The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Willow happily embraced Zane and pecked him on the cheek.

A large wedding cake adorned with candles sat on the table to celebrate our marriage. As I stared at the man I loved beyond the flickering, yellow glow of candlelight, I realized I had never been happier.

I had a daughter who truly cared about me and a thoughtful, loving husband. My career was also going well by conventional standards.

At that moment, I felt like all the suffering I'd been through was worth it.

Since deciding to enter the animation industry, Jessica had been trying to contact animation companies, hoping her comics would be animated. Unfortunately, none of the companies she reached out to expressed any interest in adapting her work.

The company representatives didn't appreciate her low offers and tactfully turned her down. Their excuses were similar and ran along the lines of, "We can't guarantee that our animation quality will meet your expectations. It's best if you seek alternatives."

Jessica had no idea if pregnancy played a part in her aggravation, but after several rejections, her frustration started to grow.

When she did hear back from a few companies who were interested in collaborating with her and began negotiating a deal with them, she asked that they speed up the animation process.noveldrama

They mocked, "You must be joking if you think you could get us to speed up our work with the money you're offering us."

She demanded grouchily, "Then explain the speed with which you animated Annalise's work."

"You might want to look into the rate Zane offered the animation company before you pick on the speed and quality of the animation," the representative pointed out mercilessly. "Zane's offer was far more generous than yours!"

The representative hung up before Jessica could even argue.

She also wanted to know how much Zane paid the animation company, so she looked it up online.

While the Internet did not give her an exact figure, most animation companies had said the same thing about Zane's offer. "It's the highest rate that's ever been offered in the industry. We couldn't believe that animating comics could bring in such an astounding profit,

Some even said, "Our company's reputation hinges on the animation quality. If we messed it up and word got out, we would never be able to live down the shame, especially considering the money Zane paid us. We'd lose business!"

Jessica could tell from the comment that Zane must have offered more money to these companies. But after watching the interview, she realized that while Zane's requests were hard, they weren't unreasonable.

He demanded that the animation

company prioritize quality over everything else and speed up the output. The animation company also revealed that Zane had gotten in touch with them to animate Annalise's comics a while ago, not long after her work had been uploaded.

Jessica drew a deep breath. She had been reveling in her independence and money-making abilities just days ago. She had mocked Annalise for depending on men for limited resources.

However, jealousy seized her after going through the old news of Zane paving Annalise's way to success. Jessica wondered why she didn't have a man to sponsor her career and launch her comics to new heights.

The more she learned about Zane's foresight, the more determined she was to claim him. But now, she had Yelena to contend with before she could even drag Annalise off her pedestal.

Jessica paced around the room. She had been thrilled to see Yelena's smear campaign against Annalise, but the former went off the radar after the masses turned on her.

But not half a day later, Yelena agreed to an interview, during which she heavily implied she was young and beautiful.