May thought, ‘Did that jerk Richard really admit it? Is he seriously forgetting the deal he made with Amelia?”


    “I asked him who my real dad is, and he told me to ask you,” Reba said, sounding convincingly sincere.


    May kept her cool the whole time, still scheming as usual. She said, “You ever think maybe the DNAb and Richard could’ve tricked you?”


    Reba frowned and said, “Why would he have any reason to lie to me about something like this?”


    May shot back, firm as ever, “Trust me, he does.”


    Reba thought, ‘She can seriously twist anything, can’t she?‘


    May continued, “You forgetting what’s been going on with himtely? He went from being Mr. Jensen to just some guy washing dishes. That’s gotta mess with his head. Give it time, and he’ll crack.”


    “And how on earth does that mean he’d lie to me?” Reba asked.


    May said, “Just think about it. You’re still Jeffrey’s wife–even if you’re talking about a divorce, it’s not actually final yet. So, in Richard’s mind, you totally have the power to get him out of this situation, but you’re just choosing not to.”


    Reba frowned.


    May went on, “So, if Richard is upset, he’ll make sure you are too.”


    Reba was totally unconvinced–the way May reacted to her first question was way too telling. She said, “May, do you know you have a habit?”


    May kept her cool on the outside as she asked, “What habit?”


    Reba said, “Every time you’re feeling sketchy, you just start talking nonstop.”


    This was something Reba had learned from watching May spar with Amelia.


    May’sposure was falling apart–she was absolutely shaken. After being a dominant figure in the romance scene for decades, she couldn’t believe she was beingpletely outmatched by a kid.


    Reba was all tangled up inside, but she kept a straight face. She said, “It’s set in stone now–Richard’s not my real dad. What I really want to know is why Mom ever got together with him.”


    “Then just get a few more DNA tests done,” May said.


    Reba raised an eyebrow questioningly.


    May continued, “I’m one hundred percent sure Richard is your dad.” She added inside, Just kidding. Then she said, “But seriously, keep your guard up. I’ve got this weird vibe like someone’s watching youtely.”


    Reba was caught off guard by how fast May switched gears.


    May asked, “Did you tick anyone off recently?”


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    Reba shook her head. She thought, ‘Well, except for Jeffrey and Andrea, but there is no way they know about any of this.‘


    “Who even got you to do the DNA test in the first ce?” May pressed on, her concern sounding totally genuine.


    Reba was thrown off by the question. She asked, “What do you mean?”


    Reba was clever enough to use the results to mess with people. But no matter how sharp she was, May could still outy her.


    May was honestly relieved she’d kept her mouth shut most of the time and hadn’t said something dumb. She picked up on the issue just in the nick of time–or she might’ve actually got yed this round.


    May said, “Someone’s out there trying to mess with your head. I’ll drop by in a few days, just so you don’t get spun around by anybody’s nonsense.”


    “I…” Reba tried to exin.


    May interrupted, “It’ste–go get some sleep. Every time you doubt me, after all the good I’ve done for you.”


    Reba’s thoughts were scrambled.


    May continued, “I know something I saidst time got you thinking all kinds of wild stuff, but you can really trust me about this. And if you can’t, just go get tested at a few otherbs–just not in Jsburg.”


    May’s serious tone made Reba second–guess herself for a moment. But then she remembered how May got all weird when she asked about her real dad–something about that reaction was sketchy.


    Before she could dwell on it, May urged, “Go to bed. You can figure it out when you wake up.”


    Truth was, Reba really was sleepy. She mumbled a quick “goodnight” and hung up.


    As soon as the call hung up, May finally felt her whole body rx. All that pent–up tension made her immediately pull up Amelia’s chat and send a voice message.


    She snapped, “Still napping like azy bum? You have no idea–I almost got hustled by Reba just now.


    “Lucky for me, I was sharp enough to spot it right away. You’d better cough up my emotional damages when you finally wake up, or else I’ming for you.”


    May thought, ‘If I hadn’t caught on to Reba’s little scheme, I would’ve totally gotten yed.


    ‘Reba was born after Amelia married Richard, so even if Reba found out she wasn’t really Richard’s daughter, there’s no way she’d just go waving a DNA result in his face. She didn’t have the whole picture.


    ‘If she really asked that out of the blue, it would easily make Richard suspect Amelia of cheating or something


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    else messy. Reba is way too protective of Amelia to just blindly jump into things without knowing all the


    facts.


    It was close–1 almost got hustled by her


    But May was still pretty worried. She figured she’d finish up her own stuff first and then head back–just in case something really happened, she could smooth things over in person.


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    Reba didn’t even realize there were gaps in what she’d said. She was so eager for answers that she just used the test results to try to bluff May.


    Shey in bed, not quite ready to sleep yet, still reying everything May had said.


    One thing she knew for sure: her parents had a prenup, and every expense she’d had growing up was basically Amelia’s reward for helping Richard build up the Jensen Group.


    Amelia knew the Jensen Group had copsed, and she wasn’t even mad when Richard ditched the family.


    Everything else was still a mess.


    Too muddled to think anymore, Reba closed her eyes and soon drifted off to sleep. When she woke up. it was already past ten.


    She grabbed a quick bite to settle her stomach, threw on some clean clothes, and headed straight to the hotel where Primey Technologies was throwing its tenth anniversary party.


    By the time Reba arrived, Jane, Derek, and others were already there.


    Derek spotted Reba and waved enthusiastically. He called out, “Reba,e here.”


    Reba walked over. “Derek, Jane,” she greeted them with a quick nod.


    “You really are the face of our team–always looking good,” Derek joked with a broad smile, pretending as if all that awkwardness from thest team–building had never happened. He asked, “Have you had lunch yet?”


    Reba responded, “Yes, I’ve already eaten, thank you.”


    Derek nced behind her, searching the room.


    “Is there something you needed?” Reba asked, pretty sure he hadn’t called her over just to chat about


    lunch.


    Derek withdrew his gaze and said, “Nothing much. Just wanted to know if Mr. Hanson’sing tonight.”


    Reba couldn’t have been more detached as she replied, “No idea.”


    “It’s just us here–no need to worry,” Derek murmured.


    Just then, Jane chimed in, “You’re the director, and even you don’t know. How could Reba, just a regr


    staffer, possibly know? If you wanted to put someone on the spot, that’s not the way to do it.”


    “How is this putting her on the spot?” Derek retorted.


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    Suddenly, an explosion of noise and excitement burst out at the hotel entrance, grabbing Reba and everyone else’s attention in a snap.