The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Shane didn't have to lift a finger to rake in a fortune every day. He was living

better than most, but a sense of being torn lingered. Should he give up working

and travel the world like he had before, or keep moving forward with new

projects?

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Without missing a beat, he said, "Come

in."

His secretary stepped in and said, "Someone's here to see you."

Shane raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"She says her name's Jenny Garcia and claims she's your ex."noveldrama

Shane smirked at the mention of his ex. When Carlisle was about to cut him off,

Jenny dumped him without a second thought. Now that Shane was loaded, she

thought she could just stroll back into his life. Did she really think he'd let her walk

all over him?

He kept his face neutral and said, "Alright. You can head back to work now."

"Sure."

The secretary quickly left. Shane hesitated briefly, then decided to head

downstairs.

The moment Jenny saw him coming, the sad look on her face vanished, quickly

replaced by a bright smile. She hurried toward him.

"So you finally decided to show up? Shane, do you realize how long I've been

waiting for you?" she asked.

Shane immediately took a step back, putting some distance between them. "Stay

right there!"

Jenny froze. "Why?"

"I don't want to be anywhere near you." Shane's voice oozed with disgust, and he

repeated her words mockingly.

He continued, "Do you realize how

long I've been waiting for you?' Why

should care? Look, I've made it. I'm

a successful CEO now, and you're

just the bitch who left me when I

had nothing!"

He flopped down on the lobby couch. Jenny knew she'd hurt him before, and she

didn't expect him to just forget about it. She said, "But I had my reasons!"

Shane didn't respond right away. Instead, he asked, "Oh yeah? What were they?"

Jenny hesitated, struggling to come up with the right words. Shane had expected

this, so when she remained silent, he decided to leave.

Out of nowhere, Jenny blurted, "Your

dad told me to leave you! He gave

me a chunk of cash and said you'd

come back home eventually if I

walked away. I didn't want you to

suffer because of me, so I went

along with it."

Shane let out a harsh laugh. "You think I'm dumb?"

He remembered that around that time, Carlisle's company was in deep trouble. It

was barely hanging on. No way was there extra money lying around for Jenny.

If Carlisle had that kind of cash, he would've used it to save his business, not blow

it on something like that. But Shane didn't feel the need to get into all that.

Jenny shook her head. "I'm not making this up. Everything I said is true."

"Fine," Shane said, staring her down. "If you're so sure my dad paid you, I'll just

give him a call. Let's ask him together."

Jenny's face tightened with guilt. "That might not be the best idea."

"I think it's a fantastic idea," Shane

shot back. "If he really did what

you're saying, I'll tear into him right

before you. Otherwise, I'll have my

lawyer file a defamation suit against

your."