The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

I couldn't help but laugh when I recalled how arrogant my scumbag dad had been.

Even after the divorce, he still thought my mom would be afraid of him. He still believed that whatever he said, my mom would listen. He assumed she'd panic when he mentioned the company's losses.

I had no idea where he got that kind of confidence. I said, "My mom responded that she didn't do anything. He could sue her if he wanted to."

The scumbag knew full well that everything my mom exposed was true. Upon seeing that neither threats nor persuasion worked on her, he turned to me as leverage.

He told my mom, "Aren't you afraid I'll stop supporting our daughter?"

My mom replied, "You never supported her when she was little. You even tried to cut off all our means of survival. And now you're using child support to threaten me?

"Are you joking? Do you think I'd be scared of you? If I were you, I'd leave immediately. Just looking at you ruins my day!"

When he realized he couldn't scare my mom, he turned to me, thinking he could get to me instead. But I didn't believe a word he said. I didn't even bother acknowledging him.

"In the end, his company took a severe hit. Meanwhile, after securing a good job in her field, my mom finally had the chance to showcase her professional skills.

"Mr. Ford valued her expertise, and her career flourished. She kept rising through the ranks, step by step, all the way to retirement."

As I reached the latter part of the story, I sounded happier. Zane stared ahead. "That's actually pretty incredible."

He had always wondered how I developed this personality. Now, he understood.

I lifted my chin. "Of course. I learned from my mom that if you're willing to fight for it and take action, it's never too late."

"You're right," Zane agreed.

Getting the marriage certificate wasn't a complicated process. We just had to take

a few photos. Then, I handed over my divorce certificate.

After the staff confirmed that my previous marriage was officially dissolved, they gave us a few forms to fill out. Once we filled them out, they handed us our marriage

ver

certificate with our photos attached.

Zane pulled out a box of candies and gave them to the staff, sharing the joy of the

moment. Then, he took the certificate and held it with a smile.noveldrama

I looked at him, a little puzzled.

It wasn't until we stepped outside the registration hall that he asked, "What's wrong?"

I blinked and asked, "When did you buy the candies?"

Zane replied awkwardly, "Today. Once Willow agreed to our marriage, I placed the order right away. The delivery came straight to our house, and had the driver put it in the car."

I wasn't sure if should praise him for being so thoughtful-typical CEO, always on top of everything-or if should tell him it wasn't necessary to fussover such small things. But in the end, I couldn't help smiling.

Someone cared about me. Someone took the time to make sure everything was taken care of, so I didn't have to worry. That was enough to make me happy,

right?

After we got the marriage certificate, Zane suggested taking the afternoon off to celebrate together.