The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

My gaze turned cold as I said, "To ensure my mom was left with nothing, he even tried to transfer assets and fabricate debts, hoping to burden her with a mountain of liabilities. He failed in the end. However, my mom still suffered because of him.

"When she divorced him, she didn't take a single cent and had to raise me on her own. She had no work experience, so trying to find a job again was nearly impossible. She faced rejection after rejection, and in the end, she had no choice but to take a low-paying job just to get by."

I continued with disgust, "At first, my mom thought it was just because she had been a housewife for too long, making it harder to reenter the workforce. But later, she found out he was sabotaging her.

"After the divorce, he was so afraid she'd do well on her own that he blacklisted her. He warned everyone that if anyone dared to hire my mom, he'd cut ties with them completely."

My expression grew solemn as I said, "He had some influence in the city, but my mom had nothing. The people who worked with him had no reason to offend him for her sake. And even those who weren't involved with him figured they might need him someday, so they wouldn't risk hiring her either."

I scoffed and continued, "Isn't that ridiculous? My mom stood by his side for years, yet he felt nothing for her. He never once acknowledged her sacrifices.

"He was terrified she'd be successful, so he tripped her up in the shadows. Now that I think about it, I still don't know how my mom survived that period. She had me to take care of, had no money in hand, and no way to find a decent job."

Zane didn't know how to comfort me. "Didn't you also leave with nothing when you got divorced?"

"But my situation was different from my mom's. When I divorced Steven, I didn't take his money, but I also didn't have a child to support.

"And most importantly, you helped me find a new job almost immediately. My mom had no one to help her. She had to rely on herself."

Zane held my hand and said, "So, did your mom just endure everything after that?"

"Of course not. My mom is kind, but she's not stupid. When she found out what that scumbag had done, she confronted him head-on."

Zane was surprised. "What did she do?"

I chuckled. "She went straight to his competitor, Mr. Anson Ford, and pitched

herself for a job. She told him she was highly capable.noveldrama

"More importantly, if he hired her and gave her a decent salary, he could release a public statement saying not only did that scumbag cheat, but he also forced his wife to leave with nothing. Worse, he abandoned his child and refused to pay child support.

"And to make matters worse, he tried to destroy his ex-wife's career, leaving her with no way to survive Mr. Ford was generous and gave my mom@job with a decent salary so she wouldn't be left destitute with a child to raise."

Zane fell silent for a long time before finally saying, "Mr. Ford probably didn't agree right away, did he?"

I nodded. "Of course not."

"It's rare to attack your competitor this way unless his reputation is spotless. Otherwise, they'd just invite retaliation from everyone else."

I smiled. "Fortunately, Mr. Ford is a decent man."