The door slammed behind him, rattling in its frame.
Alan turned immediately, steadying Reese as she shook from head to toe.
“Are you okay?”
Reese just shook her head. Her fingers were ice cold.
She reached for her phone and opened Twitter. The hashtags were everywhere: #ReeseSeducesMr.Ratcliff #ReeseDruggedHerWayToTheTop.
She clicked in, scanning the posts. There were only a handful of photos from the conference: one of her standing between Sebastian and Sofia, the three of them locked in a tense exchange, and another of Zach beside Sofia, mid-conversation.
The photos themselves didn’t look like much. But the comments underneath were brutal.
“I’ve never seen anyone throw themselves at a guy so shamelessly. Mr. Ratcliff and Ms. Meyer are clearly together. What is she, desperate to be a third wheel? She’s got some nerve!”
“Who even is this Reese? Trying to use Mr. Ratcliff’s name for clout? She must be desperate for attention, using such disgusting tricks. Gross.”
“Did you catch that guy in the background? That’s Mr. Wiles from Iron Financial. He says this Reese has been pulling the same act for years.”
“Drugging people? Seriously? She’s a repeat offender. That’s just nasty. Keep her away from Mr. Ratcliff and Ms. Meyer, please. She’s trash.”
“Look at her face in those pics. She’s totally trying to cause drama to get Mr. Ratcliff’s attention. Classic manipulator. Ugh.”
Alan gently took the phone from Reese’s hand. “Don’t read them any more. The company’s handling it.”
He’d just checked the files and realized they’d already closed a deal with Sofia. It didn’t make sense—so he’d searched online and found this storm brewing.
“These are clearly paid trolls. Legal’s already sent out warnings, and PR is working on burying the trending tags.”
Alan let out a heavy sigh. No matter who was behind this, it was cruel. Nothing ruins a woman faster than a rumor about her morals.
“Thank you,” Reese said softly. Her hands trembled as she tried to pull herself together. “I need to get back to work.”
She forced herself to focus once she reached her office, diving into satellite testing and running algorithm checks for field operations. Anything to block out the noise.
Suddenly, her phone rang. The sound was sharp and jarring. Reese’s heart jumped.

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