waking

Chapter 36 

Naomi ended the call and stood up, stretching like she had all the time in the world. The more freaked out Rosalind got, the cooler Naomi played 

She had to put updating her comic on ice, which had the web admins freaking out, saying they’d hunt down whoever hacked into their system. Plus, Kelly managed to dig up some old messages between Naomi and Rosalind. One look and people could tell they weren’t the same person. 

There was a new contract now, and it had Naomi’s name on it as the one and only author, Rosalind was out of luck. 

Naomi’s comic had blown up fast. Fans were hooked, and when she suddenly stopped posting, they lost their minds. Seeing how mad they were, Naomi figured they’d go ham on the hacker if they ever found out who it was. 

Hiding behind a new, low–key profile is Rosalind’s fan group, Naomi watched from the sidelines as the anger poured out. Fans were throwing shade left and right, and Rosalind’s lame excuses just added fuel to the fire. 

smirks 

said it all—Rosalind was going down. Naomi k knew how br 

brutal 

al the 

Internet could be, and now it was Rosalind’s turn to feel the heat 

Upstairs in the third–floor bedroom, Slawn caught Naomi’s sly smile. She looked sweet on the surface, but there was something wild about her. reminding him of Cheryl. He turned off the monitor; Naomi had been in her room all day like he’d asked. He wondered just how much she’d put 

Rosalind nearly lost her mind 

Dillen passed along Naomi’s response. She gripped her phone so tight she thought it might snap. She had tried to friend Kelly again but got shut down. So, Rosalind called her up, only to get the cold shoulder. “Mr. Edwards, we’ve met before at the company. and there’s nothing left to talk about,” replied Kelly coolly. 

Rosalind bit back the urge to yell, She’d spent years crafting her sweet, delicate image, and she wasn’t about to lose that now, She switched to her sugary–sweet voice, “Kelly, I’m serious. Naomi and 1, we just don’t get along. That whole thing at the company it’s not what it looks like, and you can’t just take her side without hearing me out. We can’t stop the comic, it’s a setup, all my sister’s doing.” 

Kelly just laughed it off. “What, you’re saying Naomi set herself up by leaking her own story! Come on. If it w 

were you, maybe I’d buy that. But Naomi’s the real deal. Authors don’t trash their own creations on purpose. Nobody’s buying it, Ms. Edwards. I’m reporting this call.” 

“But you can’t just—“The line went dead, Rosalind was left staring at her silent phone. 

She wanted to smash her phone, but Dillon was looking at her all concerned, so she kept her cool. “Naomi won’t talk to me, and my editor won’t listen,” she sakl, her voice sluky with held–back anger. “We can’t drag this out, Dillon, I need to meet Naomi. Can you please get in touch with her again? If she wants cash, I’ll write the check” 

Dillon just nodded. “Sure, but you know she’s just gonna bleed you dry.” 

Rosalind put on a weak smile. “She’s my little sister. It’s 

Job to be patient. 

Dillon couldn’t help but smirk on the inside. Rosalind sure knew how to act the part of the dating big sister, but it was obvious she was just scared of her image going down in flames. 

Naomi burst into laughter when she heard the new terms “Alright, tell her to add another 1 million dollars. Make it 15 million dollars if she wants to see me, and she’ll have to wait three whole days.” 

“Understood, Ms. Edwards,” said Dillon. 

He passed along Naomi’s demands. Rosalind was so pissed, she felt like her teeth might crack from grinding them together. The rage was real 

Sure, she had the 15 million dollars in savings, but the thought of giving up that much cash to Naomi just for a sit–down in three days was making her blood boil. And with everyone online coming after her, she was at her breaking end. She’d even quit some online groups, but the hate mail and the demands for apologies just wouldn’t stop. She ditched her Instagram only to have people blow up her WhatsApp, hurling insults and spreading lies. No matter how many people she blocked, the nasty calls just kept coming in 

Rosalind was done waiting. She wished she could just grab Naomi and shake her. After all, Naomi was just some kid they picked up from the orphanage for blood transfusions. Where did she get off acting all high and mighty? If the Edwards family hadn’t taken her in, if they hadn’t paid for her schooling, would Naomi even know a pencil from a paintbrush! 

Seeing Rosalind practically frothing at the mouth, Dillon knew he had another card to play. “Rosalind, I got a call from my folks; I gotta head 

home.” 

“What Rosalind was yanked back to reality. “Is something wrong?” 

“Not exactly. It’s this girl my parents want me to marry just got back from studying ballet abroad. Mom’s really taken with her, and Mom’s always been a sucker for comics too. She loves your award–winning work. I’m pretty sure I can convince her about us.” Dillon laid it on thick. “No worries, I’ve got your back with this whole mess with your sister” 

0 

Rosalind forced a smile. If she could snag a marriage with the powerful Patterson family, Naomi’s little money game wouldn’t mean a thing. “Dillon, thank you. You’re the only one in my corner right now. I won’t forget it.” 

Outside, Zoey was helping Freddy. He was getting out of the hospital soon, and they caught every word 

Freddy’s face went pale. He’d bent over backward for Rosalind, and here she was, ready to drop him like yesterday’s news. His family had been pushing him to make Rosalind marry him soon; his family’s ship was sinking fast, and the dowry from the Edwards could be their lifebuoy. 

Freddy’s family was scrambling, with his father Damon clueless about who had backstabbed them. Damon didn’t know how to hit back or where to start fixing the mess Javier was steering clear now, claiming that the Edwards family’s crisis was because of the Sanders family’s downfall, though it seemed Javier and Victoria hadn’t spilled the beans to Rosalind, all cooped up in the hospital 

With Freddy stewing, Zoey grinned to herself. Her little scheme was working out just fine. She knocked and called through the door, “Sir, your mom sent me. It’s time to head home. 

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