“Now that everything’s blown up, what do we have left to bargain with Reese?” Rosie asked, her worry clear in her voice.
“Oh, we’ve still got cards to play,” Tara replied, eyes narrowing with confidence. “Ramos Corporation is strapped for cash right now. You really think they can survive Ratcliff Global coming after them? We’ve built up a decent fortune. If Ramos Corporation’s finances collapse, we could offer to bail them out on the condition that Reese drops the charges. Trust me, that company probably means more to her than anything else in the world.”
Rosie’s eyes lit up. “That’s perfect! If it works, your dad could finally come home. But how do we actually pull this off?”
“I’ve got it covered,” Tara said, sliding onto the couch next to her mom and giving her a reassuring hug. “Just leave it to me, Mom. We’ll have our family back together before you know it.”
By early afternoon, a new rumor was making waves through Bridger Lake’s upper crust. Word was out: Reese and Sebastian had secretly gotten married ages ago, but Sebastian was still hung up on his first love, Leslie, leaving Reese a total outsider in the Ratcliff family.
Everyone in town knew how intense Sebastian and Leslie’s relationship had been. Reese’s marriage to Sebastian wasn’t exactly public knowledge, but people had definitely heard whispers. So when the story broke that Reese had set Leslie up, dragging Jane and Sebastian into the mess, nobody thought twice. Most people figured, who could blame her? What woman wouldn’t snap if her husband publicly humiliated her for someone else?
Of course, the Ratcliff Global board caught wind of all of this. To them, it just confirmed what they already thought, that Reese was from a small-time background and had no sense of the bigger picture. Airing out jealousy and drama like this, and dragging the company’s name through the mud? Totally unacceptable.
They decided right then to hit Ramos Corporation where it hurt. To them, going after Ramos Corporation was the same as taking revenge on Reese.
Ratcliff Global turned all its power on Ramos Corporation. They snatched up key projects, teamed up with major partners to end their contracts, and even took losses themselves just to make sure Ramos Corporation had nowhere to turn.
It was true. The company’s cash flow was on the verge of collapse. But even now, she wasn’t willing to let Dylon’s whole family get off easy.
As she hesitated, someone knocked on her door.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, surprised to see Karter walk in. Seeing him brought a wave of guilt. His boss had just spent a fortune buying up shares to help her, and now all of that was at risk. Not only would they see no return, but they might lose everything they’d already put in.
Karter nodded and handed her a folder. “This is my boss’ authorization for funding. Whatever Ramos Corporation needs, you can use these funds.”

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Doormat Wife’s Ultimate Glow-Up