Chapter 118

“Sofia is unbelievable, isn’t she? First, she latches on to Sebastian, knowing full well he’s taken, just to hype herself up. After she gets dumped by Sebastian, she’s already moved on to Zach!”
Millie’s voice practically vibrated with rage, the anger cutting straight through the phone.
“And what’s even going on with you and Sebastian? Weren’t you guys getting divorced?
“So why are the paparazzi still catching you two together?
“There’s no way those photos get out without Sebastian’s permission, right?!”
A knot of dread twisted in Reese’s stomach. She swiped her phone, put Millie on speaker, and tried to sound calm. “Don’t freak out yet. Let me check.”
She opened Twitter, and the first trending topic hit her like a punch- #Sebastian Late NightWith MysteryWoman.
The photos were ridiculously clear. Last night in the parking garage, Reese was walking toward the elevator, her back to the camera, Sebastian behind her, watching her go. His black Bentley was parked nearby, the streetlights stretching their shadows out long and thin.
The caption was all venom: “Is Sebastian flaunting a new girlfriend? His ‘breakup’ with Sofia might’ve just been a cover. The mystery woman? Rumor has it she’s linked to the BlackOak leak.”
Reese’s heart dropped. She kept scrolling, and the next trending tag made her freeze #Reese BlackOakLeakSuspect.
She tapped in. It was a mess of cherry-picked “evidence”: screenshots of her work history at BlackOak, wild rumors about her having access to sensitive data.
Some so-called insider accounts claimed, “Ever since the national security investigation, projects under Reese’s watch have all had data issues.”
Then came the video from Sofia’s press conference.
Sofia stood on stage in front of a giant screen. “Our new system isn’t limited to any one Al application. We’re building a true ‘human-Al symbiosis’-Al that’s deeply woven into healthcare, education, and can predict needs from user behavior. This is a brand new approach to R&D.”
As soon as she finished, Zach walked up, grabbed the mic, and the camera zoomed in.
“I’m investing a hundred million and co-founding DeepQuanta Al with Ms. Meyer as CEO,” he announced.
He glanced down at the crowd with a sly smile. “And for the project name, we’re taking suggestions. The most creative one wins.”
A little further down, there was a video of Sofia’s interview.
She was in a white dress, eyes red, holding the microphone with shaky hands. “Mr. Ratcliff and I have “МК,
always had a purely professional relationship. The rumors were hard
to fe
on both of us. Right now just want focus on developing our new project.”
The comments section was a flood of hate:
“Reese is disgusting! Flirting with Mr. Ratcliff and leaking company secrets? BlackOak should’ve fired her already!”
“Compared to Sofia, Reese is just a sad, desperate clown. No talent, only dirty tricks. No wonder Mr. Ratcliff wants nothing to do with her!”
“Boycott BlackOak! How can we trust a company that hires traitors?”
“She tried to drug her way into Sebastian’s bed and now she’s leaking secrets? She should be blacklisted forever!”
Reese shut her eyes, her chest aching so badly it felt like she couldn’t breathe.
Turns out Zach’s revenge wasn’t just about using those old photos she’d sent him, or framing her for leaking data and getting her suspended.
He wanted to use Sofia to crush BlackOak, to bury Reese in scandal and public anger, to make sure she’d never get back up again.
“Reese! Reese, say something!”
Millie was practically crying. “Did you see all this? Zach did it on purpose! He started DeepQuanta Al just to steal Black@ak’s business. He’s got everyone boycotting Blackoak now, and their stock dropped five percent at the open this morning If this keeps up, they’re going to crash!
“What’s Sebastian doing through all this? How can he just stay silent while everything’s falling apart?”
A bitter smile tugged at Reese’s lips. The source of this content ɪs.net
What was Sebastian doing?
Just yesterday, he’d finally closed the deal between Big X and BlackOak. Right now, he was probably at BlackOak’s office, celebrating and signing contracts with Leslie.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and opened her stocks app. BlackOak’s shares were bleeding red, dropping even more by the minute.
“Millie, I’m okay,” Reese said, trying her best to sound reassuring, even though her voice shook. “I’m only on loan to Black Oak from Clever Cloud. As long as Blackoak uts out an
official statement clearing me, the
stock should stabilize.
“And Dominic is Sofia’s mentor. Zach’s first big investment after coming back was
with Clever Cloud. They’re ruthless, but they’re not going to burn their own connections or go after Clever Cloud.”