The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Zane quickly glanced over the plot. Even though he'd never read a romance comic before, he seemed pretty sure this one could do even better. He tapped his fingers lightly on the computer, saying nothing. I watched his serious expression and asked, "What's up? Is it not good?"

"No," Zane said, shaking his head. "It's actually really good."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

If it was so good, then why was he looking so serious?

Zane turned to me and said, "Take your time with this comic. Once the first volume is ready, we'll drop the animated series and the print version at the same time.

"The company's gonna roll out a big promotional campaign. We're aiming to make your comic the top seller of the year."

Upon seeing how confident he was, I couldn't really explain why, but I trusted him. A smile crept onto my face. "Alright."

He ran his fingers through my hair. His usually icy eyes were full of warmth now.

Zane's voice was calm as he said, "As for the next steps, I'll have Eric take care of it. We've got a lot of new projects coming in, and even the old ones are picking up.

"I don't need to be involved in every little thing, but I still need to stay on top of it. I might not have as much time to spend with you."

my own work to focus

second we get together. I always feel like I missed out on so much before, and now that we're finally together, I just want to make up for all that lost time." I hugged him back and gave him a soft pat on

think women were the sentimental ones in relationships. But after I started dating Zane, I realized it wasn't about

what would happen when we really love someone. Even if we were together every

continued, "Before,

responsible for everyone's livelihood.

was a huge burden. But now, with you by my side, it feels like that weight's been lifted. Even though I'm busier than ever, all I feel is

felt like it

still wanted

against my neck, a

gentle pat. "But you really should take breaks sometimes. If you push yourself too hard,

a soft

back to

were in the same office. Did he really need to act like we were

didn't bring it up. "Go ahead. I've got work to get back

...

Bet