia She''d just gotten a message from her assistant: Iron Financials
chip project with that state-ownedpany had just been stolen away by Ratcliff Global, who imed they had "doubts about the partner''s credibility."
Even DeepQuanta''s investors were suddenly backing out, and the banks were tightening their loans.
The reporters Tara had bribed had not only returne5d her money, but had also sent their chat logs straight to Ratcliff Global''s PR team, desperate to distance themselves.
After she hung up, Tara just sat there, face grim. She''d been so sure that Reese was finished, no matter what. She never expected Ratclif Global to step in and fight for her.
She didn''t even have time to process it before Rosie called, her voice trembling with panic. "Tara, the your dad.
smart tech park project your
was working on just got scrapped!”
"Ratcliff Global teamed up with three otherpanies, shed the bids, and sent
in proof that we changed the blueprints illegally. The organizers canceled us on the spot!"
"They''re clearlying for us, Tara. What do we do now?"
Tara''s fingers were freezing as she held her phone, cold sweat running down her back.
Ratcliff Global was out to destroy them.
She slumped onto the couch, staring out at the gloomy sky, feeling nothing but despair.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Mr. Ratcliff sat up in bed, his face set in stone as he gave out orders to his team.