Chapter 229: Are You Preparing to Call the Police?

Chapter 229: Chapter 229: Are You Preparing to Call the Police?

The casually spoken sentence made Wanda Sherman’s expression shift dramatically.

"Laura, what are you talking about? I don’t really understand." Wanda Sherman’s face was pale as she glanced around. "Are you doing some kind of prank livestream? Or did someone put you up to this practical joke?

Laura, this joke isn’t funny. Stop messing around and tell me where the phone is."

As she spoke, she scanned the areas where a phone could be hidden. She let out a huge sigh of relief only after confirming there were no hidden streaming devices.

Laura Sherman’s expression remained unchanged. She watched Wanda Sherman pace back and forth and said mockingly, "Wendy, what are you so afraid of? That I’ll expose you for plagiarism?

And let all your fans find out that their so-called ’gorgeous author’ is actually just a thief?"

With that, Laura Sherman slammed the notebook she had been gripping tightly onto the coffee table.

Though the notebook looked a little old, it was clearly a treasured possession and had been kept in excellent condition.

Since things had come to this, Wanda Sherman dropped the act. Crossing her arms, she sneered, "And who has any proof?

If it weren’t for me, would anyone even read this stuff you wrote? I brought your work to a bigger stage—you should be thanking me! Who else would read it!"

Wanda Sherman walked to the coffee table as she spoke, picking up the notebook by a corner with a look of utter disgust. "Without me, who would read this crap?"

Then, she let her fingers go limp. The notebook dropped to the floor, and she immediately stepped on it, grinding it under her foot a few times.

Perhaps feeling vindicated, Wanda Sherman flicked her hair back and sat down opposite Laura Sherman. "Alright, how about this? In consideration of how much you’ve written, I can give you fifty thousand as a writing fee.

We’ll call the matter closed. How does that sound?

Fifty thousand should be a considerable sum for you in your current situation. Your husband might not even be able to save that much in a whole year of work."

Wanda Sherman’s expression was one of magnanimity, as if daring Laura to be ungrateful enough to refuse.

"But Wendy, if I remember correctly, the rights to this book have already been sold, haven’t they? You’re offering me fifty thousand to buy away the millions that should have been mine. Isn’t that going a little too far?" Laura Sherman shot up from the sofa and advanced on Wanda Sherman, one step at a time.

She was no fool. After discovering that the work she had painstakingly created was stolen and published by her friend, she had started intentionally gathering information about it.

So, naturally, she hadn’t missed the news that the novel’s publishing rights had been sold.

For Laura Sherman, this was both good news and bad news.

If it were possible, she would have preferred to get the rights back and use the money to pay for her mother’s medical treatments.

She could also buy her child some nice, warm clothes, and her husband wouldn’t have to work so hard and could finally take a break.

But Laura Sherman knew that under the current circumstances, it would be extremely difficult to get back what was rightfully hers. It was more practical to just demand the money.

After weighing her options, Laura Sherman decided to come talk things over with her former friend.

If they could talk it out and resolve the matter amicably, that would be the best-case scenario.

If not, Laura Sherman had a plan B ready.

Remembering her purpose for being there, Laura Sherman softened her tone and continued, "Wendy, I didn’t come here to argue.

I only have one demand: give me half the money from the rights sale. If you do, I’ll pretend this never happened, and the book will have nothing to do with me."

Even just half of the money would be more than enough to solve her family’s pressing financial issues, with a good amount left over.

Laura Sherman didn’t think her demand was unreasonable.

After all, she had written the entire beginning of the book herself. Asking for half seemed perfectly reasonable.

If Wanda Sherman agreed to split the money without a fuss, she wouldn’t even mind finishing the latter half of the book for her.

’See it through to the end.’

Laura Sherman thought her demand was reasonable and that Wanda Sherman would agree.

But in the next instant, she heard Wanda’s unhesitating refusal. "Impossible! I typed out every single one of those words and posted them online! Why should I give you anything?

If you really want it, then sue me! Go on, you think you have any proof that it’s yours?

Let me tell you something, Laura Sherman. I have money and time now. I can run you into the ground. I can afford to drag this out, but that old hag mother of yours can’t. So be smart. Take the fifty thousand, get out of my sight, and let this secret rot in your gut!"

Wanda Sherman rejected Laura Sherman’s proposal without a second thought.

Her boyfriend came from a wealthy family, their relationship was strong, and they were already discussing marriage.

Without that licensing money to her name, she would have absolutely no say in a family like that!

’For the sake of my happiness for the rest of my life, I absolutely cannot give this money away!’

’Still, I need to make sure she keeps her mouth shut...’

’Otherwise, if this gets out, my image will be completely ruined. How am I supposed to keep raking in cash with this reputation then?’

A vicious glint flashed in Wanda Sherman’s eyes as she looked at Laura Sherman. ’I have to find a way to make sure she can never tell anyone about this.’

The two had grown up together, and Laura Sherman, who had been watching Wanda Sherman intently, saw the emotion in her eyes with perfect clarity.

She understood with a sinking heart that faced with such enormous wealth, her friend had finally changed.

Laura Sherman took a deep breath and asked again, "You’re really not going to accept my offer?"

Her hand, however, had quietly moved behind her back, pulling out the paring knife she had tucked into her waistband.

"Impossible. And if you push it, you won’t even get the fifty thousand!" Wanda Sherman retorted without hesitation.

"Wendy, I really, truly need this money," Laura Sherman said, slowly approaching her.

Perhaps because all pretense was gone, Wanda Sherman looked at her former friend and burst out laughing, her voice and expression filled with utter contempt. "What’s what you need got to do with me? I’ve been better than you at everything since we were kids, and that hasn’t changed!

So what if you can write? The glory is still mine, isn’t it? You’re just a piece of trash who should spend your life trailing after me, begging like a dog for scraps from my table.

And that dying old hag of a mother of yours is somehow still hanging on. It’d be better if she just hurried up and died, what a waste of— What are you doing?! Murder is against the law!"

Before she could finish, Wanda Sherman saw a paring knife lunging for her head.

Wanda Sherman shrieked, scrambling to get out of the way.

Staring at the hole in the fabric sofa, then at Laura Sherman pulling the paring knife out with a blank expression, panic finally began to set in.

"Laura! Laura, calm down! I was just kidding just now. Put the knife down first, we can talk this out," Wanda Sherman said placatingly, shrinking back.

Meanwhile, her hand was fumbling behind her, trying to retrieve the phone she had dropped while dodging.

"Wendy, are you trying to call the police?"