The Unveiled Rose

I turned to Zane at the thought.

Just two days ago, Eric told me that the company planned to spend some money to get more views. Did they carry out the plan already?

I gave it some thought. When the number of followers increased by hundreds several days ago, we managed to sell about 5,000 dolls. In just a day, I gained ten times the followers I had a few days ago.

It meant that the number of dolls that were sold would increase, right? What would become of my income?

I ran some simple calculations in my head. By selling 5,000 dolls, I could get 60 thousand dollars. Ten thousand dolls meant 120 thousand dollars, right?

I straightened my back at the thought. Indeed, making money was much easier after my comic became well-received and popular.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," said Zane.

Yvonne opened the door a crack, and when she saw Zane in the office, she decided not to come in. After all, she hadn't been around him much and wasn't that close to him.

"Come on out," she said, looking at me. "There's something I want to tell you."

Yvonne was my editor once, so I figured she might want to talk to me about work. After hesitating for a bit, I got up and went after her.

She led me to a spot where people rarely walked past and said, "I'm a good friend of Jessica."

I knitted my brows and looked at her from head to toe, puzzled as to why she'd tell me that.

It was a good thing that she was frank enough. "Jessica and Steven got into a fight because of you. I think you should help them mend the cracks in their relationship."

Yvonne found out about this when she and Jessica met up to discuss matters regarding the comics. As Jessica's good friend, Yvonne felt the need to lend the former a hand in solving her relationship problem.

I couldn't believe what I heard. Staring at Yvonne in disbelief, I mumbled, "Is something wrong with the minds of all the people who're related to Jessica?"

Yvonne caught the ridicule in my voice. She snapped, "What do you mean by that?"

I didn't want anything to do with Steven, so I told her, "First of all, I did not contact Steven. Even if something did happen to him, you shouldn't put the blame on me."

I continued explaining, "Secondly, if I remember correctly, Jessica was the third wheel back then."

My blunt words stunned Yvonne, and she stiffened.

I added, "Besides, I don't remember seeing you advise her against seducing another woman's husband. Steven and I are divorced, and Jessica's wish has come true. They aren't as lovey-dovey as before. Still, what makes you think I am the one to blame? Why should I be held accountable for that?"

It was simply too ridiculous.

"Yvonne, don't forget that Jessica's the one who ruined my relationship with Steven in the first place. She deserved it, whether I took revenge or not. I'm kind enough not to cause her trouble. Wrap your head around it."

Then, in a warning tone, I told her, "Don't blame me for making your life miserable if you dare to come find me because of the two of them again!"

...

Yvonne's feet were glued to the ground. She stared at Annalise's retreating figure but couldn't retort despite her rage.

What Annalise said was true, after all. Jessica was the one who made a mistake in the first place.

It took some time for Yvonne to finally calm down, and when she was cool-headed enough, she returned to her office and called Jessica. "Annalise refuses to help you," she told Jessica.

Jessica's confused voice sounded from the phone, "Why? She doesn't love Steven anymore, right? Why wouldn't she help me?"