Chapter 7: The Deal

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7

I thought I would finally be vindicated.

I replayed every scenario in my mind—Lisa apologizing, Rachel exposed, my name cleared. My hands shook with anticipation as I ordered a coffee and waited.

But to my surprise, Lisa came to persuade me to keep ghostwriting for Rachel.

She slid into the booth across from me, her expression unreadable. There was no apology, no empathy—just calculation.

In the coffee shop, Lisa glanced at my new Chanel outfit and sneered slightly.

The hiss of the espresso machine punctuated her words, and I realized she wasn’t here to apologize—she was here to make a deal. She sized me up, eyes lingering on my designer tote, the delicate gold necklace my mom gave me when I graduated college.

"Name your price, Natalie. I know your family is struggling. How much do you want to keep writing?"

Her voice was low, conspiratorial, as if we were co-conspirators rather than adversaries. She didn’t know the half of it.

"Now, Rachel Summers is the golden brand of our site. She’s already brought us huge profits, and the company will absolutely protect her."

She sipped her latte, crossing her arms with a smug smile. It was business as usual to her—truth, justice, all negotiable for the right price.