The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

The marketing expert immediately sprang into action as soon as the payment was received.

Soon after, Jessica's new book was trending on social media. Her work was of good quality, and after a few rounds of hype, she had built up a solid fan base. So when word spread that her book was being released, many people immediately expressed their intent to buy it. Orders came pouring in, and Jessica's mood improved as she watched the numbers skyrocket. She reached out to Paula and asked, "Have you seen the sales of my new book?"

Paula, who had just stepped out of a meeting, glanced at her phone, then asked in surprise, "That many?"

"I was fairly well-known overseas. Your publishing company managed the previous book, so you should be familiar with it."

Paula was indeed aware of that.

Jessica continued, "This book has a great plot and beautiful artwork, so I'm sure it will have a lot of fans."

After contemplating, Paula replied, "Based on these sales numbers, I estimate we'll need at least 200,000 copies for the first print run. I'll have a meeting with some others and then make a decision." Jessica smiled. "No problem. I'll be waiting for your good news."

She then reclined on the sofa, feeling a sense of satisfaction. So what if Annalise had a book published? Now, Jessica's book was out there, too.

Annalise could focus entirely on her art since she had Zane supporting her. Although Jessica had to rely on herself, her achievements were on par with Annalise.

This meant that Jessica was the ultimate winner. In fact, she defeated Annalise by a large margin. The more Jessica thought about it, the happier she became.

...

Willow woke up in the morning, her heart still fluttering with excitement as she thought about the beautiful dress she would wear in the afternoon for her hosting debut.

She couldn't help but smile as she carefully took out the dress she had chosen, admiring it over and over again. She imagined herself on stage, looking calm and poised. Willow giggled softly before brushing her teeth and reading a book. After finishing her tasks, she walked into the living room.

"Mom, let's exercise!" she said to Annalise eagerly.

I followed closely behind her, "Okay."

Willow noticed that Zane didn't follow us, so she hurriedly went to call him.

Zane obediently followed her, and after their run, took a shower. She then pulled both me and Zane into her bedroom.

"Mom, Dad, you have to make sure you take good care of this dress. If anything happens to it before the performance and it gets ruined, I'IL be so embarrassed," she said sternly.

I hesitated before asking, "Do you want me to bring a spare dress, just in case?"

Willow shook her head. "No. I only like this one."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure the driver is extra careful with it," Zane said while rubbing her head affectionately. Willow finally breathed a sigh of relief. As she left, she kept glancing back at her dress with every few steps.

I exchanged a glance with Zane, and we both smiled knowingly. It was pure joy to be a child. The biggest concern in their world was something as simple as a dress.

We dropped Willow off at her

kindergarten. As soon as she goe

of the car, she ran straight to Penelope, who grabbed her hand with excitement.

The duo chattered about the afternoon's event, forgetting to say goodbye to the adults.

...noveldrama

Meanwhile, Zachary sat in the living room, sipping soup while sneaking glances at Portia.

She asked curiously, "What's the matter?"

Zachary lowered his head and muttered, "There's an event at school today. I was hoping you, Harry, and Hannah could attend with me."

Portia was delighted but kept her expression neutral. "Do you think it's a good idea for so many of us to attend?"