The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Jessica felt great at home as she watched her comic sales steadily climb. But in the blink of an eye, she saw Chloe had suddenly become a trending topic online, followed by Annalise and her comic.

Jessica shot up, opened Annalise's comic page, and saw that Annalise's sales were skyrocketing faster than hers. She was furious and almost tossed her phone across the room. How was that even fair?

She'd dropped over a million just to boost her sales. Now, Annalise had jumped on some trending buzz and caught up to her in no time.

Jessica couldn't stand the idea of Annalise making more money than she was. She thought about reaching out to the marketing company again to amp up her publicity, but she was worried Annalise would just ride the wave of any extra attention. So, she pushed that idea to the back of her mind. She paced around the living room, finally coming up with a plan. She walked into the garage and told the driver, "Take me to Pelham Group."

"Got it," the driver replied.

Jessica arrived at the company and headed straight for Steven's office. She'd planned to barge in without warning, but at the last second, she held back.

She was worried there might be other people in the office, and barging in could mess with one of Steven's deals. So, she knocked.

Steven heard the knock and looked up without much interest. "Come in."

Jessica opened the door and walked in.

Steven had been planning to take Zane's advice and see a psychiatrist, but when he saw Jessica, he decided to hear her out first.

His voice was unnervingly calm. "What's up?"

"Annalise posted a video about your mom online, used her to stir up some buzz, and then started selling merchandise off it. At first, I thought I shouldn't tell you as I worried it would upset you.

"But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I couldn't keep it from you," Jessica said without a second thought.noveldrama

Steven pulled out his phone. Sure enough, the internet was flooded with Chloe's account of how she'd mistreated Annalise.

There were also tons of news

articles about Annalise becoming a

comic artist after leaving him. It seemed like everyone had read her work and thought highly of her.

"She had a mother-in-law who treated her badly and a cheating husband, but she's still able to draw such heartwarming comics? She's amazing!"

"No kidding. If it were me, I would've cracked a long time ago."

"We definitely need to buy some merchandise to support her."

When Steven put his phone down, Jessica carefully asked, "What do you think?"

"I don't care if she drags my name

th the mud," Steven said,

it's

a bit much to bring my net

standing up. "But don't you

this?"

into

"I do," Jessica replied immediately.

"I'll go talk to her. You can head back. I've got a lot to deal with, so I won't walk you out," Steven said. "Okay." Jessica smiled.

She planned to follow Steven, catch the exchange between him and Annalise, and post it online to show Annalise had no shame and would do anything for fame. That would make everyone's positive impression of her disappear in an instant.

Jessica watched Steven get up and leave the office; then, she hurried out after him. He got in his car and drove off immediately.

She waited in her car, making sure he was completely out of sight before telling her driver, "Take me to Huxham Corporation."