Hank was still riding the high from finding out he''d finally get to meet the de project head tomorrow, when Mr. Marsh casually mentioned the meeting would be at ckOak.


    He repeated the name under his breath, feeling his excitement instantly drain away. Sweat prickled at his back.


    Wasn''t that where Reese worked now?


    Was it possible she really was involved with de, just like he''d suspected all along?


    That thought sent him straight to Bailey''s office, his nerves buzzing. He barely paused before pushing the door open.


    "Dad, we have a problem," Hank said, not even bothering to knock. "Mr. Marsh just told me the meeting with the de project lead is at ckOak. That''s Reese''spany!"


    Bailey was rolling an ornament between his fingers, but he froze at Hank''s words and narrowed his eyes. "And? Why are you so worked up? So she works at ckOak. What''s it to us?"


    Hank leaned over the desk, hands braced, his voice urgent. "Don''t you remember? Reese studied Al development in college! What if she''s involved in de? What if she hears about our partnership and tries to mess things up for us?"


    Bailey scoffed and set the ornament down. "No way. She dropped out of college to marry Sebastian, then spent years as a stay-at-home wife. She probably doesn''t even know what''s happening in the industry anymore, let alone touch something as big as de."


    "She''s lucky they even hired her at ckOak. There''s no chance they''d let her anywhere near a major project like that."


    "Just focus on meeting the de lead tomorrow. Don''t let yourself get distracted by people who don''t matter."


    Hank wanted to believe him. Maybe Bailey was right. Still, he couldn''t shake the uneasy feeling all night.


    The next morning, Hank showed up at ckOak with his assistant, nerves wound tight. He scanned the lobby for Reese, but didn''t see her anywhere. He let out a breath he hadn''t realized he was holding.


    Maybe he really had been overthinking it.


    But then the receptionist led them into the conference room, and Hank''s heart stuttered when he saw who was sitting at the head of the table.


    Matthew.


    Matthew stopped drumming his fingers on the table when the receptionist said, "Mr. Meyer from Vista Tech is here."


    He lifted an eyebrow, a cool look on his face. "Mr. Meyer. Long time no see."


    Hank could feel sweat soaking into his shirt, but he forced a polite smile and held out his hand "Mr. Wiles. Nice to meet you didn''t expect you to be the de project lead."


    Matthew didn''t bother to stand. He just leaned back in his chair, chin tilted, eyes sharp. "Imagine my surprise, finding out Vista Tech


    belongs to you


    are you here, t?


    talk partnership, or did you just want


    tor make more trouble for your


    sister?


    "Reese is one of our key people at ckOak. It doesn''t look so great for you to


    keep showing up, trying to give her a hard time, does it?"


    Hank''s face flushed deep red. His hand hung awkwardly in the air, and he suddenly wanted to disappear.


    His assistant stood beside him, barely daring to breathe. The whole room felt frozen.


    Hank started to exin, but Matthew was already getting to his feet. “If you''re here about a partnership, I don''t think we have anything to discuss."


    "ckOak doesn''t work with anyone who can''t tell right from wrong, or who treats our people badly."


    Matthew nodded toward the door. "Mr. Meyer, please see yourself out."


    Hank couldn''t get out of ckOak fast enough. His mind reyed every time he''d misjudged Reese, and the cold look Matthew had given him.


    He never would''ve guessed Matthew was the head of de. After seeing how he stood up for Reese, it was obvious even if Reese wasn''t on the core de team, there was no


    way they''d ever get the partnership now.