The Doormat Wife’s Ultimate Glow-Up novel Chapter 12

“I pick Mindwave.”

Sofia let out a quiet breath, relief flickering across her face. She shot Reese a look—one Reese couldn’t quite read.

Dominic’s brows furrowed. “Mr. Wiles, can you share your reasoning?”

Zach’s voice was icy. “I think Mindwave fits the market better. It has a wider range of applications.”

The color drained from Reese’s face. Her hands started to shake.

No investment for Emotis meant Dominic would never let her stay at the institute.

Sympathetic glances circled the room, all landing on Reese. Everyone knew her project had more potential than Mindwave, but Zach clearly had his own agenda.

Zach didn’t spare her another look. He stood and walked out, heading for Dominic’s office to iron out the investment details.

“I told you. Some people just don’t have it,” Lyla sneered, coming up beside Reese. “You’ve been out of the game too long. The industry’s moved on without you.

“My advice? Go home and be the rich wife. Competing with Sofia for funding? Please.

“She’s the Ratcliff heir’s girlfriend, she’s talented, and you think you can compete? Get real.”

“Lyla,” Sofia cut in, frowning. “Don’t say that. Mr. Ratcliff and I are just friends.”

“Let’s go. Mindwave still needs a lot of work.”

People filed out, leaving Reese alone in the empty meeting room. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them, the defeat gone, replaced by pure determination.

She wasn’t about to give up. She’d finally broken through the technical bottleneck, and even Dominic had acknowledged Emotis’ value. She needed to talk to Zach and get the truth: Why did he choose Mindwave?

Reese hurried out and caught up to him in the hallway.

“Mr. Wiles, can we talk?”

Zach signaled the others to move ahead, then turned to face her as she caught her breath.

“What is it?”

Reese steadied herself, voice calm. “I want to know why you really picked Mindwave.”

Zach glanced at his watch. “I already explained—”

“That was just an excuse, and we both know it.” Reese met his eyes. “Emotis actually listens to users and accounts for emotion. It’s a much better fit for the market than Mindwave. If you were really thinking about applications, Emotis would be the obvious choice. I want the real reason.”

“The real reason?” Zach’s lips twisted in a mocking smile. “I just don’t believe someone who uses people to climb the ladder can design something like this. The whole project’s tainted from the start. Is that good enough for you?”

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