The Unveiled Rose

By the time we arrived home, we had pretty much digested our meal.

When Howard noticed that we had gotten used to the one-kilometer run, he added another 200 meters to the total distance. Still, Willow completed her run effortlessly, which made Howard incredibly pleased. He then proceeded to make us practice some basic moves. By the end of our practice session, I was sweating quite a lot.

Zane instructed the driver to send Howard home, then approached me and asked, "Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?"

I shook my head and explained, "I'm on my period, so I get tired out more quickly than usual."

"Then you should get some good rest," Willow admonished seriously before tugging me over to the fridge. "Daddy, I heard that ginger tea is good for menstrual pain. Can we make some for Mommy?"

Zane replied indulgently, "Of course we can."

Willow took a bag of sugar and a piece of ginger root from the fridge before walking into the kitchen. Zane, on the other hand, pulled out his phone and looked up a video on how to make ginger tea. As he watched the video, he followed along with the instructions. I leaned back against the couch and watched as they made me the ginger tea. At the same time, I felt incredibly fortunate to have been able to meet such a wonderful family.

After Zane was done boiling the ginger tea, he poured some into a coffee cup and placed it in front of me.

Willow thoughtfully brought a hot water bottle over to me as well, saying, "Mommy, I heard that you'll feel better if you put this over your stomach."

"Thank you, Willow," I told her.

Then, I turned to Zane and said, "And thank you as well."

Together, Willow in her clear voice and Zane in his calm tone, they both replied, "You're welcome."

I placed the hot water bottle on my stomach, feeling slightly more comfortable with the warmth seeping through my shirt.

Dorothy and Milton were worried that Willow might crowd me too much while I was on my period, so they took it upon themselves to take her out to play. Meanwhile, Zane stayed home to take care of work matters.

I looked at Zane and asked, "Are you still busy with work?"

As I asked, I prepared to head upstairs so that I wouldn't disturb him.

He replied calmly, "I've got some time to spare, so we can chat for a bit, Anna."

His reply prompted me to sit back down. "Alright then."

The ginger tea was steaming hot, so I slowly sipped at it.

Zane gazed at me, asking, "What are your plans next?"

He knew that I was about to finish coloring in all the linearts that I had accumulated and would therefore have a long period of availability coming up.

I replied honestly, "I think I'd start drawing another serialized comic if I have the time for it."

He waited patiently for me to elaborate.

I continued, "Although taking poster commissions can earn me a lot of money in the short-term, I won't be getting any subsequent income from it. On the other hand, the revenue I get from my comics will only increase, so I'd rather put all my focus on my comics. What do you think?"

"It's good," he commented, nodding in approval. "You have a very good long-term vision, far better than many others."

Then, I chuckled and said, "This concerns my future, after all. It's no wonder I'd think so carefully about it."

Zane looked at me, seemingly hesitating to speak.

I rarely saw such an expression on his face, which prompted me to ask, "Is there something you wanted to say to me?"

He continued to hem and haw until finally he decided to confess, "The thing is, I have to attend a dinner party. However, you know as well as I do that I've hardly any female acquaintances. Could I trouble you to become my companion for the night?"

I didn't agree immediately and instead asked, "When does this dinner party begin?"

"Tomorrow afternoon," he answered honestly. "It won't get in the way of us picking up Willow."

Apart from drawing every day, I didn't really have any other work lined up. "Alright."

After obtaining my consent, he sighed in relief. "I'll ask Eric to pick out a formal dress that's suitable tomorrow morning and have it sent to the office for you to try out beforehand. I'll also hire a makeup studio to do your makeup for you." Curious, I asked, "Is this dinner party going to be a really important one?"

Zane mulled over his words, saying carefully, "Yes, many of my business partners will be there. But you don't have to be nervous, because I'll be with you. You won't have to do anything other than to stay right next to me." I finally relaxed after listening to what he said.