The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Spite welled up in Yvonne. She hadn't received any education in art when she was a child. If she did and had such a fine opportunity to make money from it, she would have seized it immediately. She said with a hint of desperation, "Sleep on it, will you? Jessica, I'm not joking. I've seen Huxham Corporation's revenue share structure. It's one of the best in the industry.

"You might not even get such benefits if you joined another company." She pressed, "You'll regret it if you pass this up."

Jessica had to admit that she was tempted by Yvonne's argument. "I'll talk to Steven and see if I can persuade him to sponsor me."

Yvonne heaved a sigh of relief at Jessica's assent. "I await your good news."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Jessica made her way down to the first floor and headed for the garden. She perched on the swing as she took in the lush greenery around her, her lips curling. Steven was nothing more than a dog to her now. He might not love her, but she could manipulate him into doing what she wanted. She fished out her phone and called him. Steven was sulking after Annalise had rejected him in public. Glumly, he answered Jessica's call and asked, "Is something wrong?"

Jessica hummed before answering softly, "Annalise picked on me again."

Steven's temple throbbed as he heard the same old line from Jessica. She always made up stories like this and played the victim to get him to confront Annalise.

However, when he did, he would discover that Jessica had lied to him, and he would end up getting disparaged for defending her. He then had to return with his tail between his legs. He demanded irritably, "What is it?"

Jessica could sense his displeasure through the phone, so her tone softened to the point where she sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

"Annalise came up to me to gloat

about the money she's making. She said her comics were average, yet she could make a ton of money because of Zane. Even Yvonne had to agree that Annalise's comic was bad and wouldn't have become a hit on the market under normal circumstances. Content Belongs tonoveldrama

"But my work is different. My comics are great, but I can't even launch official merchandise because I don't have a sponsor like Annalise."

Steven recalled what Annalise had looked like when he saw her outside Huxham Corporation earlier. She seemed more confident, and he reckoned she must have made it big as a comic artist.

He marveled at the huge change she

had gone through since leaving him, and at that moment, he understood the change had to do with money had let Annalise get a taste of financial freedom, and she ngw

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knew what it meant to be

self-sufficient.

Steven asked, "How much do you want?"

He figured Annalise liked Zane because he helped her launch a profitable career. Suppose Jessica started earning more with his help that might persuade Annalise to reconsider Zane. She might even regret leaving Steven in the first place.

Jessica didn't expect Steven to agree so readily. She was still stunned as she said, "I don't know, either." She had prepared to launch into a long-winded persuasion and did not come up with a sum. "I'll have to ask Yvonne." Steven said patiently, "I'll wait for your answer, then. I'll wire you the money once she gives you a figure."

"Thank you!" Jessica added with some degree of sincerity, "I know you don't love me, but you've done a lot for me. I truly am grateful for your help."