The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven) novel Chapter 430

Zane's voice dropped to a deep, icy timbre. "I'd say you were the problem all along. If you had been generous enough to hire a nanny and a chef to help Annalise out at home, she might have had the time to do what she wanted. You would have been able to see her put her talents to good use.

"She would have dazzled in whichever industry she chose to dabble in, and she would be popular among her peers. In truth…"

He slowed his speech as he drove his point home. "You're only putting her down because deep down, you know Annalise has always been perfect just the way she is."

Steven retorted without hesitation, "As if!"

"You wouldn't want her back so desperately if you thought any lesser of her, right?" Zane countered evenly.

Steven said nothing and instead kept his gaze on me, but the only person that mattered to me at that moment was Zane. He had, indeed, seen all of my strengths and sacrifices.

Steven's lips pressed into a thin, grim line, his heart tightening to the point of pain. "You'll find someone better than Annalise in the future—"

"There is no one better than her," Zane cut him off firmly.

I had heard all I needed to. I knew now that Steven was vilifying me so that Zane would think less of me and break up with me. "Do you see the huge difference between you and Zane now, Steven?" I asked indifferently.

When he did not respond, I continued, "I hope you'll do yourself a favor and stop pining after me. No matter how I look at it, Zane is better than you in more ways than you can count. I don't see why I should leave him for you when you aren't even half the man he is."

Steven seemed to finally understand I had moved on from him, for he said, "Yes, he is a fine gentleman, that much I'll admit. But I was kind to you when we first started dating as well. How are you so confident that Zane won't turn out like me in the future?"