Chapter 184

Leslie glanced up at Dylon, curiosity flickering behind her calm facade. What did Reese’s uncle want with her? Was he here to stand up for Reese, or was there something else going on?
Her mind spun with possibilities, but she kept her expression cool and steady. “I can’t say I’ve heard much about you, Mr. Ramos. What brings you over?”
Rosie, picking up on Leslie’s distance, clung to Dylon’s arm a little tighter.
Dylon patted Rosie’s hand in reassurance, then turned to Leslie with a smile that felt both practiced and a little too familiar. He shot a quick glance at Sebastian and Reese standing nearby before lowering his voice.
“You don’t miss much, Leslie, so I’ll just be upfront. I’m Dylon Ramos. I know you and Mr. Ratcliff go way back, and the truth is, I need a favor.”
He paused, like he was weighing his words. “There’s been some-let’s call it tension-between us and Reese. Some business stuff got messy. She’s not letting it go, and we’re honestly out of ideas. I was hoping you could put in a word with Mr. Ratcliff. Maybe ask him to give us a break, keep Reese from taking things too far.”
“Reese?” Leslie’s hand paused on her wine glass, a glimmer of surprise barely hidden in her eyes. Orıginal content can be found at
She hadn’t expected Reese to even fall out with her own uncle. Reese must really know how to make enemies. But then, Leslie wondered if this was just one of Reese’s schemes. She masked her reaction, slipping easily back into a neutral expression.
“I think you’re overestimating my relationship with Mr. Ratcliff. We only know each other for work. Whatever’s going on between you and Reese-that’s family business. I’d rather not get involved.”
“Don’t turn us down so fast,” Dylon said, his eyes lingering on Sebastian, who was standing close to Reese. Dylon noticed how her expression had faltered earlier when Sebastian left her to go to Reese. He was almost sure Leslie would say yes.
“Reese is stubborn as they come. Once she’s decided on something, no one can change her mind. We’ve tried talking to her, over and over, but she’s made it clear she’ll never let this go.”
“She’s my niece. I really don’t want things to get ugly.”
Rosie let out a shaky sigh, her eyes rimmed with red. “We’ve always tried to do right by her. After her mom passed, we took her in, paid for her schoot raised her like our own. Now, she’s grown up and wants nothing to do with us.”

“Enough,” Dylon said quietly, squeezing Rosie’s hand before turning back to Leslie with an apologetic smile. “Sorry you had to see that Family drama is never pretty. Please, forgive us.”
He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a gold-embossed
business card offering it to Leslie f
you’d rather stay out of it, I
understand. But here-if you ever
need anything, just call me
Leslie watched them walk away, her mind ticking. They must have been truly desperate to come to her. She took the card, her tone still polite but distant. “Thank you, Mr. Ramos.”
As Dylon and Rosie disappeared into the crowd, Leslie ran her thumb over the name on the card. She hesitated, then pulled out her phone and shot off a quick message to her assistant.
“Find out everything you can about Dylon and Reese. I want all the details-what happened, how bad it is. Thirty minutes.”
Message sent, Leslie looked back across the room. She spotted Reese, with Sebastian standing protectively at her side, shielding her from the crowd.
He used to do that for Leslie.
Now, all Sebastian cared about was Reese. Leslie’s grip on her phone tightened. If what Dylon said was true, maybe teaming up with him wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
Meanwhile, Rosie and Dylon slipped into a quiet corner, away from everyone else. Rosie finally let her guard down.
“Do you really think she’ll help us? She didn’t look like she believed a word we said.”
Dylon glanced back at Leslie, a sly smile curving his lips. “She will. The way she looks at Sebastian? She’s not going to let Reese get anywhere near him.”