The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Dim-witted as he was, Shane asked, "Why?"

Exhaustion washed over Sasha. She never had trouble getting her point across before, though that was when she conversed with intelligent folk.

With Shane, she had to spell things out slowly. "Because Yvonne knows how hard it must be for you to cope without your dad's support and that you'd turn to me when everyone else turns you away. Unfortunately, I'm not getting paid enough to give you an allowance. "But Yvonne's different. Sure, her paycheck isn't huge, but she's generous when it comes to you." She gave Shane a knowing look and added, "She'll be nicer to you than I can ever be, you'll see."

"You have a point!" Shane's eyes glittered, but his brows furrowed a beat later. "But I don't remember Yvonne giving me money."

"That must be because you never brought it up," Sasha pointed out matter-of-factly, crossing her arms. "If you did, she'd give you the money without question."

She might not know Yvonne well enough, but she was willing to bet that the latter would spend a fair bit of money if it meant making trouble for her. Sasha praised herself for using Yvonne's trait against her. With that in mind, she prompted Shane to call Yvonne. "Go on, give her a call and see what she says."

Shane was skeptical, but he dialed Yvonne's number anyway. He kept his gaze on Sasha as he asked the woman on the other line, "I'm out of cash. Think you could spare me some for my meals?"

On the other line, Yvonne was well aware that Shane had fallen on hard times. However, she saw no harm in bankrolling his daily needs if it kept him pestering and annoying Sasha. "How much do you need?"

Shane had put his phone on speaker. In truth, he wasn't sure how much he should ask for, either. As he frowned, he saw Sasha lift a hand and spread her fingers. He mouthed at her, "500?"

Sasha shook her head and curled her fingers, whispering, "50!"

Shane didn't catch that, but he more or less understood what Sasha was trying to tell him. As such, he added another zero and said to Yvonne, "5,000."

Yvonne checked her savings and figured it wouldn't hurt her to transfer him five grand. "All right, I'll wire you the money now."

Sasha's eyes nearly bugged out ofnoveldrama

her head. She couldn't believe Yvonne had coughed up the money so readily! Could it be that the wicked woman actually had a thing for Shane?

Despair welled up in Sasha. What if she had accidentally fulfilled Yvonne's wish and set her up with Shane? What were the chances of her being so unlucky that she would help her enemy find true love?

Yvonne suddenly said, "You should see the money in your account now."

Shane checked his account. Sure enough, Yvonne had given him 5,000 dollars. He hesitated, contemplating his response.

He could offer to buy her a meal soon, but that was a joke reserved for close friends. He had never given Yvonne anything before this, and it felt odd to ask her for money now. He felt torn all of a sudden

Sasha did not step in or help him come up with a response, either. She was pissed just thinking about how she might have accidentally done Yvonne a favor.

Yvonne chuckled as she said, "Call me if you need money next month. I'm getting paid pretty well right now. I could give you an allowance, no problem."

Shane was caught off guard by Yvonne's sudden generosity. He shot Sasha a helpless look, but she ignored him and focused on drinking her fruit juice when it was served. After a long pause, Shane finally said stiffly, "Thank you."

He hung up and gaped at Sasha. "She must really love me."

Five thousand dollars was not a small amount for the average working person, yet Yvonne had given it to him without even batting an eye!