The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

I flashed Steven a tight smile and said calmly, "You're no better than a rabid dog right now, Steven. Are you so eager to rip into everyone you see? You think I orchestrated this whole thing?"

"If you think I'd waste my time plotting against you, you're wrong!" Having said this, I turned to Zane. "I'll leave you two to talk. I've got some work upstairs to catch up on."

Zane nodded. "See you later."

"Sure," I said before heading upstairs.

Only then did Zane glance at Steven and ask, "Have you noticed that Jessica has been constantly riling you up recently?"

Steven considered this and frowned when he realized Zane was right.

Zane continued, "Isn't that enough proof that you love Jessica? Why won't you admit it?"

It was in both his and Steven's best interests for the latter to admit he loved Jessica and settle down with her. If that happened, he and Steven could both be with the women they loved.

"I don't know why I get so riled up easily, but I can confirm that whatever feelings I have for Jessica aren't exactly affectionate."

Realizing that Steven would remain skeptical and in denial despite his efforts to guide him, Zane dropped the subject entirely. "Well, if you say so, I'll just have to take your word for it. Now that your business here has been concluded, you should go."

Steven rose to his feet but found himself glancing toward the stairs.

Noticing this, Zane asked, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Steven wanted to make up an excuse to stay a little longer, but after racking his brain for a plausible reason, he couldn't find one. As such, he grumbled, "Nothing."

Zane politely escorted him to the door.

In truth, Steven wanted to speak to Annalise. However, he figured she wouldn't want to see him after he lashed out at her earlier, so he resisted the urge to ask to talk to her.

His steps were slow as he walked out the door. He knew full well that Annalise wouldn't come downstairs suddenly to stop him from leaving but he couldn't help hoping for the opposite. He held onto the waning hope until he got into the car.

Meanwhile, Zane had returned to the living room.

As Steven looked back, he took in Zane's retreating silhouette and felt a surge ofnoveldrama

bitterness course through him.

...

I was sitting on the upstairs balcony and gazing at the scenery when Zane sought me out. He sat next to me and asked, "Were you worried Zachary might have been the one at fault before you heard both sides of the story?" en

"Kind of," I admitted, though I wouldn't say I was worried. I said flippantly, "It's probably because stuff like this happened to me all the time back in the day..."

Zane probed, "So when you heard Jessica and Steven got into a fight, you immediately thought they were in the wrong, not Zachary? Was that why you decided to stay out of the matter entirely?"

"Yeah." I nodded and explained honestly, "I didn't want to come off as biased because of how they treated me in the past, lest it affect my judgment. I was surprised to learn that my judgment had been right after all."

With a dismissive laugh, I said, "I guess when it comes to Steven and Jessica, I could blindly pin the fault on them and still be right about it."

Zane agreed wholeheartedly. "That's especially true whenever Steven takes it upon himself to speak up for Jessica whenever she's aggrieved. One wouldn't be remiss to pin the blame on them for whatever

happens after that."

"Exactly," I said. "I just didn't think Steven would make the same mistake over and over again."

And yet, if Jessica so much as accused someone of picking on her, Steven would unconditionally believe her and defend her again.