The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

"Since Jessica's been through a lot before, I doubt she'd want to return to that life," Gary said.

...

As Eric made his way down from the rooftop, his phone rang. It was Zane calling

to get him back to the office. Though Eric wasn't sure what it was about, he didn't hesitate and headed there immediately.

When he reached Zane's desk, he asked, "Mr. Huxham, did you need me for something?"noveldrama

"Yeah," Zane said, leaning back in his chair. "Annalise was looking for you earlier. What did you two talk about?"

Eric was puzzled. "She didn't fill you in?"

"No," Zane replied.

Although he and Annalise had grown close, she seldom shared her decisions with anyone, including him. He usually had to ask around if he wanted to know what

she was up to.

"She's going to launch an amusement park under her new designer toy brand," Eric answered.

Zane stared at Eric, taken aback.

"She wanted to team up with me, but I turned her down. I don't know much about the industry, and I'm not looking to take risks.

"But now that you brought it up, Mr. Huxham, I'd like to hear your take. What do you think about the idea of an amusement park?" Eric asked.

Zane paused for a moment, thinking it over. "There are a few examples of theme parks abroad that have done well with personal brands. But if it's all about plush toys, I'd say the odds of it actually working are pretty low."

He knew Annalise well enough to believe she wouldn't dive into something without careful thought.

"Does she have any other plans?" he asked.

"She does," Eric responded quickly. "She talked about starting with an animated series."

Zane paused to think for a moment. "If she pulls it off, she could definitely make a lot of money."

Eric caught on right away at the mention of making money. "But the chances of it working out are pretty slim, right?"

"That's right," Zane answered calmly. "Still, I have faith in Annalise's abilities. She can make it happen."

Steven's face contorted with frustration when he found out Zane wasn't the one targeting him. He couldn't think of anyone he'd wronged except Zane.

What had caused Pelham Group to end up in this mess? It just didn't make sense.

Losing all motivation to return to the office, Steven drove straight home. When he stepped through the front door, the house was empty. He made his way to the study, where he found Jessica working.

When she heard the door, she looked up and was surprised to see him. "Aren't

you supposed to be at work? What's going on?"

Steven hesitated before replying, "There's trouble at the company. I don't know

who I've crossed, but someone's coming after us for no reason."

He gave a wry smile and said, "I used to think my company was doing well, that it was finally on solid ground, and I even felt a sense of pride in what I'd built. I thought t was something to be proud of, getting this far on my own.

"But now, after being targeted by

was just lucky all this time. Fronet

others, I'm starting to wonder if met

the

beginning until now, I've never really faced any real obstacles."

Jessica listened, staying quiet for a long moment. Steven brushed it off. "You've got enough to deal with. I shouldn't be dumping this on you."

"Actually, I think I might know who's behind this," Jessica said. She felt a heavy weight settle in her chest. She hadn't expected Gary and Julia to push this far.

They'd come to her with their demands, and when she turned them down, they went straight to Steven. Jessica whispered, "I'm sorry..."