The Unveiled Rose
Chapter 117

I opened WhatsApp after hearing that.

With his voice still hushed, Eric told me, "Don't ever let Mr. Huxham see this."

"Don't worry," I told him without even giving it a second thought. "He won't check my phone."

Eric had achieved his goal. With my reassurance that Zane wouldn't replace out about the gossip group chat, he finally heaved a sigh of relief and left the office to carry on with his work. I, too, continued my draft.

Just then, a notification from my phone jerked me back from my work. I picked up my phone from the table to see that it was a message from Yvonne.

Her message read, "Who are you?"

Only then did I realize that I hadn't properly introduced myself.

So, I replied, "I'm the author of 'Days with My Daughter.""

She replied soon enough, "I have a lot on my plate these days. I need a few days before I have the time to go through your work. You'll have to wait for a bit."

I had my full attention on my draft of the comic these days, so I didn't have the time to think about anything else anyway.

I responded to her message with, "No worries. There's no need to rush."

...

Jessica was enjoying herself scrolling on her phone in the living room when Yvonne called her. Surprised, she asked, "Why did you suddenly call me?"

Yvonne stated plainly, as if it was obvious enough, "I'm now a comic editor at Huxham Corporation. Guess which visual artist's work I'm in charge of?"

As Jessica's good friend, Yvonne knew everything that happened to Jessica like the back of her hand. Knowing that Annalise was Steven's ex, she couldn't help but feel like gossiping with Jessica about it. "Annalise?" Jessica shot up from the couch.

"You heard me right! It's her!" Yvonne confirmed. "I read her work before. It was more of the heart-warming type. It won't be easy to become popular with that genre, but the company provides her with lots of resources." When there was some good news, the first person that came to Yvonne's mind was Jessica. "Jessica, you're good at drawing comics, too, right?"

Jessica seemed to have a hunch about what was in Yvonne's mind. "What is it?" she asked expectantly.

"If you're willing to start a comic under me, I'll shift a huge part of the resources over to you," Yvonne promised.

Jessica didn't respond to that offer, so Yvonne continued, "If your comic gains popularity, you'll make big money. You'll earn so much more than what Steven could ever offer you."

Jessica's heart wavered at those tempting words. Yvonne was her good friend and knew her really well, after all.

"You'll have peace of mind with that money," Yvonne added. "So even if something happened to Steven, you won't suddenly lose all your riches."

The longer Jessica listened to Yvonne, the more she found the idea reasonable. "What does Annalise usually draw about?"

Yvonne didn't hesitate. "She draws what happens in her life with her daughter."

Jessica narrowed her eyes. "It seems to me that a comic like that is no fun. What if I start a comic based on my very own experience? One where she's a scheming woman who abandons her husband for wealth and power. What do you think, Yvonne?" She added forebodingly, "And when the readers replace out who that character is based on, do you think they'll all hate her?"

Steven didn't want anyone else to replace out that Annalise slept with Gibson before, but Jessica wanted to make a fuss so that the whole world would know about it. Annalise's life would be ruined by then.

Even though Steven loved Annalise with his entire being, he would not choose her over Jessica by then. When that happened, Jessica could officially and legitimately become Steven's wife.

Yvonne never thought Jessica would think of that. "That goes without saying!"

"What would become of me by then?" Jessica asked gleefully.

"You'll become a good mother in Zachary's eyes," said Yvonne. "His savior. And also a good wife in Steven's eyes."

Just thinking of it made Jessica beam. "It's decided, then!"

"Once you start working on it, I'll tell my superiors that Annalise's work isn't well-received and advertised." Yvonne already had it all thought out. "I'll recommend your work to them and say that it's for the sake of the company." She and Jessica started giggling right after that.

A company founded just for Annalise, huh? In the end, everything would have to go according to their plans anyway!