The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

In a few years, my friends would all become successful careerwomen. But what about me? Would I continue to be an average comic artist?

I decided to work hard and build my career.

After seeing off the last group of people, Sasha flopped onto the couch beside me. Smugly, she said, "You wouldn't have guessed. I got almost everyone's contact number!"

I asked in disbelief, "You were working hard, huh?"

"Of course!" Sasha said, nodding.

She continued, "I hope my company can grow and last a few more years. I have to work hard for that goal. I mean, I can't rely on anyone else, can I?"

Hearing that, I looked at Sasha in surprise. I was amazed at how Sasha had learned to be independent while building her business. She had grown so much.

Sasha smiled and said, "But my hard work's paying off. I found many prospective clients! I'm excited about how much I can profit from this."

The more Shane listened, the more surprised he became. He asked, "Is there anyone you didn't know here?"

Sasha immediately replied, "Of course! There were about 4,000 people. It'd be incredible if I knew all of them."

Upon hearing that, Shane said regretfully, "I thought they were all your friends, so I didn't get any of their contact numbers."

"It doesn't take much to figure out that I don't have that many friends! Plus, Zane

is famous. I'm sure many people wanted to come listen to him," Sasha said.

She continued, "When our friends hear about it, they'll spread the word. Eventually even people outside our social cireles will be interested in joining. And think about it-what does their willingness to pay for a ticket tell you?"

All of Sasha's decisions were made after much thought on her end.

Shane shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Sasha scowled at him and said solemnly, "That means every single one of them is a potential client! Anyway, didn't think too much and shamelessly got their numbers Plus, if we manage to secure collaborations, we'll make a lot of profit."

But Shane was still confused. He asked, "What if we fail?"

Sasha shrugged and said, "Well, we don't lose anything! There's a saying that goes, 'More friends open up more opportunities.' You won't know when somebody who seemed unhelpful now will become helpful later."

Still processing what she said, Shane gave Sasha a thumbs-up and remarked, "I think you're the real talent who has the entrepreneur mindset."

Sasha proudly raised her chin and exclaimed, "Of course!"

As their conversation wound down, I chimed in, "But you should be cautious when dealing with these people."

Sasha asked, "What?"

I replied, "Some people may pretend to discuss a project with you, only to try to sabotage your project funds Be just as careful when introducing business partners to others. If Ife anyone gets conned, you might be responsible for it."

Sasha's expression fell after she heard that. After a while, she said, "I never looked into this before. I also never investigated whether they were serious about starting a new project or just casually exploring."

A wave of belated fear washed over Sasha as she said, "Luckily, all our past projects were with Shane's friends and mine."noveldrama