The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Gary and Julia froze as they took in Casper's tiny apartment. They never

expected their son, whom they had spoiled with the finer things in life, to go from living in a fancy house to such a shabby unit.

Julia's face darkened as she snapped, "Why didn't you rent a bigger place?"

"Because I don't have the money," Casper answered frankly. "Don't stand on ceremony. Sit and make yourselves at home."

Gary was thunderous. "What do you mean you don't have the money? You had plenty in your savings when you moved out, didn't you? Did Jessica blow through all of it?"

"Why are you bringing Jessica into this again?" Casper couldn't help feeling as if his parents were being deliberately unreasonable. "Did you forget that you didn't pay me when I was working at the company? You didn't even give me an allowance! Why would I have any money at all?"

Gary fell silent. Julia interjected, "Then who gave you the money for Jessica's jewelry?"

college. Didn't I tell you that I earned every penny I spent on Jessica while we were

and put a hiring ban on me, Jessica had to sell jewelry to help me make ends meet. And because I was blacklisted, it took me a

blacklisted, he was almost always picked on at work. It was especially true given how his parents had the money and influence to

Gary and Julia launched a smear campaign against Jessica and called her a gold-digger with loose spending habits, she didn't say anything

Jessica told me our family was never actually bankrupt and that you'd made the whole thing

my wife. And yet,

foolishness. "But even after all I'd done, you still refused to pay me barely had ten thousand dollars in my savings when I moved to

rent and get a job. Did you seriously

to rent someplace better

She blamed Gary for this and turned to snap at him,

"I didn't know Jessica well enough to assume any better. Besides, when you and Jessica first started dating, Ruby told me Jessica had stolen

because of money. I