The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Gary and Julia must have been fooling people for so long that they'd completely lost sight of who Jessica really was.

Jessica spoke up. "Honestly, Steven's professional skills are way beyond both of yours. There's no chance you could take him down. I'm pregnant now and don't have the energy to deal with people I can't stand. It messes with my mood. So, you might as well head back."

Then, she turned and went home. Jessica just wanted some fresh air to clear her head. Who could've known she'd run into Gary and Julia? She never would've stepped outside if she'd known how badly today would turn out.

Gary was feeling down.

"No matter how much we try to talk sense into Jessica, she's not going to hear us. What are we supposed to do now?" he asked.

Julia looked just as uneasy. "The bottom line is, our only option now is to drive Steven to bankruptcy. But Jessica seems determined to stick by him, even if he's totally finished. Do we have any other options?"

Gary shook his head. "Maybe we should reach out to Annalise instead?"

"Yeah. She's spent more time with Jessica. She probably has a better idea of what Jessica's strategy is," Julia said.

"Exactly," Gary replied.

As soon as I walked into the office, I fell right back into the usual rhythm of my work, tackling each task one by one until everything was sorted.

Just as I finished up, Gary called, saying he wanted to meet. After giving Zane a heads-up, I made my way downstairs.

When I saw Gary, I took a seat across from him. "So, have you finally figured out your plan to take Steven down?"noveldrama

Gary looked a bit uncomfortable. "Not yet."

I was a little thrown off. "Not yet? Then why did you want to meet me?"

"We talked to Jessica. She told us that even if Steven loses everything, she'll stay by his side. So now we're stuck. We always thought she was after his money, but it looks like she actually cares about him for who he is Gary kept going, explaining everything.

I leaned back in my chair, cutting him off casually. "If you haven't even driven Steven to bankruptcy yet, how can you be sure Jessica's the real deal? What if she's just saying that?"

Gary looked puzzled. "What are you getting at?"

I chuckled. "Seems like the two of you still don't fully get it."

"Then enlighten us. We're all ears," Julia said eagerly.

I kept my voice calm and measured. "It's pretty simple why Jessica can say she doesn't care about money right now. She has her own savings and the ability to earn. That's why she can claim she doesn't put much value on wealth.

"But what if Steven was buried in debt? What if, even after Jessica paid back every penny he'd spent on her, it still didn't cover his bills? What if she had to use her own money?

"Would she still love him? Would she still want to take on that burden? And if she did, what if all her hard- earned cash was gone, too?"

I spoke slowly, making sure each word carried its weight. "If Steven's company doesn't recover, what's left for Jessica? A life of constant uncertainty, where even the next meal is never certain. If Jessica can find the strength to live like that...."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Gary asked.

I answered in a steady tone, "Poverty breeds misery in marriage. If Casper and the two of you treat her right, she'll eventually walk away from Steven when the time comes without anyone needing to say a word, won't she?"

A glimmer of realization sparked in Gary's and Julia's eyes. Julia sighed. "How did we not think of this sooner?"