The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

I retorted, "So do you think every meal Zane and I have together should be paid for by me?"

The surrounding crowd began to murmur, clearly disapproving of Rowena's shamelessness.

Nearly losing her composure in anger, Rowena snapped, "That's not the point! The point is, Zane won't support us because of you."

Zane stood up and took out the bank statements that he had asked Eric to print earlier, showing the monthly transfers to his family. "Why don't you tell everyone how much you've been spending every month?" Rowena froze on the spot. She had always relied on her tactics to work without resistance. It never occurred to her that Zane would counter her so directly.

Zane unfolded the statements, and, seeing that the crowd was paying attention, he made sure to distribute copies for everyone to see.

The onlookers gasped when they saw the monthly expenses. It was over 500 thousand dollars every month.

They turned their gaze to Rowena.

Suddenly, it became clear that it was Rowena who was in the wrong. Zane had been giving her such a large sum every month, and yet, she didn't even try to save a little and instead chose to cause trouble. Zane continued, "The 500 thousand dollars is just the amount I've transferred to you. It doesn't include the extra amounts you've demanded.

"Think carefully. For an average family, this amount could support countless people. But for you, it's never enough.

"You've even deluded yourself into thinking you have the right to meddle in my life."

Zane's voice turned colder. "Frankly, I don't think you're in a position to offer me any worthwhile advice. That's why I've decided to cut off your allowance, so you can have some time to think it through." "But..."

"And yet, instead of taking responsibility, you chose to tarnish my reputation."

His words were precise and deliberate. "Rowena, after all these years, anyone with the intent to dig deeper will easily uncover the truth about how you've treated me." Rowena's face turned dark with anger. "You..."

Zane calmly said, "From now on, I will donate the money I would have sent you to charity."

He opened his bag, revealing it was filled with cash.

Zane looked at Rowena and said,

"As for this month's allowance, consider it a blessing for everyone here

money will be a testament

to my resolve."

At the mention of this, the people nearby started to get excited.

Zane immediately handed a stack of cash to the nearest person.

The person froze in shock, holding the money, while others rushed over to take their shares. Before long, the entire bag of cash had been distributed.

Zane turned to Rowena and said, "You can leave now."

Rowena's heart twisted as she watched the money she once considered hers slip away. "Zane, I'm your mother!" she exclaimed.

Zane remained unfazed. "When you criticized me in front of everyone, you didn't seem to think of yourself as my mother."

Rowena was furious, her anger boiling out.

Zane added, "From now on, feel free to try whatever tactics you want.df you go too far, I'll sever all ties with you. And then, I'll repay every cent you ever spent raising me a hundred times over." en

However, Rowena had never really spent much on him, and even if the amount were multiplied a hundredfold, it still wouldn't come close to the amount Zane had been sending them every year.

Rowena clenched her fists, gritting her teeth, her eyes burning with hatred toward Zane.

But Zane ignored her, calmly sitting back down and asking me, "Our food hasn't been served yet?" "Uh... No," I replied, still in a daze.

He chuckled lightly. "It seems the more people there are, the slower the kitchen gets."

Just as he finished speaking, footsteps approached.