The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

I said casually, "And yet, you never complained about getting Jessica designer items or jewelry."

Steven clenched his fists. He wished he could retort, but he realized, with no small amount of shame, that Annalise was right.

I continued, "They say that you can tell how much a man loves you by the way he spends his money. I suppose you must love Jessica more than you realize."

I feigned contemplation. "I wasn't sure what a man's kindness meant before I got together with Zane. I had a feeling that you weren't being nice to me while we were married, but no one could guarantee that I would find my great love in the next guy.

He kept his gaze on me. "But I was nice to you while we were married, wasn't I?"

"So regardless of your mistreatment of me, I chose to stay and put up with you. It was after I got together with Zane that I realized a man could pour his heart and soul into a woman he loved.

"No, a man who loved me wouldn't make up excuses for his bad behavior and blame his masculinity for his lack of romantic gestures. He would be considerate of my feelings and pay attention to the little things."

As I spoke, I regarded Steven with a steely look. "After that, I was sure that you hadn't been nice to me. If anything, you were a terrible husband to me every day for six years."noveldrama

I saw his lips parting, but he offered no retort. I watched his expression shift and chuckled. "Anyone who sees the way you treat Jessica can tell you are in love with her. It was only natural for you to want to help her career after you saw her being unfairly treated in the company.

"You wanted everyone to admire her and put her on a pedestal." I said slowly, "I've already expected as much, so I wasn't surprised when you chose to invest that much money in promoting her work."

Steven ground out, "You're lying. You must envy her success and resources. You're wildly jealous of her! You must hate her!"

He enunciated each word as if the more he emphasized them, the more vindicated he was. He was making it sound like Annalise was in the wrong, not him.

I had no idea what compelled him to spew such outlandish theories, but I didn't bother arguing with him. "Go ahead and convince yourself that it's true if it makes you feel better."

He fell silent and merely stared at me.

I glanced at Zane. "I'll leave you guys to talk."

Truthfully, I didn't want to spend so

much time with Steven even though. I'd already mentally prepared myself for this encounter. He was always throwing me off with his

nonsensical questions and

ove

declarations.

"Very well," Zane said, sensing the contempt I had for Steven. He waved me off. "See you later."

After leaving Zane's office, I ran into Sasha, who had just bolted out of the elevator. Her eyes lit up when she saw me. "What are you doing here?"

"I came out to get some fresh air," I said, surprised to see her as well. "What about you? Are you here to see Zane?"

Sasha linked arms with me and explained, "I came to see you! I have amazing news."

Her gaze darted from left to right to make sure no one was eavesdropping. She then pulled me to a remote corner, and though her voice was barely above a whisper, I could tell she was excited.

"Oh?" I mused.

"A friend of mine texted me out of

the blue earlier and told me Shane was cut off! His father even warned the publie that he wouldn't be accountable for any debts Shane owed them if they loaned him money!

"In other words..." She eyed me with wicked glee. "Shane would be even more broke than I am in the future!"

Sasha was excited as she pictured

Shane, who had picked on her alongside his girlfriend days ago, being left penniless. After all, no feeling in the world could beat the thrill of seeing one's enemies fall!