Chapter 855

When Steven got back home, the lights were still on. It stirred up memories of the days before he and Annalise went their separate ways.
Annalise had always been the picture of calm, with a heart full of kindness. No matter what life threw at them, she never flew off the handle or let her emotions drag him down.
The years they’d shared had been the happiest of his life when his only real concern was his career. Everything else seemed to fall into place without a hitch. A dull ache settled in his chest.
Jessica had wrapped up her work and was taking a breather. When she spotted him, she hesitated for a moment before saying, “Just so you’re aware, Julia and Gary came by to talk to me.”
“Did they give you any trouble?” Steven asked, surprised.
Jessica chose her words carefully. “They told me they finally realized they were wrong about me before. They want me to work things out with Casper.”
Steven went still.
Annalise had warned him once, saying he might lose Jessica too if he didn’t appreciate her. At the time, he’d dismissed her words as overly dramatic. Now, they struck him as unsettlingly prophetic.
Casper still had feelings for Jessica. Even Julia and Gary, who’d once underestimated her, seemed to regret how they’d acted toward her.
A quiet wave of relief swept over Steven. Thank goodness he’d listened to Annalise. Otherwise, he’d have ended up with nothing.
“And how do you feel about it?” he asked.
Jessica’s voice softened. “It’s simple. They didn’t treat me well. So even if I went back, their kindness might vanish the second they felt certain I’d stay.
“But with you, I feel secure. I want this to last forever, as long as you don’t leave.”
Steven studied her carefully for a long moment. “You have my word.”
It was only then that Jessica smiled. “Good.”
Zane had hit a snag while trying to set up Willow’s summer classes.
I noticed him frowning, his face etched with frustration, and I moved closer. “What’s wrong?”
He glanced up. “I’m struggling to figure out which classes would work best for Willow and Penelope. It’s trickier than I expected.”
I was puzzled. “I thought Eric usually handled this kind of thing?”
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“He doesn’t have kids,” Zane replied matter-of-factly. “I considered handing it off to him but changed my mind. Some things you just can’t pass on to someone else.”
“Why not bring in some expert advice, then? Neither of us has the slightest idea how to put something like this together.”
Zane considered it and decided it made sense. So, he took me up on my suggestion.
Finding an educational institution
wasn’t difficult. He reached out to å
highly skilled tutor and asked her to handle the situation.
The teacher had been planning to spend the summer on break and was on the verge of declining. “Actually, I was planning to—”
“I’ll cover 200 thousand dollars over two months, provided you can organize classes that suit her,” Zane interrupted.
It was only then that he realized he’d cut her off. “Do you have other plans? I can find someone else if this doesn’t work for you.”
“Not at all! I’m available!” she said quickly.
Stretching that two-month fee over a year would mean bringing in at least 16 thousand dollars a month. That was significantly higher than anything she’d ever earned in her job. sŵnovel