The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

After hearing my question, Zane thought carefully for a moment before saying, "I think they left yesterday?"

I was surprised. "Yesterday? Why does it feel like they've been gone for so long?"

I was about to message Willow to ask when she'd be back, but after typing a few words, I quickly deleted them. Then, I stared at the screen.

Milton and Dorothy were Willow's grandparents, after all. In recent years, with Willow's autism and the loss of their daughter, they'd been struggling emotionally and unable to communicate well with her. Now, they must be cherishing every moment with Willow.

If I rushed them to come back, Milton and Dorothy would surely be upset. Hence, I put my phone back in my pocket.

"Missing Willow?" Zane gently nudged my shoulder.

I didn't deny it. "Yeah."

Zane continued, "She'll be back tomorrow."noveldrama

I leaned on Zane's shoulder. "I know."

Zane chuckled softly and continued, "But once she's home, we'll have much less time alone together."

I turned to look at Zane, surprised. "Since last night, you've been constantly mentioning being alone. What are you thinking of?"

Zane replied casually, "It's nothing special. I just want us to be together quietly, enjoying our uninterrupted time as a couple."

I turned to study his face. He reached out, gently caressing my cheek.

I smiled and said, "All right."

Settling back into the sofa, I returned

to browsing on my phone. Zane watched me for a moment, then cheerfully produced a hefty stack of documents. He placed them on the table, selected one file, and began scanning it quickly.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed the thick pile of papers. I looked over and realized there were even more documents than I'd initially thought.

"Do you always have this much work?" I asked, astonished.

Zane chose his words carefully

before answering, "Not really. These are just copies that I'm keeping here temporarily. I could delegate this to my staff. However, since I have some free time now, I thought I'd

handle it myself."

I stared at Zane in amazement. To him, working in the same space as me counted as quality time together. He truly loved his work.

Upon seeing his dedication, I couldn't help but wonder if I should also put more effort into my career. Perhaps only then could I achieve my goals more quickly.

...

During dinner, Harry noticed the silence at the table, with everyone quietly eating their meal.

He was suddenly reminded of something and said, "When I first started working as Zachary's driver, it was Steven who hired me. To facilitate communication, the staff ever added me to their employee group chat. Guess what I saw them talking about in the group?"

Portia asked casually, "What were they talking about?"

The driver smirked mischievously. "They were all gossiping about Steven being forced to have a vasectomy."

Zachary, who had already finished eating, set down his cutleries and asked, "Did Jessica force him to do that?"

"Exactly," Harry said with a shake of his head. "I mean, why on earth would she make him get a vasectomy?"

"Probably because she's afraid Steven might end up abandoning her son like Zachary," Portia suggested. She was no longer fond of Steven or Jessica.

"Actually, this might not be a bad thing. At least Steven won't be having any more children."