The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

About five minutes later, I entered the office and turned to Zane. "Would you mind sharing your promotional plans with me? I'd like to take a look at the details for each project and see who's overseeing them.

"If you'd prefer to walk me through it, I've got some time on my hands lately. I can go through each one and offer feedback."

Zane looked surprised by how prepared I was and quickly responded, "Sure."

They'd all worked with me before and knew what I was capable of, so the person nearest to me handed me the documents without hesitation.

I quickly skimmed through them. Then, I asked her about the genre of the comic we were dealing with.

She looked taken aback by the question, pausing briefly before answering each of my inquiries. I took the time to explain what the target audience for this type of comic might be and where the emphasis should lie in the promotion.

Then, she nodded, seemingly beginning to understand before she asked, "Should I revise the plan?"

"Sure," I replied, not dismissing her idea.

"Is it okay if I check in with you later on how to adjust it?"

"Of course," I said, agreeing without a second thought.

Upon seeing this, the others handed over the documents they'd been holding. A glance was all it took for me to spot the issues, and I went on to explain to each of them how to make the necessary adjustments. By the time I finished, my throat

felt dry.

Zane stepped up and poured me a glass of water, saying, "Thanks."

"We're all in this together. Don't mention it," I responded, taking a sip of the water as I considered what was coming next.

Honestly, the quality of this batch of comics was impressive. With this kind of work under his belt, Zane would probably have fewer resources to devote to me. So, once I finished the romance comic I was working on, I'd need to start thinking about refocusing on my own company.

Zane smiled and said, "You're right. Let's head back to the office, then."

As he spoke, he took the lead and walked ahead.

After a moment's hesitation, I decided to be honest with Zane. "Actually, there's something I've been meaning to bring up."

Zane gave me a confused look and asked, "What's that?"

"I'm planning to move on in a little while. I won't be staying with the company anymore," I said frankly.

Still not fully grasping it, Zane asked, "Why?"

I answered calmly, "It's pretty straightforward. The comics department is stablenoveldrama

now, so I want to focus on things that interest me personally."

Although Zane was disappointed, he said, "Well, I respect your decision." "Thanks," I replied.

Steven was doing everything in his power to resolve the problems at Pelham Group, but nothing seemed to work, no matter what direction he took.

He sat there, hands covering his face, overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next. Pelham Group was his life's work, something he'd built from the ground up, and the thought of watching it all crumble was unbearable.

But if Steven didn't make a tough choice right then, he could end up with nothing. It was only then that he realized how limited his abilities were. He couldn't even handle the minor issues.

Steven called Jessica. She was close to her due date, and bringing this up could

easily set off her emotions, but he had no other option.

"Jessica, I've got some bad news," he said.

Jessica had a pretty good idea of what Steven was about to say. "You can't save

the company, can you?"

"No, I can't," Steven answered.

But he was determined. He wasn't going down without a fight. Since Gary had targeted Pelham Group, Steven was committed to making sure Gary's company paid the price.