The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Annalise had silently supported Steven, helping him achieve his current success.

Steven was now wealthy. As soon as his first love, Jessica, returned to the country, all he could think about was her.

Matilda couldn't help but feel disdain for him, but she kept it to herself.

Steven quickly apologized, "I know I was wrong."

Matilda wasn't a naive young girl; she could easily sense the insincerity in his words. "Really?"

Steven nodded earnestly. "Absolutely!"

Matilda replied coldly, "But I don't feel that way. If you truly regretted your actions, you wouldn't be clinging to Jessica daily while neglecting your son!"

Steven countered, "Have you ever considered why I'm doing this?"

Matilda's disdain for him deepened as he continued to make excuses. "Steven, no matter what your reasons are, ignoring a child who can't fend for himself only proves you're a scoundrel. I don't want to comment too much about matters of the heart." In the past, Annalise always looked lifeless when she visited Matilda. However, the last time was different-Annalise seemed genuinely happy, and her beautiful face glowed with radiance.

Upon seeing Annalise with a different outlook, Matilda felt a bit more at ease.

Annalise had mentioned that she now had a good job and was capable of supporting herself, which made Matilda genuinely happy for her.

Steven, however, was taken aback by how strongly Matilda felt against him and quickly tried to explain, "But there are reasons for this. After I got together with Jessica, Zachary always caused trouble."

Matilda was shocked that things had escalated to this point and that Steven was still making excuses.

She slammed her hand on the table

and said coldly, "I know very well how much Zachary loved Jessica. He even ejected his mother for her. And now you tell me that as soon as Jessica is with you, Zachary

suddenly had issues with her? Are

you out of your mind?"

Her words struck Steven hard, and he turned pale. After seeing his reaction, Matilda lost interest in continuing the conversation.

"I've said all I need to say. You're being unfair to Zachary if you don't provide him with living expenses. Don't complain when he refuses to care for you when you're old."

Matilda's refusal to support him while defending Zachary only added to Steven's frustration.

"You can rest assured; I won't have any complaints about that. Jessica is pregnant with my child. Once the baby is born, I will leave all my assets to him. There's no need to involve Zachary in this," Steven retorted.

Matilda suddenly understood why Annalise felt the need to leave Steven. As the saying went, Steven was willing to throw his own flesh and blood to the wolves. If Steven could be so cruel to his son, how could Annalise expect any kindness from him?

After she witnessed Steven's

character, Matilda didn't continue to

hold much hope for him. "If that's the case, then you should recorda video as evidence. In the video mention what year it is, the scale of your company, and your annual profits," she suggested.

This way, when Steven got older and came to rely on Zachary, Zachary could simply present the video to everyone and show that Steven had ignored him while making money. Everyone would see Steven

as

ungrateful, giving Zachary a valid

reason not to support him.

Matilda continued, "Also include your age and Zachary's age this year. Finally, state that you've decided not to take care of Zachary and that he won't have to support you in the future.novelbin

"Once you do that and I get the video, I promise I won't disturb you again. Don't worry. Even if Zachary has no money, I'll find a way to support him myself. I absolutely won't let him ask you for money. What do you think?"