Chapter 279
“Was it Jessica?” Contempt filled Zane’s eyes. “You know you love Annalise, yet one word from Jessica sends you running. Seems like losing Annalise wasn’t bad luck. It was inevitable. “Let’s be honest, Mr. Pelham. You never deserved a woman like Annalise.”
Driving down the street, Steven caught Zane’s message out of the corner of his eyes. Furious, he called him immediately.
When Zane picked up, Steven shot back, “Hah! If Annalise knew how cold-blooded you are, you think she’d still like you?” Zane replied coolly, “I wonder.”
“Jessica’s hurt.” Steven gritted his teeth. “It’s only natural I’d check on her. Annalise would think I’m being kind!”
Something in Steven’s self-righteous tone gave Zane a bad feeling. Back before the divorce, had Steven always abandoned Annalise in the middle of the night to comfort Jessica? Suppressing his disgust, Zane asked, “Did you ever show the same concern when Annalise was hurt?”
“No.”
“You only ever cared about Jessica,” Zane uttered. “Your different treatment of them proves who you really love. Let me give you some advice. Just go back to Jessica because that’s where you belong.” Steven felt the sting of every word but could not argue back. Pulling over, he had to ask himself why he had been doing that.
Zane was right. If he truly loved Annalise, shouldn’t her feelings have mattered more? Yet, every little scratch on Jessica sent him running.
Steven could not understand why. In the end, he could only blame it all on Annalise’s independence.
Annalise would never tell him no matter how sick she got. Even when he found out, she would just smile and say, “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
She would never let him fret. Jessica
was different. The smallest bump would make her cry in agony. When she made things sound serious, he automatically assumed the worst.
As realization dawned upon Steven, he could not counter Zane’s words. And so, he drove to Jessica’s place in silence.
…
Milton spotted Zane still up and approached. Curious, he asked, “Who are you talking to?”
“Annalise’s ex-husband,” Zane replied honestly.
Milton was surprised. “Why?”
Zane’s chuckle was unusually dark. “To make sure he knows he’s not good enough for her. And to show him exactly what he did wrong in their six-year marriage that made her end things. That way, he’ll back off and improve my chances.”
Zane had always been careful with relationships. He made no attempt to hide his intentions. “Annalise and I are just beginning. I’m still getting to know her, so I have to be strategic about pursuing her. FindNovel
“I have to be careful even during our daily interactions because one wrong move could turn her against me. It will ruin all my efforts.”
Though Zane had no experience pursuing women, he had plenty in business. If he wanted to marry Annalise…
“I’m moving too slowly. If someone else moves faster, I could lose everything.”
Zane knew his weaknesses well. “The best strategy is to watch carefully for others who might be interested in her. And make sure they all give up.”
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