"Really?" Annie looked up at Reese with teary eyes, her voice shaky from crying.


    Reese felt a pang in her chest. She blinked back her own tears and managed a gentle smile, tapping Annie''s nose lightly. "Of course. When have I ever lied to you?"


    Annie wasn''t Matthew''s biological child. That meant the only rtives who could help were Sebastian and Robbie. Robbie was just a kid, about Annie''s age. Even though she''d been hurt by him before, Reese couldn''t bear to ask Robbie to go through something like this unless there was truly no other way.


    That left only Sebastian.


    Hope sparked in her chest. She let go of Annie, stood up, and pulled out her phone, quickly dialing Sebastian''s number.


    "Ms. Meyer," a voice answered.


    "Brady?" Reese was caught off guard. Sebastian never let anyone else touch his phone unless something serious was going on. "Where''s Sebastian? I need to talk to him. It''s urgent."


    "Mr. Ratcliff isn''t able toe to the phone right now," Brady said, ncing over at Sebastian, who was sprawled on the bed,pletely out cold and reeking of alcohol. “He''s been staying at the family estate since he was removed from his position. If it''s urgent, maybe you shoulde talk to him in person."


    Brady had actually been thinking about calling her for help, wondering if she could talk some sense into Sebastian. Now, she''d beaten him to it.


    "Alright," she agreed, hanging up.


    Turning to n, she hesitated. "n, I..."


    n gave her a reassuring nod. "Go ahead. I''ll handle things here. The doctors will be here soon, and I''ll make sure everything is taken care of. Don''t worry."


    "Thank you." Reese bent down, brushing Annie''s hair back with trembling fingers. "Annie, be good and wait here for me, okay? I promise I''lle back with good news."


    Annie nodded her little hand


    tightening around Reese''s fingers. She paused; searching Reese''s eyes. "Don''t let Uncle Sebastian pressure you, okay? If he asks you for


    ve


    something... don''t do it just to save my dad. You''re the most important Que and Daddy if you


    person to me and B


    make a bad deal, even if Daddy


    wakes up, he won''t be happy."


    Reese swallowed, her throat tight. "Okay," she whispered, unable to meet Annie''s gaze. She turned and hurried out of the hospital room, one hand pressed over her mouth to keep from sobbing out loud. If only Annie were her own daughter. If only she''d married Matthew in the first ce.


    ***


    When she arrived at the Ratcliff estate, Brady was already waiting at the gate for her.


    "Ma''am." He walked quickly to meet her as she got out of the car.


    "Where is he?" Reese managed a small smile. No matter what happened between her and Sebastian, Brady was always polite and respectful.


    "Mr. Ratcliff just woke up," Brady said.


    "Just now?" Reese stopped in her tracks.


    Brady nodded and led her upstairs to the master bedroom. "After everything that happened with his mother and thepany, he''s been drinking every day."


    A bitter smile tugged at Reese''s lips. She''d watched Sebastian w his way to the top of Ratcliff Global over the years, surviving every power struggle and backstabbing rival. He was not the kind of man to fall apart over business trouble or Jane. No, the real reason he was drinking himself sick was Leslie. He''d thrown everything away for his first love, even used his status as chairman to make her life easier. In the end, Leslie had just yed him for a fool. The whole thing was almostughable, except it hurt too much.


    She stepped into the master bedroom. Sebastian was sitting by the window in a heavy, carved armchair, sunlight carving shadows acros his sharp profile. He looked exhausted, distant lost in thought When he heard her footsteps, he turned and looked at her There was no surprise in his eyes, just a cool, careful kind of curiosity.


    "What are you doing here?" His voice was t. "Did youe to see how pathetic


    I am?"


    "Is that really something I caused?" Reese asked quietly. She sat down in the chair across from him, her expression calm and unreadable. There had been times in the past when she''d wished for something bad to happen to him, but now, seeing him like this, she felt nothing at all.