The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Zane nodded. "That's right."

Otis' visit wasn't entirely in vain at the very least, Willow had learned something valuable. Zane was pleased.

Meanwhile, Otis, overhearing their conversation, grew visibly uncomfortable. He quickly tried to explain, "I didn't mean "

But Zane had no interest in listening. After years of navigating the business world, he could tell another person's intentions as soon as they opened their mouth— Otis' excuses were nothing but wasted breath.

Cutting him off, Zane said bluntly, "It's late. My daughter needs to sleep, and you should be on your way."noveldrama

Otis had to hold back whatever he had been about to say. He stared blankly at Zane for a moment before reluctantly leaving.

Once he was gone, Zane turned to me and asked, "Can you guess why he went through all this trouble?"

I shrugged lightly. "What else could it be? He wanted you to think I'm a terrible person and ruin our relationship."

Zane's tone became colder as he said, "If his goal was to damage our relationship, I might grudgingly call him clever. But the real issue is..."

He paused before continuing, "He's also trying to push Yelena to me. Does he think I'm stupid? Does he think if he repeats himself enough times, I'll believe his words and start fighting with you?"

I gave a small shrug again. "Maybe he does. He probably thinks you'll be

disappointed in me once you see my true colors. Yelena would conveniently show up to comfort you. Then, you'd fall for her."

Zane took a deep breath and said firmly, "That's impossible."

I didn't seem bothered. "Since he's already gone this far and failed, it's clear he

won't give up so easily. There will definitely be more tricks coming."

I looked at him seriously and warned, "You'd better stay alert."

Willow listened intently and nodded solemnly. "Got it."

Zane's expression grew solemn as he processed my words.

Chloe had been in a foul mood ever since she was humiliated by Steven and Zachary earlier. She couldn't stop thinking about how this started because of Jessica. There was no way she'd bear all this stress while letting Jessica live comfortably.

She considered confronting Jessica directly but realized it was already late at night-around trip would take at least an hour and a half. It would be too late by the time she got home and washed up.

Chloe decided to call Jessica instead. As soon as Jessica picked up, Chloe began complaining, "I'm under so much pressure right now!"

Jessica was currently so busy with work that she barely had time to nurture her relationship with any man. Despite her hectic schedule, the sense of

accomplishment from her work filled her with joy.

When she saw Chloe's name on the

caller ID, her first instinct was to ignore it entirely. But then she hesitated. What if her

entrepreneurial efforts failed? She might need Chloe later, so it was better not to burn her bridges just yet. śwnovel

Jessica suppressed her frustration and asked calmly, "What's wrong?"

Chloe wasted no time explaining, "Everyone thinks I shouldn't have forced Steven into getting a vasectomy just because of your child!"

Jessica fell silent for a moment; she hadn't expected Chloe to bring that up so quickly. Of course, she wouldn't admit her surprise out loud as doing so would only embarrass Chloe further.

Instead, Jessica replied, "Those

people are just trying to stir up

trouble. If you hadn't done what you

did, I would've aborted this bab

long ago. Then, Steven might'

gone on to be with other women. You wouldn't have any

grandchildren."

Chloe immediately replied, "Exactly!"