The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

"Do we still pay them commission?" Eric asked.

"Yes," I replied, unbothered by the suggestion. "I believe they'd be more willing to stay in the company if they knew they were getting incentivized for their hard work, don't you think so?"

"You have a point." Eric chuckled, saying, "Alright, I'll make the arrangements as discussed."

"Thanks." Not long after I hung up, Zane approached me and took my hand. I clutched his fingers and brushed my thumb over his knuckles, asking, "What?" "Your career seems to be thriving," Zane remarked, not without sentiment.

When Zane and I first met, I had neither fortune nor career, but then I dived into drawing comics. Following gradual marketing, my comics began to reach a wider audience and gained popularity. After that, I released merchandise and designer collectibles, the sales of which rode on the hype of the comics.

All this seemed like a natural progression, but Zane probably never thought I'd come up with the idea of selling plush toys or setting up my own company. I was making a lot of money now.

Zane had always known I was clever and capable, but he was still surprised to see how quickly I'd moved on from the blight of my past and regained my former glory.

I smiled and said, "True. I never thought I'd get to enjoy the sweet taste of success when I was thrown out of my marital home with virtually nothing to my name."

Zane raised a brow. "Things will only get better from here."

He wrapped his arms around me and planted a kiss on my cheek. I laughed. "Let's go to sleep."

The next morning, Zane and I got out of bed and dropped Willow off at kindergarten. We pulled up outside the gates and watched her enter the building before we headed to the office.

I had planned to start my work right away, but that was when I got a call informing me someone was waiting for me in the lobby. I wondered who my visitor was but obediently made my way downstairs nonetheless. When I saw Chloe waiting for me, I cocked a brow and asked, "What are you doing here?

Chloe appeared to be in good spirits. Life must have been kind to her the last few days. She gloated, "You must have been rather pleased with the way Steven pined over you before. Liked the attention, did you?"

"No," I answered frankly. "I found it annoying, actually. I even considered ways to get him off my back and make him disappear from my world forever."

A dark look flashed on her face as she snapped, "As if! You must have missed Steven terribly after being married to him for so long."

"And yet, the truth is that I haven't missed him at all." I couldn't understand Chloe's dissenting attitude. From the moment Inoveldrama

decided to let go of him, I'd alre

given up on what we had. Given the circumstances, what sentiments or affection could I possibly still harbor for him?"

Chloe appraised me hatefully. "You're lying! You're trying to come off as indifferent toward Steven, but I know what you're playing at. You want to show him how well you're doing so that he'll come to regret his decisions!"

I stared at her. From the looks of it, she refused to accept anything but an

admission of guilt on my part. I saw no point in arguing with her.

"But your plan is doomed to fail. Steven and Jessica are happy together. He even forgave us for forcing him to get a vasectomy.

"And now, he's prepared to settle down with Jessica," she continued smugly, her eyes gleaming with triumph. "That only goes to show that he cares about us more than he does you."

"That's great, isn't it?" I was glad to hear the news because it was a win-win situation for Chloe, me, and Jessica The more dedicated Steven was inmaintaining his relationship with Jessica, the more devastated he'd be when he found out her baby wasn't his.