The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Steven kept the video call going, and under Chloe's smug gaze, he entered the hospital building. There weren't a lot of men waiting to get a vasectomy, so it didn't take long for the staff to slot Steven into an appointment.

The doctor tried to dissuade Steven from getting the procedure at first, even warning him about the possible side effects.

However, Steven said, "I have to get the vasectomy, or my mom will jump off the building."

The doctor glanced at Steven's phone. Sure enough, Chloe demanded sharply, "Hurry up and get it done!

If you don't carry out the procedure for him, I'll kill myself! Everyone will know you as a murderer!"

Feeling sorry for Steven, the doctor immediately scheduled a vasectomy for Steven. It was a minor surgery that involved a small incision, and it was done quickly.

When Steven emerged from the operation theater, he eyed his mother frigidly and asked, "Are you happy now?"

Chloe was grinning. "Of course! I knew I could count on you, my dear son!"

Steven said gravely, "From now on, I'm not your son."

"What do you mean by that?" Chloe asked incredulously.

He did not answer her, and he didn't even bother checking if she had gotten off the rooftop before hanging up on her.

Chloe brushed this off as one of Steven's fits. She had, after all, pushed his buttons. It was only natural that he was angry with her, but she knew he would forgive her once she gave him the time and space to cool off.

Raising a brow, she called Jessica to tell her the good news. "Hello, Jessica."

Jessica asked lazily on the other line, "Did something happen?"

"Of course!" Chloe said excitedly. "I watched Steven get a vasectomy, so you can go ahead and have your baby without worrying about him abandoning you both!"

Jessica bolted upright, disbelief coloring her tone as she asked, "How did you get him to do it?"

"I tried to talk to him and change his

mind, but he refused to listen to me! So I threatened to leap off my apartment building," Chloe

explained, not at all realizing her net

mistakes. Instead, she reveled in the fact that she had gotten her son to do her bidding. "That did the trick."

When Steven got home, he called Darren, his face remaining impassive. "Cut Chloe off from now on and fire her family members from the company. It's not like they're doing any actual work in the first place."

Darren wasn't aware of the events leading up to this, only that Steven was being brash and somewhat impulsive. As such, he said, "You owe it to your mother to look after her and pay for her upkeep.

"I know," Steven said icily. "She can sue me if she wants me to give her an allowance. I'll just give her the minimum once the court passes the judgment."

If Chloe thought she could still take his money and blow through it carelessly after forcing him to get a vasectomy, she was wrong.

Darren could tell Steven had made up his mind, so he said obligingly. "Very well."noveldrama

Toying with his phone, Steven stared at Chloe's number. He hesitated for a long moment before blocking her number. He no longer wanted anything to do with her.

He closed his eyes as a bitter chuckle escaped him.

Chloe hadn't provided him with the best while he was growing up. Thankfully, he worked hard to set up his own company and built his business from scratch.

Steven hadn't made much money at first, but after setting aside the funds for his company, he gave the rest of his earnings to Chloe so she could afford a better life for herself.

He had been so concerned that she would be short of money that he didn't give a single cent to Annalise, who nurtured and looked after him. Looking back, he had been an outright fool.