"Without the Ratcliff family backing you up, what can Reese really do to you?"


    Rosie''s heart skipped a beat, but she kept her face perfectly calm. "If Mr. Ratcliff finds out about this..."


    Leslie cut her off. "This has nothing to do with you. As far as you know, you don''t know anything."


    Rosie watched her for a few seconds, weighing her options. "Alright, I''ll see what I can do. But this has to be done quietly. No mistakes."


    "Don''t worry, Mrs. Ramos."


    Leslie shed a smile. "Just get me the staff schedule. I''ll handle the rest."


    As Rosie stood up to leave, Leslie''s smile dropped in an instant, reced by a cold, calcting look. Once Rosie got her the schedule, she''d be involved, whether she liked it or not. The Ramos family would have no choice but to cover for her.


    At the hospital, Reese woke up and nced over at Annie in the next bed. When she saw the little girl''s fever was gone and her breathing was steady, she finally rxed and let herself smile.


    She sat up and spotted a small charm on her pillow. Picking it up, she saw it was a pendant from the church.


    She blinked, her longshes hiding the emotions in her eyes. After a while, she let out a softugh. Those amulets weren''t easy to get.


    However, Sebastian''s efforts didn''t really matter anymore.


    Still, you couldn''t just toss something blessed. Reese slipped the amulet into her pocket, got out of bed, and walked out to find the doctor.


    Once she confirmed Annie was out of danger and would only need a few days of observation before going home, Reese finally let herself breathe easy.


    "Ma''am."


    She heard someone call out just as she left the doctor''s office. Reese turned and was surprised to see Mr. Ratcliff''s assistant waiting for her.


    "Aiden? What are you doing here?"


    Aiden had been with Mr. Ratcliff for years, sharp as ever and never one to show his cards unless absolutely necessary.


    Reese smiled and offered an exnation. "Annie had a high feverst night, so she''s been admitted. Please don''t tell Mr. Ratcliff. I don''t want him to worry."


    Aiden nodded, but then he remembered Mr. Ratcliff''s instructions from the night before. He hesitated for a moment, then decided toe clean.


    "There''s a Y-chromosome mutation. And it''s gic?" For a second, Reese''s mind went nk. "How could it be a hereditary illness? And Mr. Ratcliff..."


    Aiden adjusted his sses. "He''s lucky it didn''t show up until now. I came to see if I could get a pediatrician to check on Robbie, maybe schedule a gic screening."


    Seeing Reese''s worried look, Aiden


    tried to reassure her. "These


    mutations are really subtle. Regr checkups almost never catch them. We''re still figuring out what triggers them-itcould be the environment stress, underlying health issues. We just don''t know yet."


    "So Sebastian, Robbie, and Matthew... They could all be at risk?"


    Reese''s gazended somewhere far away. Honestly, she was most worried about Matthew. He had the Ratcliff blood too.


    "It''s possible."


    Aiden nced at Mr. Ratcliff''s medical report. "I''ll arrange testing for Mr. Ratcliff


    and Robbie as soon as possible."


    Reese pressed her lips together.


    So only Sebastian and Robbie get tested? What about Matthew?


    She spoke before she could stop herself. "Can you give Matthew Sebastian''s spot? He got hurt in the army, and he needs this more. Plus, the project he''s on is too important to dy figure something out for Sebastianter."


    Reese sounded determined, but Aiden just gave her a polite, distant


    smile. "Ma''am, I''m Mr. Ratcliff''s


    assistant. I have my duties, and


    loyalty is to him. That''s what! C


    learned on my first day with the


    Ratcliff family."


    It was a gentle but clear refusal. With Matthew''s current status, there was only so much Aiden could do.


    Reese understood. She realized she''d overstepped. She let out a small smile. "You''re right. That was my mistake. We''ll do as Mr. Ratcliff wishes. Thanks, Aiden. I appreciate it."