Bill took Rosita and Ottilie to meet thepany''s top boss, Mr. Seven.
Mr. Seven was clearly impressed with Ottilie and wasted no time before instructing his assistant to bring over a contract.
The first thing Ottilie did when she got the contract was check the signing bonus.
When she saw the number, her heart skipped a beat-fifty million dors!
Even the most generous offer from otherpanies trying to poach her never went above thirty million.
Ottilie felt like she''d hit the jackpot. She didn''t hesitate for a second before signing her name.
With the bonus in her ount, Ottilie immediately transferred eight million to Rosita.
Rosita was taken aback by the amount.
Ottilie squeezed Rosita''s hand and lowered her voice. "Rosita, I''m giving you an extra three million, but you have to do me a favor. If my grandma asks, just tell her the signing bonus was thirty million, okay?"
The realization dawned on Rosita instantly.
The Kensington family always favored the sons over the daughters. There was no way Madeline would let Ottilie keep all the money for herself.
Ottilie just wanted to keep something back for herself.
"Don''t worry," Rosita said, more than happy to help for an extra three million. "Your secret''s safe with me."
"Thank you, Rosita!"
...
That same evening, Rosita moved into the presidential suite at Northborough''s five-star hotel.
The nightly rate was a staggering twenty-eight thousand dors, and Rosita prepaid for a month.
Daisy watched Rosita blow through over eight hundred thousand in one go and couldn''t help but wince.
But then again, Rosita was a celebrity. Maybe this was just how things worked at the top.
Besides, Rosita could easily earn that much back with a singlemercial.
The first thing Rosita did after checking in was draw a bath.
She''d been running around all day and was utterly exhausted.
She had just finished soaking and was about to pour herself a ss of red wine to
help her sleep when her phone rang.
It was Lauren.
Rosita''s expression darkened immediately.
Just seeing Lauren''s name pop up on her phone triggered her anxiety.
She didn''t want to answer, but Lauren was relentless.
By the third ring, Rosita finally picked up, barely containing her anger.
"I''m broke," Rosita snapped. "I really don''t have any money left!"
"Oh, really?" Lauren''s raspy voice crackled through the line. "Strange, considering you can still afford a presidential suite at a five-star hotel."
Rosita froze. "How do you know where I''m staying?"
"I have my ways."
"I had to borrow this money," Rosita said through clenched teeth. "Stewart kicked me out today. I had nowhere else to go, so I had to ask for a loan just to stay here."
"You''re my daughter. You think I don''t know exactly what kind of person you are?" Lauren sneered.
"Give me another ten million. If you veme
don''t, I''ll go public with your Secret tomorrow."
"Ten million! Ten million!"
That was it. Rosita snapped, her voice breaking as she yelled, "Lauren, am I even your daughter? Did you give birth to me just to use me, to torture me?"
UT
"That''s right!" Lauren spat, her voice vicious. "If I hadn''t been stuck with a burden like you, why would I have seduced Malcolm? Why would! have married Saul, that bastard? You ruined everything for me! You and your disgusting father destroyed my life!"
Rosita screamed, her voice echoing off the marble tiles. "So you''re finally telling the truth, Lauren! I thought you always said Malcolm was my father. Now you say this? Who is my dad? Who did you have me with?"
"That''s none of your business!" Lauren coughed, her voice growing colder. "You have three days. Ten million. Not a penny less. Or I''ll sell your secret to the highest bidder."
Click.
Rosita stood frozen, staring at her phone as the dial tone droned on.
Daisy stepped out of her room, hair still damp from her shower, and was about to say something when she caught sight of Rosita hurling her phone at the floor with a shattering crash.