I shook my head. "Not yet."

cht up with work and didn't notice the time. I'll make it up to you right now. What do you

Zane apologized at once. "Sorry, I got caught

want for lunch? My treat!"

I did not refuse his offer and suggested, "We could go to the diner on the second floor."

"Don't scrimp on my account." Zane knew Annalise hardly ate within the building and was unlikely to know any good lunch spots, so he brought her to a nearby restaurant.

A waiter came up to our table after we took our seats and handed us a couple of menus. Zane ordered a few signatures and said. congenially, "The food here is different from the one you'd get at the cafeteria. Give it a shot."

"All right," I said with a nod. If the food was as good as Zane said, I would bring Willow here after getting my next paycheck

Zane paused, then asked, "Are you planning on dating anyone soon?"

Igaped at him. "Why the sudden interest in my love life?"

"I figured that if you do plan on seeing anyone romantically..." He seemed to choose his next words carefully. "Willow would have to stop calling you 'Mommy', lest your new boyfriend gets the wrong idea."

That was considerate of him, not that I didn't agree with him. "True, but don't worry. I don't plan on dating anyone for the time being " Relief flickered across Zane's face. He assumed Annalise meant she wouldn't be dating anyone in the next few years. Having gotten the answer he wanted, he smiled, and his otherwise impassive face lit up. "Gotcha."

But i

t if you plan on dating anyone..." I wondered if Zane had brought up the topic because he wanted to look for a girlfriend. I probed tentatively, "If you think Willow calling me 'Mommy' will get in the way of your love life..."

I knew Willow and I were not blood-related and that I had no right to make such requests, but I liked the little girl too much. "You could let me move out with Willow I promise we won't bother you."

Zane was quiet for a long time before he said, "Don't worry, I won't."

I was a little disappointed.

Zane gave me a meaningful look

The food was served shortly after. The flavors were sumptuous, though a little on the hotter side. It was a shame that Willow's poor gut health meant she couldn't tolerate spice for a while.

I asked Zane, "What's the non-spicy food here like?"

He shook his head. "Average."

I gave up on any thought of bringing Willow here. There were plenty of restaurants around. Surely there had to be one Willow and 1 would agree on

Upon returning to the office, I clicked on the website where my comic was published. The comic wasn't gaining much reads, though that was probably because it was the first story of the series and it had just been published. However, there was a reader who left an enthusiastic and kind comment under the comic. She claimed to really like the heartwarming storyline.Property © of .

I replied to her, "Thank you for your support! I'll work hard on the comic."

After that, I hunkered down on my next few sketches.

Zane sat behind his work desk. Having thought through the idea, he decided he would setup a comic publishing company. That way, he would be solely in charge of Annalise's work, advertising it, and launching its merchandise. From there, he could build up his portfolio. Once Annalise's comic gained traction, the trajectory of the comic publishing company's business development would have been set.

The company could expand on a larger scale and sign on more comic artists. The marketing strategies would be based on each artist's

style.

Zane gently rapped his knuckles against the desk, instinctively turning to look at Annalise, who was poring over her work.

He decided he would keep his plans a secret for now and surprise her once the company had been set up.

Drawing back his gaze, Zane got to work and drew up his business plan.

At 5:00 pm, someone banged on Zane's office door. He frowned at the commotion and rose to get the door. When he saw the woman standing on the other side of it, he asked in surprise, "What are you doing here?" The beautiful, polished woman wearing delicate makeup at the door was Sasha Weston, Zane's blind date.