Chapter 29: CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
Rose stared at her friend with wide eyes. "Seriously?"
Anna stared back before she burst into laughter. "No, of course not."
A wave of disappointment went through her, but she covered it up with a laugh of her own.
"Okay, so maybe murder is off the table," Rose conceded reluctantly, running a hand through her disheveled hair.
Anna nodded emphatically. "Definitely off the table. I was joking earlier—we are not actually considering homicide. I don't look good in orange, and I'm pretty sure prison jumpsuits would clash with your complexion too."
Rose couldn't help but crack a small smile at her friend's attempt at humor. "Fine," she sighed, sinking down onto the bed next to Anna. "But we need to do something. I can't just let Laurent get away with this. He's taken everything from me."
"Not everything," Anna reminded her gently. "You've still got your home, your education, and most importantly, you've got me. We'll figure this out together."
Rose leaned her head on Anna's shoulder, grateful for her friend's unwavering support. "Thanks, Anna. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Probably something stupid and impulsive," Anna teased. "So, let's brainstorm some legal options. We need to be smart about this."
For the next hour, the two friends tossed increasingly outlandish ideas back and forth, their voices rising and falling as they debated the merits of each plan.
"We could hire a private investigator to dig up dirt on him," Rose proposed, sitting up straighter as the idea took hold. "There's got to be something in his past we could use as leverage."
Anna considered this, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Not bad, but it could backfire if he catches wind of it. Plus, it's expensive. What about staging an elaborate con to trick him into signing the company back over?"
Rose raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly would we pull that off? Neither of us is exactly Danny Ocean."
"Fair point," Anna conceded. "Okay, how about this? What if you challenged him to a duel for your birthright?"
Rose stared at her friend for a long moment before bursting into laughter. "Right, because that's totally a thing people still do. 'Sir, I challenge you to pistols at dawn for control of my father's multinational corporation.'"
As the ideas grew more and more ridiculous, the tension in the room gradually eased. Rose found herself actually enjoying the absurd scenarios they were concocting, even if none of them were remotely feasible.
"Oh, I've got it!" Anna exclaimed, sitting up suddenly. "We hire a team of cat burglars to break into his office and replace all the legal documents with crayon drawings!"
Rose clutched her sides, overcome with giggles. "Perfect! And while we're at it, why don't we train a flock of pigeons to divebomb him every time he leaves his house?"
Their laughter echoed through the room, a cathartic release after days of stress and anger. As the mirth subsided, Anna wiped tears of laughter from her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Okay, okay. Let's take a step back and think about this logically," she said, her tone becoming more serious. "What leverage do we actually have over Laurent?"
Rose sobered, considering the question carefully. She thought back over her interactions with Laurent, trying to find any weakness or vulnerability she could exploit. Finally, she spoke hesitantly, "Well... he seemed to genuinely care for me, at least for a while. Or he was a very good actor."
Anna's eyes lit up. "That's it! What if you convinced Laurent that you never cared about inheriting the company? That you'd be happy to continue your relationship with him even without your father's empire?"
"You mean... lie to him?" Rose asked uncertainly, a knot forming in her stomach at the thought.
"Think of it as a long con," Anna said, warming to the idea. "You get close to him again, make him think you've forgiven him. Show him that you're more interested in him than in the company. Then when he lets his guard down..."
"I can find a way to get the company back," Rose finished, a slow smile spreading across her face as she began to see the potential in the plan.
The two friends locked eyes, a spark of excitement passing between them.
"It's risky," Rose acknowledged, chewing her lower lip nervously. "And it might take a while to pull off. Plus, I'm not sure I can convincingly pretend to forgive him after what he's done."
Anna shrugged. "Do you have any better ideas? Because unless you've got a time machine hidden away somewhere, this might be our best shot."
Rose shook her head. "No, I don't. And desperate times call for desperate measures, right?"
"Right," Anna agreed firmly. "So, are we doing this?"
Rose took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders as she made her decision. "We're doing this. Operation Win Back My Birthright is a go."
As they began to hash out the details of their plan, Rose felt a mix of anticipation and trepidation coursing through her veins. She knew she was playing a dangerous game, one that could backfire spectacularly if Laurent saw through her deception.
"We'll need to be careful," Rose cautioned. "Laurent's smart. If he suspects I'm trying to manipulate him, it could make things even worse."
Anna nodded solemnly. "Agreed. We'll take it slow, build it up gradually. Start with some casual 'accidental' encounters, then work your way up to more intentional meetings."
"And what do I say when he inevitably brings up the company?" Rose asked, her brow furrowing with concern.
"You tell him the truth—or at least, part of it," Anna advised. "Say that while you're hurt and confused by what happened, you realize that the company was never really what you wanted. That you were more interested in exploring your connection with him."
Rose grimaced. "That's going to be hard to say convincingly."
"Then practice," Anna said firmly. "Practice in front of the mirror until you can say it without flinching. Remember, this is about more than just getting back at Laurent. It's about reclaiming your birthright and securing your future."
As the night wore on, Rose and Anna continued to refine their plan, discussing potential pitfalls and strategizing ways to overcome them. By the time the first rays of dawn began to peek through the curtains, they had a rough outline of how to proceed.
One way or another, she would reclaim what was rightfully hers. And Laurent would regret the day he ever crossed Rose Blackwell.
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