Chapter 23

Nikita's smile softened. She took Latisha's hands in her own. "I'm sorry. I wasn't really going to block you. I just wanted you to come here."

She gave her a hopeful look. "And you did come. That means I'm more important than that bastard, right?"

Latisha bit her lip, her eyes pleading.

"Alright, alright, I'll add you back." Nikita pulled out her phone and unblocked her. "So, are you still going to Odyssey Entertainment?"

Latisha nodded without the slightest hesitation.

"That's more like it. See? We're friends again. But you can't go dressed like that. Hold on, I'll get you something to wear."

Nikita found some clothes for her. They were casual and a little loose on Latisha's frame, but it didn't matter much.

A short while later, Nikita was pulling up to Odyssey Entertainment on her motorcycle with Latisha on the back.

After they explained their purpose to the receptionist, they were led directly to the marketing department. Mr. Taylor greeted them enthusiastically, but as they walked in, their smiles froze.

Yesenia was already there, lounging in a chair.

The atmosphere turned instantly charged.

Yesenia casually admired her new manicure. "Mr. Taylor, is this the person you wanted to cast as Selene?"

"Yes, yes, Ms. Winslet. You see, you and Ms. Judd have very different styles. I was thinking you would be perfect for the role of Skylark. The effect would be stunning."

Yesenia laughed coldly. "But what if I only want to play Selene?"

"Well..."

The producers all exchanged uneasy glances. If she insisted on Selene, there was no point in casting Latisha for another role.

Nikita frowned and turned to Mr. Taylor. "What's going on here?"

Mr. Taylor leaned in and whispered, "She's the top-ranked player on the server, and

she was sent here by Clifford Lambert himself."

Nikita burst out laughing at that,

deliberately raising her voice. "Oh, so she's the top player? No wonder. That Mr Lambert certainly knows

how to spola woman it would be

nice if he were that generous with his own wife."

A wave of whispers rippled through the office. Yesenia's face drained of color. She

shot to her feet, glaring daggers at Nikita.

Latisha gently tugged on Nikita's

sleeve, silently pleading with her not

to cause a scene. The last time this

happened, Nikita ended up with head injury.

Someone in the room muttered, "Mr. Lambert is married?"

"I don't know. But from what she's saying, this Ms. Winslet isn't his wife."

"Who knows with people like that? They all have someone on the side."

The murmurs grew louder, and Yesenia's face turned shades of red and white. She

could feel the judgmental stares burning into her.

She took a deep breath, forcing

down her anger, and sat back down.

"Mr. Taylor, my position is clear 1

want to play Selene. If you have problem with that, you can take it up with Mr. Lambert."

Mr. Taylor looked pained. He glanced from Yesenia to Nikita. "Ms. Stafford, what should we do...?"

Latisha pulled on Nikita's hand and signed: *Let's just go home.*

"Go home? Why?" Nikita scoffed. If it had been anyone else, she might have let it

go. But this was Yesenia. She wasn't backing down.

"How much money has she spent on your game?" Nikita asked Mr. Taylor.

He mumbled sheepishly, "Somewhere over ten million."

Nikita lifted her chin. "I'll give you thirty million. Latisha is getting this role."

Everyone stared in disbelief.

Latisha was stunned. She was here to earn money, not spend it.

But Nikita's message was clear: she didn't care about the money. She wasn't going

to lose this fight.