The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

What Gary said made a lot of sense. But Julia worried that sooner or later, Casper

would get fed up with their constant do-or-die threats and cut them off for good.

"What if we try smoothing things over with Jessica first? She sounded panicked.

"No," Gary said."Let's wait for the test result before we do anything."

He still couldn't stand Jessica. Julia stared at him for a long moment before finally

saying, "Fine."

Jessica sat by herself in the villa, soaking in the vast space around her. A small

smile crossed her lips.

Steven had treated her well enough to give her the jewelry and a villa. But the

upkeep on a place this size was too much for her.

If Steven was handling the bills, she could enjoy it without a second thought, but

he'd lose it if he ever found out the baby was Casper's. And then she'd be left

raising the kid by herself. To cut costs, she made up her mind to sell the villa.

Jessica called a realtor, who was thrilled to hear she was selling. The realtor even

mentioned having a buyer who was already looking for a villa.

Jessica had the realtor bring the buyer over. After they toured the place, she

walked them through the style and every detail. The buyer loved it and signed the

contract right then and there.

Once the sale went through, Jessica moved into a smaller place she'd already

secured. For the first time in a while, she felt a weight off her shoulders, especially

when she checked her bank balance on her phone.

Even if she never made another dime, the money from selling the villa was more

than enough for her and her children to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

She let Steven know she'd sold the house. He wasn't bothered since it was hers,

and she could do whatever she wanted with it.

Jessica turned to look out the window. Everything was starting to fall into place,noveldrama

which brought her a sense of contentment.

After Zane wrapped up a contract

meeting, he headed back, picking up

a few gifts along the way. He

opened the door to the office,

finding it empty except for a

partition. As he rounded it, he saw

Annalise fully focused on her work.

Zane handed me a bouquet of flowers. "These are for you."

I looked up, caught off guard. They were roses in full bloom, with tiny beads of

water still clinging to the petals.

I took them and asked happily, "What made you decide to get me flowers all of a

sudden?"

Since we made things official, Zane had only given me flowers a few times.

Back when I was with Steven, everything was about the practical, everyday stuff.

Romantic gestures like that were few and far between, so over time, I just got

used to it.

I'd always thought that once two

people get married, they should stick

to the practical side of things and

leave all the extra stuff behind. So I

was caught off guard when Zane

surprised me with a gift.

He sat down beside me. "It's simple.

Recently, while I've been out making

deals, I've heard a lot of couples

who've been married for a long time

say that the biggest concern is

losing the spark. That's what causes

a lot of divorces. I want our marriage

to last."

Zane looked me in the eyes and said, "So, I've been thinking about how we can

make every day feel like we're falling in love all over again, just like when we first

started dating."