The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

I admitted honestly, "My mom used to think that a woman must have a man no matter what. So, she always hoped I would reconcile with Steven and live a good life. But after talking to him, she suddenly realized that Steven's whole family were scumbags. Now she Zane nodded in agreement. "That's good. It saves you from being unhappy in the future."

supports my decision to divorce."

"Exactly. So I need to work even harder to earn money!" I said earnestly.

Zane had initially planned to come over and be affectionate, but seeing me so focused and determined in my work brought a warm smile to his face.

Just then, someone knocked at the door. Zane looked up and said, "Come in."

Eric entered and approached Zane, reporting on the comic's progress. "We've finalized the details for the print edition with the publisher. It should be published within a few months."

I was shocked. "So soon?"

Eric smiled and replied, "That's right. Given that the physical book market is struggling and they haven't had a hit book in a while, they're currently operating at a loss.

"After seeing our merchandise sales grow rapidly, they believe your book sales will do well. They want to try using your book to turn their losses into profits. So they've prioritized your book, and the publication process is moving faster than others."

I understood the situation better now. "I see!"

Eric continued, "We've also hired someone to contact overseas publishers. He just started his job and has already contacted them. They are very optimistic about this book and want us to let him handle everything. The revenue share will follow the normal distribution." As I listened, I felt increasingly pleased with my job at Huxham Corporation. I could focus on my responsibilities while they took care of everything else.

Eric then looked at Zane and asked, "Do you have any objections, Mr. Huxham?"

Zane shook his head. "No."

After a brief silence, Eric added, "Now that we've covered the good news, there's some bad news."

I raised an eyebrow in disbelief. In the past, Eric's reports were almost entirely positive. Why was there suddenly bad news today?

Zane maintained a serious expression. "Go on."

Eric chose his words carefully.

"Recently, there's a webcomic being

serialized online. The plot is highly similar to Annalise's. However, the storyline contains manynovelbin

elements about both of you. It claims Ms. Jamison had an affair during her marriage and that Mr. Huxham was the third party."

He lowered his head, clearly hesitant to meet Zane's gaze. "It also suggests that Steven was completely unaware and only decided to divorce Annalise after

swnovel

discovering your relationship."

As Eric spoke, I opened my phone and clicked on the comic he mentioned. A quick glance confirmed that the plot was indeed as described.

Eric continued, "Some people have

compared these two comics and concluded that Annalise isn't as good as she seems. There's even been some harsh criticism inher comment section.

"Mr. Huxham, do you think we need to explain ourselves?"

Zane's expression remained unchanged throughout the report; he simply turned to me and asked, "What do you think?"

I didn't answer but asked, "If we don't explain this, will it affect the company's stock price?"