The Unveiled Rose
Chapter 176

"Since I know where her problems lie, of course I'll let her know directly," I said, looking incredulously at Zane. "Compared to having her glued to my side all the time, I'd rather hope for her to do well in life. "Whether it's in terms of enjoying her career or just life in general, as long as she's happy, that's enough for me."

Zane raised a surprised eyebrow, asking doubtfully, "Really?"

I returned his question with one of my own, "What else are you expecting?"

He fell silent for a while before answering, "You're right."

Zane had to have lunch with his business partners today. He even asked if I wanted to tag along, but it wouldn't be convenient for them to discuss business matters with an outsider present, so I turned down his offer.

...

Zane felt that it was quite a shame that Annalise wouldn't be joining him, but he still headed for his appointment alone.

The meeting place was at a nearby restaurant that mainly served dishes light on the stomach.

Steven had evidently arrived some time ago.

When Zane arrived, he was going through the menu. He lacked the warmth he displayed when he was with Annalise, instead reverting to his past icy self.

Zane asked calmly, "Have you decided on what to order?"

"You're the guest," Steven replied, handing him the menu. "Of course, you should be the one to decide."

Seeing as the person he wanted to see was absent, Steven leaned back in his chair, asking, "Why didn't Annalise come?"

Zane accepted the menu from him, replying, "She doesn't like this restaurant."

"How's that possible?" Steven retorted without even a moment's thought. "She never cooked heavy dishes even when she was at home before."

"Then, do you think it's because she liked to eat light dishes herself that she kept the flavors mild?" Zane countered.

Steven replied with yet another question, "Isn't that the case?"

Zane shook his head, his cold eyes full of ridicule. "Seriously, who would've thought that after being married to Annalise for so many years, you still don't understand her at all?" Steven's expression gradually turned ugly. "What do you mean by that?"

Zayn elegantly closed the menu booklet.

"I've been taking her to eat at different places all this while, but I noticed that her preferences are completely different from what you said.

"She only eats more mild-tasting dishes when she's with children, but when we're alone, she very much likes to eat really spicy food."

He continued steadily, "That's why I feel bad for her. In the six years she's been married to you, she's been silently dedicating herself to you and your child, yet you've never even noticed her efforts." Steven's expression turned darker and darker, but he was unwilling to admit that he had indeed overlooked Annalise a lot. Therefore, he desperately wanted to prove that Zane wasn't any better than himself.

"I may be in the wrong, but you didn't even bring her along to meet with your business partner, either. Doesn't that just show that your relationship isn't that good?" he accused.

Zane scoffed, replying, "You certainly make it sound as if you two are really close with each other."

"Relationships are nurtured," he continued, not at all angry. "As long as I'm willing to put in the effort, she'll fall for me one day. As for you..."

He looked Steven up and down.

"You'll get together with Jessica once after your divorce. Annalise isn't going to consider you at all."

Steven still wanted to retort but was interrupted when Zane raised a hand to call a waiter over to give her his order.

He then proceeded to look at Steven and say, "Let's talk about business matters."

Steven could only follow his lead and change the subject.

After dinner, Zane left.

Steven sat alone in the restaurant, gazing at the barely eaten dishes in front of him while Zane's previous words rang in his mind.

It turned out that Annalise had been constantly making compromises in the six years she'd been with him. She had even stopped eating the types of food that she liked. And yet, he had never noticed any of it... On the other hand, Zane, who hadn't known her for long, already knew her preferences like the back of his hand.