The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Upon hearing Otis' question, I nodded and said, "Yeah."

Otis, who was in disbelief, exclaimed, "But I'm already talking to you nicely! What should I be changing? Do you want me to kneel to you?"

I handed Otis my phone and said, "If you want to, I won't stop you."

After looking at my phone, Otis' expression darkened. I continued and said, "You wanted to collaborate with my husband, and you also wanted me to support your son. But look at how you're treating me."

Otis wanted to close his eyes in denial, but he could hear Jessica's boastful voice from the phone.

"Yeah, Annalise is so annoying! Why do you think her father chose to invest in me rather than her? Think about it: there must be a reason behind it."

Otis hadn't expected Jessica to be such a fool. He had only spoken to Jessica briefly, yet she was making a fuss on the internet.

I chuckled and said, "You knew she tried to seduce my husband, but you still chose to invest in her. Then, you came to ask me to collaborate with you. Otis, do you think I can't tell that you're pretending to get on my good side and that you're actually trying to trick me?"

Slowing down, I continued, "I suspect you have several plans to trick me. You're only chatting with me and trying to reconcile because you want me to let my guard down."

Of course, I guessed all that because they were part of my plan as well, but I used it against Otis instead. Faced with my accusations, Otis mumbled something but struggled to find his words.

I went on and said, "Let's forget about reconciliation. Otherwise, if partner up with you now, I will be subject to your tricks if you work with my rivals immediately after this."

With that, Otis finally believed that I was sincerely trying to reconcile with him. He said, "I know I shouldn't have done that, but you should give me a chance to explain myself."

I said nonchalantly, "Go on."

I didn't mention how he asked Yelena to seduce Zane lest he became wary of me and changed his plans. That was fine; I knew everything he had up his sleeves, and I knew his next steps.

Otis said, "I invested in Jessica because her comics were performing well. I thought she would bring in a lot of profit for my company."

Just then, Jessica's voice from the phone spoke, "The commission cut for Otis? He said the money's mine; he won't be taking any cut of the profit."

Then, Jessica even played a recorded conversation with Otis as proof she wasn't lying. Immediately, Otis fell silent. After a while, he muttered, "I didn't know she was your rival."

As if Jessica had heard him, she

said, "You mean, did Otis know about the relationship between Annalise and me? Of course! When we first met, I introduced myself as the mistress of Steven Pelham, who was Annalise's ex-husband.

I was losing my patience and said, "Why don't you talk to Jessica and match your stories? Let's talk after that. Otherwise, it's pathetic how you're getting exposed for every lie."

Then, I stomped out of the hotel. Otis wanted to stop me, but by the time he got up, I was already gone. Otis angrily plopped onto the couch and called Jessica.noveldrama

He snarled, "What's your problem, Jessica? You gave me information, and I paid you; we should be even! Why are you causing trouble for me now?"