Je Suis Rose

Chapter Thirty two - Changing tactics

The three of us congressed at the Empire. Chuck poured himself a drink.

"As I see we have two distinct goals. Rosie and I want to block the sale of Bass Industries you wanna get old Ben out of Jail. Yet, a singular strategy may satisfy us all."

"Could you sound any more perverted. Get to the point." I tell my brother

"Blackmail." he told us.

"I can't pressure her unless I have hard evidence" Serena replied

"Well while you two were brunching I took the liberty of checking the safe at the house. Did you know she has a safety deposit box at the Dorset Bank on Madison?"

"No."

"I know you've spent your entire life not wanting to become your mother but desperate times." he held up her passports and her former engagement ring from our father.

"So if she's dressing up as Mom why do you need me? Obviously I want to help but it seems like this is a two person mission, not 3 ."

"You're gonna spook Lily. Distract her."

"That I can do." i grab my things and leave. I head to the family apartment and head to get more of my fathers things out of the safe, when I came across something interesting. I came down Just as Lily came back.

"Rosalie. I assume you weren't upstairs playing with Rufus' guitars." She commented

"If you didn't want me rooting around the family safe you should have changed the combination." I reply

"Well I'm curious, what were you hoping to find?"

"A way to stop you from disposing the last remaining bit of my father's company, low and behold. I did." I smile.

"What are you talking about?"

"My father kept a copy of the terms and conditions in relation of my brother taking over the company. My father split his share evenly between us as you may well remember but here is the thing, you only control your own and Chuck, however should anything major need to be done to the company like selling it, you need my authorisation as well. Which you don't have. So you can't butcher the company"

"Rosalie." she sighed "Is that what you think I'm doing?"

"Why else would you sell Bass Industries?" I question "Especially when you know how much it means to us."

"Because it's in trouble, Rosalie." my eyebrows furrowed

"What are you talking about?"

"You read the papers, real estate, hotels. Even in Manhattan no one is impervious." She went to sit down on the sofa.

"Then why wouldn't you tell us?"

"Because I thought we could ride it out, refinance or something. I was hoping I could turn it around and I would have to tell you or your brother. But then Charles disappeared and you were forging your own way in the world just like your father wanted, by the time you got back it was an inevitability."

"So you expect us just to except it? Go on with our day? Mom I may not be as interested in the business but I'm still apart of it. So is Chuck. We had a right to know. I would have dropped everything to help in anyway I could."

"I know you would sweetheart but that's not what your father wanted for you. It was always his plan that Charles would run the company and you would have your own life with minimal input. If I sell now, I can control how we sell it and to whom. There is a private buyer who has made a very generous offer. The company will stay intact and so will your fathers name. They money from the sale will give you and Charles a chance to build a future and who knows maybe buy it back some day. But if this deal get's messed up..." I caught on