Bab 116: The final piece - mimic...

Rose tossed and turned fitfully in her luxurious silk sheets. Sleep continued to elude her as thoughts swirled relentlessly. She already knew they were losing the battle to exonerate Blake. Carlos's testimony being obliterated was the deathblow.

She sat up in bed, running manicured nails through her tousled hair as resignation settled in her gut. All her careful orchestrations, all the chess moves and contingencies she had put in place - it was all rapidly unraveling.

Throwing on a sheer robe, Rose padded over to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city skyline. Staring out at the inky blackness, she released a slow breath, painfully accepting the loss of control she so loathed.

Already the hazy outlines of a new strategy were starting to take fuzzy shape in her cunning mind. It would require a big sacrifice on her part...but if it secured her ultimate desires in this twisted gambit, wouldn't it be worth it?