The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven) novel Chapter 875

"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?"

"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.

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 it was something to be proud of, getting this far on my own.

"But now, after being targeted by others, I'm starting to wonder if I was just lucky all this time. From 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..."