Chapter 162

“Ms. Meyer, if you think there’s a problem with the report, you can always ask the police to review it. Want me to call them for you right now?”
Hank grabbed the report, his eyes flying down the page until they hit the bold red seal at the bottom.
That red stamp hit him like a slap, sharp and impossible to ignore.
His face went from shock to a cold, gray anger. His breathing turned harsh and uneven, his chest tight with disbelief.
He remembered every time Reese looked at him with that quiet, crushed disappointment when he’d accused her. Guilt rushed through him, so strong it
hurt.
He’d always thought Reese was just jealous, bitter and spiteful, making up lies to hurt Sofia. Fınd the newest release on
But now, the evidence was right in front of him. The sister he’d tried to protect all these years had crossed a line he never thought she’d cross. She’d done something so cruel, she’d even put a life at risk just for spite.
He’d treated Reese unfairly because of their mother, kept his distance, but never -not once-had he wanted her gone.
He looked at Sofia, his voice thick with heartbreak.
“Sofia, just tell me the truth. Why would you do this to Reese?”
Sofia noticed the doubt and pain in his eyes and panic flared in her chest, but her stubborn pride wouldn’t let her back down.
“Don’t listen to them, Hank! Reese is just jealous. She set me up—she planned this!
“She doesn’t want me at BlackOak. Now that I’m at DeepQuanta, she’s afraid we’ll take over, so she’s scheming to ruin me!”
“Jealous of you?” Reese let out a short, bitter laugh. “What exactly do you have that I’d want?
“You can’t even make Blade and The Vault compatible. As for trust, you just use people for your own benefit. Lyla’s already been arrested-do you really think you’ll get away with this?”
“If I can’t get away with it, you won’t either!” Sofia’s voice climbed higher, almost shrill. “Are you going to stand there and pretend you didn’t accuse me of causing your miscarriage?”
“That was thr truth.”
Sebastian finally spoke up, calm but steady.
“If Reese hadn’t lost the baby when she did, after what you did, she would have lost it anyway.
“You can’t just walk away from this like nothing happened.”
He pulled out a recorder and pressed play.
Sofia’s voice echoed through the room, the same words she’d said in
the hospital: “You only care about
ow. You barely even look at me.
her now.
I just wanted you to pay attention to me again.”
“Sebastian, I’m sorry. Please, just this once, forgive me. I won’t do it again
When the recording ended, the lab fell into a heavy, stunned silence.
Hank’s legs almost gave out. He gripped the desk just to stay
standing. He stared at Sofia, al
trust in his eyes shattered, leaving nothing but cold disappointment.
“Sofia… you convinced a child to hurt his own mother and unborn brother?”
That broke her. Sofia’s last bit of composure snapped as she met her brother’s devastated stare.
He was disappointed in her? After everything they’d been through?
Was Reese really more important to him than all their years as siblings?
Feeling Reese’s eyes on her, Sofia suddenly lost it.
“Yes! I didn’t want her to be happy! She took Sebastian from me!
“If it wasn’t for her, Sebastian would never have turned cold, would never have forced me out of Ratcliff Global!
“He ended the Meyer family’s partnership because of her! Do you know how much we lost because of her?
“I just wanted her to feel what it’s like to lose everything! I wanted her to hurt the way I do!”
Sebastian’s face went ice cold. He stared at Sofia with nothing but disgust.
“Sofia, you tried to hurt my child. The only reason you’re not in jail is out of respect for the Meyer family. How can you still not see what you’ve done?”