The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Eric glanced at Zane. Seeming to sense that the conversation I needed to have wasn't something for his ears, Zane gave a quick nod.

It was only after receiving Zane's unspoken cue that Eric asked, "Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere's fine," I replied, not particularly bothered by it.

Wanting some fresh air, Eric suggested we head up to the rooftop. The wind was pretty strong up there.

I propped myself against the railing, staring off into the distance. "I wanted to talk about the direction our company's heading."

Eric raised an eyebrow. "The company's doing fine, isn't it? Or do you have something bigger in mind?"

"Yeah," I said, leaning back against the railing and keeping my eyes on him. "I've been thinking about it a lot lately. If we keep relying on new product launches to maintain interest, there's going to come a point where people just lose interest."

That seemed to catch Eric off guard. It wasn't something he'd considered.

"Okay, so what's your plan?" he asked.

I paused for a moment, then decided to lay it out. "I want to move forward with an animated series and an amusement park. The initial costs will be huge but could create plenty of jobs. Plus, it'd give us a much wider reach. What do you think?"

Eric seemed to find the idea promising. "What about the funding?"

I paused before responding, "The royalties from the comics I did for Huxham Corporation were pretty substantial, and the plush toys I launched on my own also brought in a solid amount.

"So, for now, I've got some capital to work with. Funding isn't something we need to worry about at this point."

Eric had always viewed working at Huxham Corporation as a secure option—no risks, no surprises. Then he met Annalise, and he ended up taking a sizable share of the profits and even began investing in her new company.

Now, she was aiming for something on a much larger scale. Eric hesitated, his confidence wavering.

I saw his hesitation and gave him a reassuring smile. "If you're not on board, I won't push you."

"I'll think it over," Eric said, clearly feeling like taking such a big risk wasn't something he was ready for.

I caught the polite refusal in his words. "Alright, then. I'll reach out to a few others and see if they're interested."

"Sure."

With that, Eric turned and headed down the stairs. I remained where I was, savoring the chill of the wind.

"Are you really sure about getting into animated series and amusement parks?"

I instantly recognized the voice and turned to see Sasha peeking around the corner. I chuckled. "Yeah, I am. Why? Are you interested?"

Sasha hesitated for a second, thennoveldrama

stepped doser, standing beside me. "Well, there are already some solid examples in this field, so I'm not too worried about whether it'll be

profitable."

I didn't

pect it to be Sasha who

would back me up at this point. tilted my head, studying her. "So,

what do you think the problem is?"

Sasha glanced at me for a moment before looking down. "Money. I don't have the funds now, but I'm interested in partnering with you."

I was caught off guard. "Aren't you worried about losing everything?"

Sasha shook her head. "Isn't that just part of the business? If we lose, we lose. We'll learn from it.

"It's not the end of the world. Besides, I've still got my company and can always rebuild later. Even if we take a big hit..."

The thought of ending up with.

nothing tightened her chest, but she

quickly added, "It's fine. I've still got

my dad. He wouldn't let me go hungry, no matter what."

5

"If that's the case, why not ask your dad what he thinks and see if he'd be willing to back you?" I asked.

Sasha's determination was firmer than ever. "No. If I want to work with you, I will. I won't listen to anyone who tries to stop me."