Eric set his phone down and explained, "The comic's priced affordably. Most people can grab it without thinking twice. So it's selling way better than our merchandise."

I rested my chin in my hands. "These results are incredible."

"Yeah, they are," Eric said. "I'm sure Jessica and the others won't stop stirring things up. Plus, we'll take care of our marketing, and it's going global, so both the comic and the merchandise are going to do great all over."

I laughed. "So I can just kick back and watch the money come in?"

Eric glanced at me. "Speaking of which, you might want to check your account. Your paycheck should've hit today."

He looked at Zane for confirmation. "Right?"

Zane didn't deny it. "Yeah, that's right."

I checked my balance, and my eyes went wide in disbelief. It was over three million before taxes, and even after taxes, it was still well over 1.6 million.

Eric grinned. "So, what do you think? Isn't this way better than a regular job?"

I just hummed, not sure how to put my feelings into words. I'd always thought it would take forever to save enough for Mom and me to retire. But looking at this paycheck, I realized I could make that much in six months, or maybe even less.

I turned to Zane. "Thanks. If you hadn't started the comic publishing company just for my work, no matter how good I was, I probably wouldn't be making this kind of money."

Eric stayed quiet while Zane gave my shoulder a light pat. "Don't mention it, Anna. I'm just looking for ways to help the company grow. It's not really me helping you. It's more about me helping myself."

I knew Zane was being modest. He didn't want me to feel like I owed him anything. I felt something I couldn't quite put into words.

When I was with Steven, he never

did anything for me but always expected me to be grateful forever. But with Zane, I could see everything he did for me, yet he acted like it was all just for his benefit.

I pursed my lips. "Even if it is for you, I'm still getting something out of it."

Zane gently brushed my cheek. "Do we really have to keep acting so formal?"noveldrama

I smiled sheepishly.

Eric cleared his throat from the sidelines. "I'm still here, you know. Can you tone it down a bit?"

Zane calmly withdrew his hand, and I held back what I was about to say.

"The take-home this month is over a million, which might not seem like a lot right now, but next month, merchandise sales are going to skyrocket.

Л

"Plus, with tens of thousands of comic copies flying off the shelves, you'll be pulling in royalties, too. If it really takes off, you could see another million," Eric said.

"And next month, the comic's going international, and the animated series will kick up its marketing. That means we'll be making a good

chunk from overseas as well Zane

explained.

I couldn't contain my excitement and threw myself into Zane's arms. "Does that mean I'm rich now?"

Zane didn't push me away. Instead, he kept me steady with a hand on my waist. "Yeah, you're rich. So, now that you've got some money, what do you want to do?"

"I'll save up for now. Once I've got some extra, I might think about starting my own business-maybe opening a shop," I said seriously.

Zane grinned. "Like I said before, let me know when you've got a solid plan. I'll be there to help however I can."