The Unveiled Rose

"To help you persuade Annalise, of course," said Jessica sweetly. "I want to talk to her and see if she's willing to get back together with you." Steven wasn't against that idea. "Okay. I'll ask Zane when he's free."

Jessica found Steven even more distasteful after that. He agreed to take her to Huxham Corporation just like that.

He was so cruel. Jessica thanked her lucky stars for not falling in love with him. She was only after his money, after all.

She'd gotten what she wanted.

She said, "Okay. I'll be waiting."

"Okay."

Steven contacted Eric and was told that Zane had a lot on his plate recently. Zane was so busy that he probably wouldn't have time to meet Steven.

Eric was polite when he spoke, so Steven calmly responded with, "Okay. We'll hang out sometime later, then. I'm in no rush anyway."

"I'll get in touch with you when Mr. Huxham is free," said Eric.

"Okay."

Eric hung up after that. Meanwhile, Steven hesitated for a long time before telling Jessica about this.

Jessica faked a smile. She had to get on Steven's good side before she successfully became Zane's wife. But then, she realized that she was merely talking to Steven on the phone and that he couldn't see her face. So, she spoke to him in a gentler tone. "It's fine," she said. "I can wait."

...

"Hi! Does Annalise Jamison work here?" a deliveryman asked after entering the office.

I stopped what I was doing and headed over to him. "Is something the matter?"

The deliveryman handed me a bouquet. "This is yours."

I stared at the flowers. My social circle was small, so I rarely got flowers from anyone. If I wasn't mistaken, the person who sent me these flowers was Steven.

I didn't want anything to do with him, though, so I said, "Sorry, but I can't take them."

The deliveryman looked troubled. "Don't make things tough for me."

"Why don't you call the sender and ask him what to do with the bouquet?" I suggested before walking back into the office.

Seeing my resolve, the deliveryman could do nothing but call Steven.

"Throw it away," said Steven. He probably expected it.

"Okay." The deliveryman was about to throw the bouquet away, but seeing how pretty the flowers were, he ended up having the flowers for himself.

...

I continued drawing once I was back at my table in the office. For now, my most important tasks were to take good care of Willow and complete my comic.

I knew that as long as I did my job, I'd be able to make a lot of money. And with so much money in my bank, I could lead a good life for the rest of my life even if I were to quit my job. "Anna," someone called my name.

It was a familiar voice, and I looked up from my drawing to see Zane standing before me. I had just completed my current draft and was working overtime to color it.

I had no idea why Zane would suddenly call my name.

With a smile, he said, "It's time for lunch."

Hearing that, I looked at the bottom of my computer screen to check the time. It was already 12:30 pm. After saving all the drafts, I got up and told him, "Let's go."

"I know you're diligent, but you must still take care for your health." It was a friendly reminder.

"But... "I paused, well aware that he was simply concerned about me. "An opportunity like this is hard to come by. I don't want to miss it."

Instead of refuting, Zane calmly responded, "You're right."

We went downstairs, and when we reached the doors, we saw Steven standing not far away from the entrance, leaning against his car.