The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

I chortled. "If I hadn't been distracted or weak, I would have noticed the company was suffering from a crisis and offered to help. But I suppose there's a silver lining I learned just how capable and reliable the staffers were.

"I'm considering letting them know that I'd gladly take a smaller cut of the profits and increase their commission. After all, they were the ones who poured their hearts and souls into the company while I stayed idle. I'm in no position to demand more money."

Zane did not interfere with my decision. "As long as you've thought this through."

"I have," I confirmed. After that, I called the staff and told them I'd take a lesser cut of the profits so they could get more commission.noveldrama

They were stunned. "Are you sure? Our commission is generous enough as it is."

I smiled and answered, "Yes, I'm sure. You'll be more driven to work if you get paid more, so while I'm not getting as much profit on paper, I'd be making more in the long run. It's a win-win situation."

Reassured by this, the staff announced my decision to the rest of the company. When all was done, I turned to Zane and said, "I learned something new from this -never put all your eggs into one basket. I was so embarrassed when everyone depleted their funds to help me take down Otis."

Zane chuckled. "And now you've found a new way to make money."

I nodded. "Yes, and because it's all cash, I'd be lying if I said it didn't help with my financial constraints. You have no idea how stressed out I was when I was short on funds to deal with the company's previous financial crisis. I thought I'd go bankrupt."

"No wonder you were so envious of Sasha when she set up her business," Zane pointed out, smiling.

"If you think about it, I used to secretly have money while Sasha and the others were spoiled heirs and heiresses," I said. "Imagine being in my shoes when I lost everything while they were building their careers.

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"The difference is nerve-wracking, and I didn't want Sasha to leave me behind in her pursuit of success. So, I thought it was time I dived into other business opportunities if wanted to be on equal standing with them as friends."

Zane understood where I was coming from. "You have a point."

Otis was lounging in the hotel room and scrolling through the news on the internet, still reveling in his successful feat of causing Annalise's downfall. However, he hadn't expected the tables to turn.

And now, everyone was lauding Annalise with praise.

A grim look passed over his face, which darkened even more when he came across the news of Annalise setting up her own business.

He stood up and began pacing around the room. "No wonder I had such a hard time fending off rivals when I was managing my business! It's all because of Annalise!"

Otis fell silent at the thought. If Annalise could start a business and build her own career, she wouldn't resort to childish means to get back at him.

He took a deep breath. It seemed Annalise had leveled up without him realizing, and now, his ignorance had reared its ugly head. Nonetheless, he had to strike now, or he wouldn't have the chance to take her down again.

As things were, his company had gotten back on track, and so had Annalise's.