Chapter 93

“Well, look who decided to show up-Reese Meyer finally returns.”
Lyla caught Reese with a sideways glance, her voice laced with sarcasm. “You were so eager to cover for Sofia, but you couldn’t even make it through the morning before landing in the hospital. Do you have any idea how much you set us back?”
Reese was caught off guard for a second, then it made sense. If Lyla was in the R&D team, she must’ve passed all the background checks. Blade was a joint venture between BlackOak and Ratcliff Global, so Ratcliff would definitely send someone over.
She really didn’t feel like arguing. Reese turned to head down the hallway toward the lab, but a soft voice stopped her.
“Ms. Meyer.”
Reese turned and saw Alan at the end of the hall, Leslie standing beside him.
“Didn’t expect to see you here, Ms. Meyer,” Leslie said, stepping forward, only for Alan to subtly block her.
“What’s this, Alan?” Leslie asked, hands up in a show of innocence, her tone light but firm. “I’m here on behalf of Big X to talk partnership, and BlackOak won’t even let me in the lab? That doesn’t exactly say ‘welcome’.”
Reese stepped up, giving Leslie a polite nod. “Sorry, Leslie, lab access is strictly controlled. Alan’s just following protocol.”
Leslie smiled, her eyes lingering on Reese for a moment. “I had no idea you worked at BlackOak. You’re full of surprises.” Follow current novᴇls on.net
Reese felt something shift inside her. “Not as impressive as you. You’re already heading Big X’s division, and you’re barely older than me.”
She didn’t want to drag this out. “Sorry, I’ve got work to do.”
Inside the lab, Matthew was frowning at his monitor, tapping his fingers absently on the desk.
“What’s up?” Reese asked, walking over.
Matthew glanced up, something unreadable in his eyes before he looked away. He pointed at the screen. “Hit a snag. The Al’s anti-jamming algorithm for military e-warfare just isn’t stable.”
Reese leaned in, typing a few commands. “Try adjusting the adaptive filter parameters. Like this.”
The graph on the screen smoothed almost instantly. Matthew’s eyes brightened, and for a second, he looked at Reese like she’d just hung the stars.
ים.
“You He hesitated, caught Reese’s curious look, and quickly turned away, coughing. “By the way, Big X is here to discuss a partnership! think we should go for it?
Reese thought back to the car accident, how Leslie had shown up to help her, and
now she was here at BlackOak. It was all a little too convenient.
Blade was BlackOak’s top-secret project, which was government-level
confidential. They couldn’t be too careful.
“Big X is based in another country, and with how things are internationally right
now, I think we need to keep our guard up.”
Matthew gave her a thoughtful look. “Got it.”
Reese glanced at him, a little confused, but didn’t dwell on it. She had other things to worry about.
Outside BlackOak Center, Neal
lounged in the back of a sleek black Maybach an unfit cigarette between his tips. He watched the front entrance, his tone teasing
“Come on, Sebastian, was this really necessary? We’re just here to pick up Leslie,
but you had to take my car and park three blocks away.”
Sebastian paused, flipping through his files, his voice even. “Reese works here.
Wouldn’t look good if she saw me.”
Neal let out a laugh, leaning back.
“Since when do you care about her feelings? You and Sofia used to
#taent your thing right in front others
never saw you hiding then.
He smirked. “Everyone knows Reese only married you for the Ratcliff name.”
Sebastian closed the file and looked up, expression unreadable. Neal fell silent.
“Is that so awful?”
It wasn’t clear if he was asking Neal or himself.
Neal scratched his head, hesitating. “I mean… maybe a little.”
Sebastian didn’t answer. He opened the file again, but his eyes didn’t really see the words. That restless, uneasy feeling just wouldn’t go away.