The Doormat Wife’s Ultimate Glow-Up novel Chapter 128

“What’s going on?”

A man’s deep voice came through the phone. “Why are you suddenly looking into Reese’s medical records?”

Sofia’s voice wavered, frustration bubbling up as she replied, “Reese had Sebastian’s baby, but she ended the pregnancy herself and then blamed it on me. She told everyone I made her lose the baby.

“And now the Ratcliff family’s made it public. The internet’s attacking me, and she even called reporters to camp outside my door…”

Hank’s fingers paused against the desk, his brows drawing together. “Don’t worry about the reporters. I’ll handle it.”

He hung up. The office quieted down. Hank’s mind was racing with memories of someone who felt both close and impossibly far away.

If Sofia hadn’t mentioned her, he might have forgotten Reese existed at all.

Years ago, when his parents split up, his mother left Brookfield and took Reese with her. The only time he saw Reese after she came back to Bridger Lake was at their mother’s funeral.

He’d never forgiven her for being reckless, for causing the car accident that killed their mom. He’d slapped her, hard, right there at the funeral, not caring who saw.

After that, he tried not to think about her at all.

It was only recently, in a call with Sofia, that he heard her name again. Sofia said Reese had married Sebastian.

Still, why would she end Sebastian’s pregnancy? Was Sebastian that terrible to her?

Hank shook his head. Why did it matter to him?

But if Reese was framing Sofia, he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

He hit the intercom. “Let the Bridger Lake media know Sofia’s off-limits. If anyone messes with her, they’ll answer to me.

“And book me the next flight to Bridger Lake.”

“But sir,” his assistant said, hesitating, “you have a project meeting with Northbeam Tech tomorrow…”

Reese took the papers, scanning through them as she headed to the lab with him.

“There’s too much fluctuation in this data. The match algorithm’s off.”

They stepped into the lab, not noticing the glare Lyla shot them as they passed.

While Reese was away, Matthew had started giving Lyla more important responsibilities. She’d pulled several all-nighters trying to get the two projects to sync. In a field like this, the closer your name was to the top of the project, the more your reputation grew.

If the project was a success, Lyla expected her name front and center, a real boost in the AI world.

She’d been sure Reese was finished after the rumors of a data leak. No way would she return.

But now Reese was back, and Matthew had just handed her work straight over to her.

Just like that, Lyla was back to being a glorified assistant. And when the project ended, her name would be buried at the bottom of the credits.