The Unveiled Rose
Chapter 101

Annalise's small suitcase was all she had taken after signing the divorce papers.

Stunned, Steven sat on the bed. If he had not found out about everything Jessica had done, he might never have realized just how much he had taken Annalise for granted. Guilt suddenly overwhelmed him. He pulled out his phone to call Annalise but could not get through. Opening Instagram, he wanted to message her but did not know what to say. He sent an emoji in the end, only to see an exclamation mark appear. Annalise had blocked him.

...

"This is what our team has been working on for the past year." The project manager handed his phone to Zane.

While Huxham Corporation's main business had been doing well over the past two years, they had decided to expand into new industries. Zane had delegated most of the authority to the project leads, as he preferred not to micromanage these new ventures. But now...

Staring at the content on the phone, Zane hesitated to speak.

The project manager wished he could disappear when he sensed Zane's disapproval.

"Redo it," Zane commented after reading the content.

"M-Mr. Huxham, we really tried our best..." the manager stammered.

Zane shot him a look. "Are you telling me your entire team is incompetent and can only produce trash like this?"

The manager quickly defended, "No! Of course not-"

"Good."

Zane then continued, "Because if the next submission is of the same quality, start packing your desk."

Only after leaving the office did the manager realize his shirt was soaked with cold sweat.

In the office, Zane fidgeted with his phone before asking, "Annalise, do you have a moment?"

I had just finished uploading my colored comic panels and was about to take a break. Walking over to his desk, I replied, "Sure. What's up?"

He handed me his phone. "Would you mind testing this game?"

While gaming was not really my thing, I could not refuse his request. "What kind of game is it?"

"It's a dating sim developed by our company that targets female players," he explained calmly. "I'd like your feedback on any issues you notice."

Taking his phone, I returned to my cubicle and started playing. I frowned as I played.

Zane sat beside me while observing my reactions. He asked, "Are you not enjoying it?"

"The male characters are all unattractive," I said bluntly. "If players are supposed to charm these characters..."

As I spoke, I looked up at him. "Shouldn't they at least be good-looking?"

Zane smiled. "Is that so?"

"Yeah." I forced myself to continue playing. "Plus, they need to be respectful and considerate."

Sitting up straight, I looked at Zane. "Why don't you survey the female employees about what they look for in a partner? Then, categorize those traits and use them to develop your characters."

Zane had never played this type of game before. He had only approved the project because someone had pitched it. Hearing my explanation, he seemed to finally grasp the main appeal of these games. He probed, "So, for this game to succeed, the most important thing is..."