Eric had been Zane's assistant for many years, and he was aware of the latter's capabilities. When it came to work, Zane was peerless. He could always find a solution no matter how complex the problem might be.

It was why Eric admired Zane. He had once been curious about the kind of woman Zane would fall for. He wondered if Zane would go for beautiful, pleasant women or if there were some other criteria a woman had to meet before Zane considered going out with her. Eric hadn't expected Zane to fall for a divorcée who had a kid with her ex-husband. He admittedly did not like Annalise much when she first joined the company; he thought Zane was too good for her.

However, as time went by and he got to know her better, he began to see Annalise in a different light. She was better than he gave her credit for.

Annalise was level-headed and made of steel, never one to be swayed by her emotions. More importantly, she and Zane seemed to operate on the same frequency, especially when it came to problem-solving. She was gentle yet strong.

Eric thought there was no better woman for Zane than Annalise. They were perfect together.

"Steven's gone."

I was staring at the scenery from the balcony when I heard Zane's voice and looked over my shoulder at him. He smiled and asked, "Let's head back into the office, shall we?" "Okay."

I trailed after him and fixed my gaze on the spot between his shoulder blades. Before I could speak, he asked without prompting, "Would you like to know what Steven told me after you left?" My curiosity got the better of me. "Yes."

Zane said nonchalantly, "He thought

you made a good point, and after

weighing out the circumstances, he decided that he loved Jessica. However, he couldn't understand

why he couldn't stop thinking of you whenever you weren't around."

I raised a brow. "And what sage advice did you give him?"

"I told him to see a therapist," Zane answered frankly. He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at me in amusement. "You don't think I was being too harsh on him, do you?"

Shaking my head, I said, "Not at all. Frankly speaking, I think his self-contradiction is rather concerning... He comes up to me and tells me he loves me, but he isn't willing to prove it through his actions."

I slowed my speech. "Then again, it's not as if I expected him to buy my gifts or splurge on me..."

Zane reached for my hand, chuckling. "I get what you mean."noveldrama

Reassured by this, I laughed and said, "I would do anything for a person I love, be it sacrificing my time or my energy. If I had the money, I'd splurge on them, too. But Steven's promises to me are always empty.

"He's different when he's with

Jessica, though. He says he doesn't love her, but he's willing to give her anything she asks for. Such contradictory actions could only hint at a deeper problem, specifically one with his psyche.

"It's probably in his best interests to see a doctor about this. The sooner he receives treatment, the quicker he'll recover."

Perhaps seeing a therapist would help Steven realize he was truly in love with Jessica and convince him to stay with her for good. He might be persuaded to leave me alone after that. Zane smiled. "You're right."

Upon returning to the office, he

In

patted my shoulder and silently indicated for me to enter first. I sat down on the familiar couch and sprawled there, looking up at the ceiling as I felt my body loosen up with unprecedented relief,

"Here you go," Zane said as he handed me a glass of water. I took it and glanced at him in surprise.