Chapter 180

The rain finally stopped after pouring down all night.
Morning sunlight broke through the clouds and spilled into the kitchen, warm and bright. Reese spread jam on a piece of toast and handed it to Annie.
“Eat up. I’ll drive you to school,” she said.
Annie took the toast and finished it in just a few bites. She slid off her chair, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and headed for the door.
Maybe it was everything that happened last night, but Annie looked tired today, her eyes a little dull and heavy with sleep.
Reese reached out and gently ruffled Annie’s hair, then took her small hand as they stepped outside together.
She walked Annie to the school gate and watched her disappear into the building before turning and heading to BlackOak.
With Matthew back on base, all the pressure at the research center landed on Reese. She barely stepped out of the lab all day. Her world was just lines of code flashing on the screen and complicated equations filling the whiteboards.
It wasn’t until the sky outside started to darken that Reese finally rubbed her aching temples and sent off the last piece of research data. Thıs content belongs to.net
She grabbed her coat, ready to head home and check in on Annie first. With Matthew gone, it was just Annie and the housekeeper at home, and Reese couldn’t help but worry.
But as soon as she stepped out of the lab, she spotted Alan coming over with an easy smile.
“Reese, I was just looking for you. There’s an industry event tonight-come with me?”
Reese frowned. Alan knew she didn’t like these kinds of gatherings, so if he was asking, it had to be important.
“What’s up?” she asked.
Alan didn’t bother hiding anything. “That classified incident from before? Big X got dragged into it. Now there are rumors we’re not on good terms.
“Management suspects Leslie might be involved, but there’s no actual proof. They don’t want things to get too tense, so they’re waiting to see her next move.
“She’s on the guest list tonight, so I want you to come with me.”
Reese raised an eyebrow. Leslie had been quiet lately, so it made sense that management wanted to keep an eye on things.
“Okay,” she agreed.
There was still time before the event, so she had dinner with Alan.
rware he waited for herse
getting ready, and then they beaded out to the gala together.
The event was at a private club on the edge of the city. The ballroom glittered under crystal chandeliers, and soft violin music floated through the air.
As soon as Reese walked in with Alan, she felt eyes on them from all corners of the room. Before she even had a chance to react, a group of men in suits came
over.
“Alan, I’ve heard so much about you! I’m Daniel from Skyblink Systems. I’ve been hoping to talk about a technical partnership with BlackOak
“Alan—and is this another member of the Blade team? I’m Wade from Intelligence Al. I’ve got a few questions I’d love to ask
Reese glanced at Alan, who gave her a look that said, What can you do?
Clearly, word about the National Security investigation had gotten around. Everyone in the industry _seemed to know Blackoak was now involved in military projects; even companies that had cut ties before were suddenly eager to reconnect.
“Yes, this is Ms. Reese Meyer from the Blade project. She’s leading our integration with Ratcliff Global’s Vault system, Alan said, taking the chance to introduce her and boost her profile.
Reese didn’t miss a beat. She held her wine glass and flashed a professional
smile, answering questions smoothly as they came.
Some of her ideas and insights really impressed the crowd, and soon people were hanging on her every word.