The Doormat Wife’s Ultimate Glow-Up novel Chapter 49

“Can’t you just give it a rest with that woman and let Reese have a peaceful pregnancy? Everything else can wait until after the baby is born.

“If you need someone with skills, why not just have her work at your company?

“I heard she’s been working on a traffic management system at BlackOak and it’s getting some pretty good reviews.

“She’s obviously talented. If you hadn’t kept her cooped up at home these last few years and cut her off from her studies, she probably could’ve gone a lot further.

“And right now is a critical moment for the company’s transition. I’ve heard BlackOak has connections with the military. You could use her to get a foot in the door.”

Sebastian took a sip of tea, his voice cold and indifferent. “You’re giving her too much credit, Grandpa.”

“That system was already in development before she even joined BlackOak. Alan just let her take the spotlight because of our family’s name.

“She might have had some real skills in school, but it’s been years. She’s out of practice.

“She’s not going to be able to replace Sofia.”

Just then, Sebastian’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen, a glint of sarcasm in his eyes as he handed the phone to Mr. Ratcliff.

“See? She’s just bluffing. Now that she sees we’re not begging her to stay, she calls.”

He got up and walked out to the balcony, only picking up at the very last second.

“Yeah?”

“Sebastian, I’m not selling my mom’s house. Don’t even bother,” Reese said, her voice edged with anger. Sebastian raised his eyebrow, just barely.

“I’m not buying it for myself. I’m doing a favor for someone else. Name your price. Sell it to me, and I’ll buy you something even better.”

Before Reese could say anything, he hung up. The busy tone buzzed in her ear, making her frown.

A favor for someone else? Who could order him around like that? Sofia? Or… Grace?

“If you want the house, have Bailey ask me himself.”

Grace’s smile faded as Reese stood up to leave. She knew Bailey felt guilty about his daughter. If Grace pushed, not only would he refuse, he’d probably tell her to stop bothering Reese altogether.

As Reese walked away, Grace’s eyes turned cold. She took out her phone and made a call.

For the next few days, neither Sebastian nor Uncle Dylon reached out to Reese about the house. She figured they’d finally dropped it. After all, Grace would never have Bailey know she’d come to Bridger Lake.

Reese pulled two all-nighters to finish the prototype for the project Alan had given her.

When Alan saw the model on her laptop, he nodded. “Nice work. It’s just about what we expected. They want to integrate this system with Ratcliff Global’s ‘The Vault’.”

Alan already knew about Reese’s messy history with Sebastian and hesitated. “Of course, if you’re not comfortable, we can always partner with someone else.”

He pushed a stack of folders toward her. “Here—check these out. These are the alternatives we’re considering.”